megaholic Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 Can anyone ID a tusk by the outer surface? I have a Mastodon tusk that is totally different from these pieces I found it the Peace River in Fla. I know how to use the Schreger lines, but these are thin outer layers and the lines are not developed on them. Very pretty surface. I wish I had a round section of this. "A man who asks is a fool for five minutes. A man who never asks is a fool for life". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 As far as I know, you can ID tusks by the angle if the Schreger lines, but this requires a cross section end view. "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megaholic Posted February 7, 2013 Author Share Posted February 7, 2013 These pieces are not more than 1/4 inch thick. The Schreger lines are not developed on this outer layer. They begin on the next layer in toward the center, which I do not have on these. As I stated I know how to ID that way, but these don't have any to look at. I was not sure if it is also possible to ID from the surface texture alone. Thanks for the reply. "A man who asks is a fool for five minutes. A man who never asks is a fool for life". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MammothPaleoGuy Posted February 8, 2013 Share Posted February 8, 2013 Lamentably, I think the answer is usually 'no.' That said, all is not lost! Providing you have access to a nuclear chemistry lab, there IS a way! By looking at d13C ratios in your ivory you can determine the diet of the animal. Low d13C ratios will indicate a browser (ie a Mastodon or other mammutid) while high ratios indicate a grazer (ie Mammuthus). Simple -- no Schreger lines needed! Of course you'll need ivory samples from fossils that can be confidently assigned to each genus, for purposes of comparison. And, again, a nuclear chemistry lab. . . . . . . . . . On the OTHER hand, you could try contacting Larry Agenbroad at the Hot Springs Mammoth Site. If anyone in the world could differentiate at a glance, it would be him. Private message me and I'll shoot you his email address. P.S. If you DO have a nuclear chemistry lab, could you let me borrow it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megaholic Posted February 9, 2013 Author Share Posted February 9, 2013 Thanks MPG, I just recently sold my nuclear chemistry lab, so I will contact you for that! Never a lender or borrower be... "A man who asks is a fool for five minutes. A man who never asks is a fool for life". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrimitivePast Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 LOL http://www.primitivepast.com https://www.facebook.com/PrimitivePast Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
worthy 55 Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 Looks like pieces off of a mammoth tooth. B) It's my bone!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MammothPaleoGuy Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 (edited) To my eye the pieces look notably convex, like dentin layers in a tusk. Easy to settle. Can you take a picture of the opposite side of each piece, and maybe of the cross-section? If they're lophs sections we should see more than one type of tooth material in x-section: dentin filling and enamel, maybe some cementum. If its tusk, it'll be 100% homogenus dentin. Edited February 12, 2013 by MammothPaleoGuy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megaholic Posted February 12, 2013 Author Share Posted February 12, 2013 Not needed, I am positive they are tusk, just asking about ID from the texture for a possible future find. MH "A man who asks is a fool for five minutes. A man who never asks is a fool for life". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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