Crocodilian Teeth

[Othniel C. Marsh]

Below are 10 crocodile teeth from the Ypresian age of the Moroccan Phosphates, none of which have been identified. I've numbered them to make it easier to keep track of them as they all look rather similar.

 

 

Thanks in advance for any proposed IDs
Othniel

[Troodon]

Croc or are some mosasaur?

 

@Praefectus @pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon

[Othniel C. Marsh]

Pretty sure they are all crocodilian, certainly all crocodylomorphs. Shouldn't be any mosasaurs in there.

[Al Dente]

15 hours ago, Othniel C. Marsh said:

Below are 10 crocodile teeth from the Ypresian age of the Moroccan Phosphates

Are you confident that there isn’t Cretaceous mixed in? Number 6 is almost certainly a mosasaur tooth.

[Othniel C. Marsh]

They are supposed to be solely from the Ypresian, but I am becoming increasingly doubtful of that- number 6 does look a lot like a small mosasaur tooth. Assuming some are from the Cretaceous, what species are we looking at here?

[Troodon]

Matrix looks a bit redish on some which would not point to phosphate beds.  Photos can be deceptive, can you confirm color.  I also think a good number of these are mosasaur but will let the M experts chime in.

[Yoda]

3 hours ago, Al Dente said:

Are you confident that there isn’t Cretaceous mixed in? Number 6 is almost certainly a mosasaur tooth.

I agree.

And possibly also No 1??? 

[Othniel C. Marsh]

The matrix on 2, 5 and 8 is a little reddish.
Assuming these are a) not all from the Eocene, b) not all crocodilians, and c) not all from the phosphates (and they were sold as Eocene crocodilian teeth from the phosphates so I'm pretty annoyed about that) what species could the teeth be?

[Praefectus]

1) Mosasauridae indet.

2) Eremiasaurus heterodontus – Anterior crown

3) Eremiasaurus heterodontus – Mid marginal crown

4) Halisaurine mosasaur tooth?

5) Not sure? Croc? Need better pictures.

6) Pterygoid mosasaur tooth, species indeterminate.

7) Eremiasaurus heterodontus

8) Not sure? Need better pictures.

9) Eremiasaurus heterodontus

10) Not sure? Need better pictures.

 

On 7/18/2023 at 12:22 PM, Troodon said:

Croc or are some mosasaur?

 

@Praefectus @pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon

Thanks for the tag.

[Othniel C. Marsh]

12 hours ago, Praefectus said:

1) Mosasauridae indet.

2) Eremiasaurus heterodontus – Anterior crown

3) Eremiasaurus heterodontus – Mid marginal crown

4) Halisaurine mosasaur tooth?

5) Not sure? Croc? Need better pictures.

6) Pterygoid mosasaur tooth, species indeterminate.

7) Eremiasaurus heterodontus

8) Not sure? Need better pictures.

9) Eremiasaurus heterodontus

10) Not sure? Need better pictures.

 

Thanks for identifications, Praefectus- your help is much appreciated. Better photos of the teeth will be uploaded this evening.

[Othniel C. Marsh]

Photos uploaded (and earlier than expected).

 

[Praefectus]

Thanks for the photos. 4 looks mosasaur. 5, 8, and 10 are still indeterminate. Possibly croc. 

[Troodon]

I think 8 is most likely a Croc. 

[pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon]

Now this seems like a fun game!

 

1. Looks like there's an anterior carina present, so I'd say Eremiasaurus heterodontus, anterior crown.
2. Same story as #1: Eremiasaurus heterodontus anterior crown.
3. Marginal mosasaur tooth. Could be either Eremiasaurus heterodontus or Thalassotitan atrox juvenile for me, though the former is more likely due to apical absence of thickened enamel and anastomosing ridgelets.
4. Pluridens serpentis, recognizable from the enamel folds at the base of the crown.
5. I think I'm seeing an anterior carina and some slight prismatism on one side of the tooth? Looks like Eremiasaurus heterodontus anterior again.
6. The degree of backwards curvature and presence of only a posterior carina mark this as a palatal tooth, likely candidates are Eremiasaurus heterodontus or Thalassotitan atrox.
7. Another Eremiasaurus heterodontus.
8. Looks like 8 has two carinae and medial/lingual curvature. I'm going with dyrosaurid crocodile for this one.
9. The flat labial surface on this one rules out crocodile, so a marginal Eremiasaurus heterodontus crown again.
10. Dual carinae and medial/lingual curvature with a convex labial: dyrosaurid crocodile to me.

[Othniel C. Marsh]

8 hours ago, Praefectus said:

Thanks for the photos. 4 looks mosasaur. 5, 8, and 10 are still indeterminate. Possibly croc. 

 

1 hour ago, pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon said:

• Looks like there's an anterior carina present, so I'd say Eremiasaurus heterodontus, anterior crown.
• Same story as #1: Eremiasaurus heterodontus anterior crown.
• Marginal mosasaur tooth. Could be either Eremiasaurus heterodontus or Thalassotitan atrox juvenile for me, though the former is more likely due to apical absence of thickened enamel and anastomosing ridgelets.
• Pluridens serpentis, recognizable from the enamel folds at the base of the crown.
• I think I'm seeing an anterior carina and some slight prismatism on one side of the tooth? Looks like Eremiasaurus heterodontus anterior again.
• The degree of backwards curvature and presence of only a posterior carina mark this as a palatal tooth, likely candidates are Eremiasaurus heterodontus or Thalassotitan atrox.
• Another Eremiasaurus heterodontus.
• Looks like 8 has two carinae and medial/lingual curvature. I'm going with dyrosaurid crocodile for this one.
• The flat labial surface on this one rules out crocodile, so a marginal Eremiasaurus heterodontus crown again.
• Dual carinae and medial/lingual curvature with a convex labial: dyrosaurid crocodile to me.

 

Thank you Praefectus and pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon. I suppose that's that cleared up then.