New Members Archie G. Posted July 18 New Members Share Posted July 18 I’ve been trying to get this (apparent) tooth identified for decades. Found it in Horry County, South Carolina, in a wave while I was in the ocean near the shore. A large deposit of shell and debris brushed against my leg. When I reached down, this came up in my hand with the broken shells and debris. Quite a find for a nine year old. I thought it might have been an ancient shark tooth, but no shark tooth I’ve seen has this appearance. Any help identifying this is greatly appreciated! cheers, Archie G. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilus Posted July 18 Share Posted July 18 The "root" end looks spongy, like bone. I would say that this is just a broken piece of bone that happens to look like a tooth. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted July 18 Share Posted July 18 Not seeing any evidence of enamel, but I do see bone texture. Maybe a worn piece of rib from something? 1 Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 IPFOTM -- MAY - 2024 _________________________________________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted July 18 Share Posted July 18 It looks like a claw core to me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mahnmut Posted July 18 Share Posted July 18 Antler tine? Try to learn something about everything and everything about something Thomas Henry Huxley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
val horn Posted July 19 Share Posted July 19 Not tooth because it has bone texture and no enamel. The sharp tip does not look broken so the suggestion of antler tine seems likely. It was a nice find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivaldir Posted July 19 Share Posted July 19 +1 for antler. The very fine and dense spongiosa suits this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Cole Posted July 19 Share Posted July 19 Due to the dense spongey internal structure, I would say sloth claw core and antler tine are the two most likely possibilities. But I would lean antler tine since I don't see the other features at the base that I would expect to see in a claw. Others may know more. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl Posted July 19 Share Posted July 19 I'm thinking it's too smooth to be a claw core. Antler or other very worn bone seems best. Definitely not a tooth. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Members Archie G. Posted July 20 Author New Members Share Posted July 20 Thanks to everyone for the help. It seems nearly everyone is leaning toward claw or antler time. So I’m guessing we can definitively say it isn’t a tooth? It always struck my amateur mind as a tooth; seemed intuitive. But I’m happy to entertain these alternative interpretations. The question now is, if it’s claw or antler, What sort of antler/claw? And how old? Also, I’d love to speculate about how and why I found it in the ocean. Any other thoughts are welcome and appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl Posted July 22 Share Posted July 22 I feel pretty confident it's not a claw. It's lacking the overall shape and subtle details. If it's an antler tine, it's quite wide, which would rule out a lot of cervids. Not sure what cervids were in the Carolinas that might have such antlers, maybe be moose or Cevalces. Might be too far south for a moose. Cervids made it to the Americas in the Pliocene, but most east coast US Cenozoic fossils are younger, so if this is a fossil and is a cervid antler fragment, I'd go with Pleistocene. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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