Mammal Tooth In Ramanessin Creek?

[espeton]

I found this tooth also in Rammanessin creek (NJ). Since in this creek you only can find cretaceous staff, I was wondering weather is a fossil tooth or is a modern tooth no fossilized. Also I have no idea of what kind of tooth is. Beaver may be? The coin is a dime.

Thanks

[MammothPaleoGuy]

It's Castor, alright. Dunno what species. Not modern to my eye. I betcha Ramanessin Creek is at least partly on Quaternary valley fill, explaining the Pleistocene stuff. I'll check. Very neat!

EDIT:

OK, a PBDB search of Monmouth County shows that at least 3 localities have provided significant Pleistocene finds:

Shark River

Sandy Hook

Union Beach

I'd bet there's others.

Edited April 6, 2013 by MammothPaleoGuy

[Vordigern]

nice find!

[RichW9090]

Looks like a right upper premolar (RP4) of Castor canadensis. Although some Pleistocene species of Castor have been named, I think all late Blancan through recent Castor are the same species.

And yes, Don, there are a lot of isolated finds of Pleistocene/recent mammals and birds from New Jersey. Big Brook and its tributaries are well known for such finds.

Rich

Edited April 6, 2013 by RichW9090

[RichW9090]

One mnemonic device for being able to spot beaver teeth, aside from their marked hyposdonty, is that the occlusal pattern of the enamel looks like an outline drawing of a bunny.

[Fruitbat]

RichW9090...how FUNNY!! I've collected a few Castor/Castoroides fossils in my day but I never noticed the 'bunny' pattern in the enamel! Now I find myself looking over a few of my specimens and, at least for most of them, you're RIGHT!

-Joe

[espeton]

Rich, do you thing that this is a fossil? Or a modern castor that just die a year ago.

Thanks

[RichW9090]

It is stained rather darkly, but of course, that could be fairly recent as well. No way to tell - both Pleistocene and recent material is known from BB Creek and its tributaries. Beaver haven't been common in southern NJ over the last 100 years or so, but they are begining to reappear in the area. I don't think it is real recent - if it is not Pleistocene, it could be several hundred years old, at least.

Rich

[njfossilhunter]

It is stained rather darkly, but of course, that could be fairly recent as well. No way to tell - both Pleistocene and recent material is known from BB Creek and its tributaries. Beaver haven't been common in southern NJ over the last 100 years or so, but they are begining to reappear in the area. I don't think it is real recent - if it is not Pleistocene, it could be several hundred years old, at least.

Rich

I totally agree with Rich....The beaver was wiped in Jersey during the colonial period .....So its pleistocene to about 150 years old.....they are just making there way back in the last few decade or so.