Earendil Posted September 12, 2021 Share Posted September 12, 2021 (edited) Hello guys, I should probably start this post by mentioning that I'm not a vertebrate guy. So if anything I say is wrong or laughable, this isn't my best subject. Today I bought two jaw pieces with no label for a ridiculously low price. I think they're Enchodus from Morocco, but I wanted to verify. Also, there are some various verts, shark teeth, etc. in the matrix, I think the visible shark tooth in piece #1 is Squalicorax, and I'm not sure about the one in #2. And the large vert on #1 might not be identifiable, but I thought I'd ask. Are there any major red lights? Any serious resto work? Thanks everybody! Jaw #1: Edited September 12, 2021 by yardrockpaleo 1 "Its webs of living gauze no more unfurl; Wrecked is the ship of pearl! And every chambered cell, Where its dim dreaming life was wont to dwell" -From The Chambered Nautilus by Oliver Wendell Holmes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earendil Posted September 12, 2021 Author Share Posted September 12, 2021 Jaw 2: 1 "Its webs of living gauze no more unfurl; Wrecked is the ship of pearl! And every chambered cell, Where its dim dreaming life was wont to dwell" -From The Chambered Nautilus by Oliver Wendell Holmes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth_ Posted September 12, 2021 Share Posted September 12, 2021 I'm no expert but that larger tooth in the second post looks a lot like my Enchodus teeth. If the experts come in and say the jawbone + teeth are all original and legit then you have some really nice pieces! Maybe Cretalamna for the shark tooth....? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earendil Posted September 12, 2021 Author Share Posted September 12, 2021 (edited) 13 hours ago, Gareth_ said: I'm no expert but that larger tooth in the second post looks a lot like my Enchodus teeth. If the experts come in and say the jawbone + teeth are all original and legit then you have some really nice pieces! Maybe Cretalamna for the shark tooth....? Good to know! Yeah, Cretalamna is a good guess, that's probably it. Anybody else? Edited September 12, 2021 by yardrockpaleo "Its webs of living gauze no more unfurl; Wrecked is the ship of pearl! And every chambered cell, Where its dim dreaming life was wont to dwell" -From The Chambered Nautilus by Oliver Wendell Holmes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phos_01 Posted September 12, 2021 Share Posted September 12, 2021 Interesting pieces! Congrats on buy. Will you keep them like this? I could be curious to what else is there on the first piece, the second one also would look good cleaned from matrix in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earendil Posted September 12, 2021 Author Share Posted September 12, 2021 1 hour ago, Phos_01 said: Interesting pieces! Congrats on buy. Will you keep them like this? I could be curious to what else is there on the first piece, the second one also would look good cleaned from matrix in my opinion. Thanks! I've never prepped anything like this, and I don't think I want to risk damaging it, so I will probably leave it as is. I'm really happy with this fossil! "Its webs of living gauze no more unfurl; Wrecked is the ship of pearl! And every chambered cell, Where its dim dreaming life was wont to dwell" -From The Chambered Nautilus by Oliver Wendell Holmes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earendil Posted September 12, 2021 Author Share Posted September 12, 2021 I forgot to mention the scale as well, the smaller jaw (piece #1) is 4 inches long. The bigger jaw section with 5 teeth on piece #2 is 5 and a half inches long. I'm just guessing, but could the vert on #1 be mosasaur? @pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon might be able to help? "Its webs of living gauze no more unfurl; Wrecked is the ship of pearl! And every chambered cell, Where its dim dreaming life was wont to dwell" -From The Chambered Nautilus by Oliver Wendell Holmes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordTrilobite Posted September 12, 2021 Share Posted September 12, 2021 All of this looks real. Different parts of Enchodus jaws. Keep in mind that many fish have teeth on several different bones. The larger vert on the side looks like it's probably a mosasaur caudal. 1 Olof Moleman AKA Lord Trilobite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earendil Posted September 12, 2021 Author Share Posted September 12, 2021 4 minutes ago, LordTrilobite said: All of this looks real. Different parts of Enchodus jaws. Keep in mind that many fish have teeth on several different bones. The larger vert on the side looks like it's probably a mosasaur caudal. This is really helpful, thanks! Wow, Enchodus, Squalicorax, Cretolamna, and Mosasaur remains! Thanks, everybody! "Its webs of living gauze no more unfurl; Wrecked is the ship of pearl! And every chambered cell, Where its dim dreaming life was wont to dwell" -From The Chambered Nautilus by Oliver Wendell Holmes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted September 12, 2021 Share Posted September 12, 2021 Nice pieces! Good to know that at least some of the Moroccan items at that show were legit! Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earendil Posted September 12, 2021 Author Share Posted September 12, 2021 1 minute ago, Tidgy's Dad said: Nice pieces! Good to know that at least some of the Moroccan items at that show were legit! Thanks!! I saw some pretty flagrant fakes, but also some rather nice Moroccan fossils! Oh yeah, I meant to ask, does anybody know what the thing in piece #1 directly above the Squalicorax tooth is? It looked sorta like a Mosasaur tooth base, but I wasn't sure. I can take better pics if it helps, too. "Its webs of living gauze no more unfurl; Wrecked is the ship of pearl! And every chambered cell, Where its dim dreaming life was wont to dwell" -From The Chambered Nautilus by Oliver Wendell Holmes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon Posted September 12, 2021 Share Posted September 12, 2021 (edited) Sorry for showing up so late, it's been a pretty busy day But I agree with much of the diagnoses already provided here. Real specimens in real matrix, with the jaws being Enchodus and the shark's tooth in #1 being Squalicorax. The other shark's tooth I wouldn't know, as I don't really do shark's teeth. I'm not entirely sure whether the white blob on the side of #1 is actually a vertebra, though, as it looks too worn for me to tell, and the consistency with the long vertical fibres also looks a lot more like a mosasaur tooth root than a vertebra to me (which would, I think, moreover be too long for a caudal). Rather I think it's a tooth root, with the item directly above the Squalicorax tooth indeed looking an awefull lot like the base of a Globidens phosphaticus tooth crown. I think, however, that to properly identify them, you'd need to clear the matrix from around them a bit more... This is not difficult to do with some dental (or even sturdy tooth) picks and optionally some water to soften the matrix - though it will, of course, affect the look and feel of your purchase. In any case, very nice pieces! Edited September 12, 2021 by pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon 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...
Earendil Posted September 12, 2021 Author Share Posted September 12, 2021 26 minutes ago, pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon said: Sorry for showing up so late, it's been a pretty busy day But I agree with much of the diagnoses already provided here. Real specimens in real matrix, with the jaws being Enchodus and the shark's tooth in #1 being Squalicorax. The other shark's tooth I wouldn't know, as I don't really do shark's teeth. I'm not entirely sure whether the white blob on the side of #1 is actually a vertebra, though, as it looks too worn for me to tell, and the consistency with the long vertical fibres also looks a lot more like a mosasaur tooth root than a vertebra to me (which would, I think, moreover be too long for a caudal). Rather I think it's a tooth root, with the item directly above the Squalicorax tooth indeed looking an awefull lot like the base of a Globidens phosphaticus tooth crown. I think, however, that to properly identify them, you'd need to clear the matrix from around them a bit more... This is not difficult to do with some dental (or even sturdy tooth) picks and optionally some water to soften the matrix - though it will, of course, affect the look and feel of your purchase. In any case, very nice pieces! Thanks for your response! I think I will leave the fossils as they are, at least for now, but if I decide to give it a try I will update you guys. I decided to go back to the Denver Gem and Mineral show to get some more, so I'll post the fossils I bought in a few. I'll tag you, as well. 1 "Its webs of living gauze no more unfurl; Wrecked is the ship of pearl! And every chambered cell, Where its dim dreaming life was wont to dwell" -From The Chambered Nautilus by Oliver Wendell Holmes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earendil Posted September 14, 2021 Author Share Posted September 14, 2021 (edited) I did a bit of prep to the 1st jaw, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the matrix is relatively soft and the fossils are hard, so this stuff is perfect for beginners!! I cleaned up the Squalicorax tooth, just look at those serrations! I don't think I'm going to prep out the possible Globidens tooth anymore, as it seems pretty fragile. Hope you enjoy the pics! @pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon Before: After: And the serrations: Edited September 14, 2021 by yardrockpaleo 1 "Its webs of living gauze no more unfurl; Wrecked is the ship of pearl! And every chambered cell, Where its dim dreaming life was wont to dwell" -From The Chambered Nautilus by Oliver Wendell Holmes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earendil Posted September 14, 2021 Author Share Posted September 14, 2021 And I forgot to tag @Gareth_ "Its webs of living gauze no more unfurl; Wrecked is the ship of pearl! And every chambered cell, Where its dim dreaming life was wont to dwell" -From The Chambered Nautilus by Oliver Wendell Holmes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth_ Posted September 15, 2021 Share Posted September 15, 2021 58 minutes ago, yardrockpaleo said: And I forgot to tag @Gareth_ Nice! That is a good condition shark tooth hiding under the matrix, nice clear serrations on it! Are you going to remove matrix around the Enchodus jaw and teeth? And the other shark tooth? Might help with an accurate ID too Fully understand about the Globidens rooted tooth, it looks fragile Thanks for sharing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earendil Posted September 15, 2021 Author Share Posted September 15, 2021 2 minutes ago, Gareth_ said: Nice! That is a good condition shark tooth hiding under the matrix, nice clear serrations on it! Are you going to remove matrix around the Enchodus jaw and teeth? And the other shark tooth? Might help with an accurate ID too Fully understand about the Globidens rooted tooth, it looks fragile Thanks for sharing Thanks! I am going to attempt prepping the things you mentioned, but as it's been a busy start to the school year, I'm working in small increments. I'll keep you guys posted. 1 "Its webs of living gauze no more unfurl; Wrecked is the ship of pearl! And every chambered cell, Where its dim dreaming life was wont to dwell" -From The Chambered Nautilus by Oliver Wendell Holmes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon Posted September 15, 2021 Share Posted September 15, 2021 22 hours ago, yardrockpaleo said: I did a bit of prep to the 1st jaw, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the matrix is relatively soft and the fossils are hard, so this stuff is perfect for beginners!! I cleaned up the Squalicorax tooth, just look at those serrations! I don't think I'm going to prep out the possible Globidens tooth anymore, as it seems pretty fragile. Hope you enjoy the pics! I'm glad your first experience with prepping was such a positive one! Yes, Moroccan material is indeed very easy to start out with and generally rather forgiving too. That's why I've seen it used a lot on fossil preparation workshops And once you're comfortable with this, there are plenty of other soft types of rock available the world over that are easy to prep I work a lot with marls and shales, which for the most part are very similar in the way you prep them. I also understand that dinosaur material from Wyoming can often be prepped in much the same way (or, at least, with fairly low-grade pneumatic tools), but I personally have no experience with that. What I do know, however, is that Triassic rock can be very hard, as are nodules and other rock types containing either a lot of calcite or pyrite. But there's still plenty to go through before moving on to that One tip I'd like to give you already, however, and that is to save the dust that you obtain from your preps. Sift it so that you're only left with dust, and store this for later use. Using a bit of glue, you can re-use this dust to make artificial matrix, which I find works wonders to make touch-up work look more natural 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...
Earendil Posted September 15, 2021 Author Share Posted September 15, 2021 22 minutes ago, pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon said: I'm glad your first experience with prepping was such a positive one! Yes, Moroccan material is indeed very easy to start out with and generally rather forgiving too. That's why I've seen it used a lot on fossil preparation workshops And once you're comfortable with this, there are plenty of other soft types of rock available the world over that are easy to prep I work a lot with marls and shales, which for the most part are very similar in the way you prep them. I also understand that dinosaur material from Wyoming can often be prepped in much the same way (or, at least, with fairly low-grade pneumatic tools), but I personally have no experience with that. What I do know, however, is that Triassic rock can be very hard, as are nodules and other rock types containing either a lot of calcite or pyrite. But there's still plenty to go through before moving on to that One tip I'd like to give you already, however, and that is to save the dust that you obtain from your preps. Sift it so that you're only left with dust, and store this for later use. Using a bit of glue, you can re-use this dust to make artificial matrix, which I find works wonders to make touch-up work look more natural Thanks for the tips! I'll definitely have to try some of the above fossil types you mentioned! I'm excited to keep prepping fossils. It definitely takes a certain type of person, it can get pretty tedious! Maybe I'll go back to the Denver Fossil show and try to find some more good fossils to prep. 1 "Its webs of living gauze no more unfurl; Wrecked is the ship of pearl! And every chambered cell, Where its dim dreaming life was wont to dwell" -From The Chambered Nautilus by Oliver Wendell Holmes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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