TNCollector Posted August 2, 2015 Posted August 2, 2015 This tooth was found in micro matrix collected form the Eagle Ford formation in Texas. Age is Late Cretaceous. All of the fossils I have found thus far have been marine, and have not been too hard to identify, but this one has me stumped. I have a feeling about what it could be, but don't want to say anything in order to not sound dumb... Images taken under a stereo microscope. Sorry the images are a bit blurry, I don't have a camera for my scope yet so I am using my iPhone. length: ~1.5mm Thanks!
jpc Posted August 3, 2015 Posted August 3, 2015 That looks like rodent tooth. The occlusal picture is too out of focus to say more. It is likely not a Cretaceous mammal... rodents were 15 million years in the future.
Ptychodus04 Posted August 4, 2015 Posted August 4, 2015 I agree on the likely ID of rodent tooth. As for the age... The Eagle Ford is wholly marine (to my knowledge). Down around Austin, it is undivided. Up in the Dallas area it is divided into the Britton and Arcadia Park formations. All marine. Most bulk samples of matrix in this area come from creeks so there's a significant chance of getting Pleistocene material mixed in. This has happened to me on several occasions. I have collected Pleistocene turtle shell and a snake vertebra from gravels in a Britton Formation exposure. On the other hand, mammals were around at the time, lurking under the feet of the dinosaurs. Slaughter (SMU) did a lot of work in the Albian (Antlers Fm.) from Texas on Cretaceous mammals. Without any other info than what we have though, I would ID as Pleistocene rodent. 2 Regards, Kris Global Paleo Services, LLC https://globalpaleoservices.com http://instagram.com/globalpaleoservices http://instagram.com/kris.howe
JohnJ Posted August 4, 2015 Posted August 4, 2015 I agree on the likely ID of rodent tooth. As for the age... The Eagle Ford is wholly marine (to my knowledge). Down around Austin, it is undivided. Up in the Dallas area it is divided into the Britton and Arcadia Park formations. All marine. Most bulk samples of matrix in this area come from creeks so there's a significant chance of getting Pleistocene material mixed in. This has happened to me on several occasions. I have collected Pleistocene turtle shell and a snake vertebra from gravels in a Britton Formation exposure. On the other hand, mammals were around at the time, lurking under the feet of the dinosaurs. Slaughter (SMU) did a lot of work in the Albian (Antlers Fm.) from Texas on Cretaceous mammals. Without any other info than what we have though, I would ID as Pleistocene rodent. Kris makes a good point. Matrix collected from any waterway should never be labeled as exclusive to a particular formation. Matrix labeled in this manner causes confusion when identifications are researched. Those samples will contain material from upstream, surface deposits, and everything down to the waterway's bed formation. The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ
TNCollector Posted August 5, 2015 Author Posted August 5, 2015 Yes I figured rodent tooth myself, but didn't want to say it incase it was something else. As far as I know, the Eagle Ford is indeed wholly marine. I didn't consider the fact that it could still be a fossil. I figured it was either Cretaceous and very rare, or modern. I have found Cretaceous mammal teeth in the Hell Creek of Montana, but nothing exactly like this one. Other than what I have already stated in my first post, I have no other information on the matrix as I got it from a trade. Due to the fact that there are freshwater clam shells in it, I am pretty certain it was collected from a creek bed. It looks fossilized to me, not just water stained, but I don't know. I am not very knowledgeable about anything after the Cretaceous.
Ptychodus04 Posted August 5, 2015 Posted August 5, 2015 Other than what I have already stated in my first post, I have no other information on the matrix as I got it from a trade. Due to the fact that there are freshwater clam shells in it, I am pretty certain it was collected from a creek bed. It looks fossilized to me, not just water stained, but I don't know. I am not very knowledgeable about anything after the Cretaceous. Based on this information, I would give it a definite ID of Pleistocene rodent molar. It has the right over all appearance for this as well (red fur, fuzzy tail, likes nuts... must be a squirrel). I've seen bison teeth in a VERY mineralized bone that were still almost white. You should be able to find a possible genus ID online as the University of Texas has done significant work on Pleistocene mammal faunas. Regards, Kris Global Paleo Services, LLC https://globalpaleoservices.com http://instagram.com/globalpaleoservices http://instagram.com/kris.howe
TNCollector Posted August 5, 2015 Author Posted August 5, 2015 Oh that is exciting! I've never found any pleistocene material before. I will do some research to try and narrow it down to genus.
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