Alston Gee Posted November 25, 2023 Share Posted November 25, 2023 I recently acquired three tooth fossils from southwestern China initially labeled as a "Plesiosaurus indet." tooth. The specific locality of the tooth fossils is the Lower Shaximiao Formation, Zigong, Sichuan, China. The age of the Lower Shaximiao formation ranges from Early to Middle Jurassic. The only known plesiosaur species from the Shaximiao formation is Bishanopliosaurus zigongensis, a rhomaleosaurus. If these three tooth are indeed identified as a plesiosaur tooth, they probably belong to Bishanopliosaurus sp. Can anyone help me to identify whether these teeth are plesiosaur teeth? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alston Gee Posted November 25, 2023 Author Share Posted November 25, 2023 @pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alston Gee Posted November 25, 2023 Author Share Posted November 25, 2023 Here are three pictures of the Bishanopliosaur sp. teeth from Zigong Dinosaur Museum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alston Gee Posted November 27, 2023 Author Share Posted November 27, 2023 @pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon Would you identify these teeth as plesiosaur? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon Posted December 1, 2023 Share Posted December 1, 2023 Sorry for arriving late to the party! It's been rather busy and it seems like the post afterwards slipped my mind. However, here are my thoughts on the teeth: The first and third tooth are crocodile teeth, as they've got carinae, which plesiosaurs wouldn't have. See the images below as to where these are located, marked in red. In contrast, the middle/second tooth is a bit trickier to identify, as there's no clear indication of a carina. However, seeing how the striae in the lower left side of it terminate before reaching the ridglet that overlies it - a trait seen in crocodile teeth, but not in plesiosaurian ones, where striations tend to merge - I suspect this is a crocodile tooth as well... 1 'There's nothing like millions of years of really frustrating trial and error to give a species moral fibre and, in some cases, backbone' -- Terry Pratchett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now