Hawkeye Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 I found this tooth in an unassociated pile of gravel at PCS this past weekend. I thought it might be whale but one of the giudes thought it might be mosasaur. It is a little bigger round than a quarter. I doesn't show very well in the second picture but it is hollow inside as well. Anybody got any ideas? If you believe everything you read, perhaps it's time for you to stop reading... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gatorman Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 Those lines on the enamel look mosasaurish to me whale teeth usually have rings Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommabetts Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 Looks like mossy to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Menser Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 At first look it certainly has a Mosasaur appearance. I have collected quite a few recently near Greenville. Not an expert here, but has PCS been digging into Cretaceous deposits-or did the unassociated gravel come from elsewhere? Be true to the reality you create. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boesse Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 Odontocete teeth can look like that, too. There are other large odontocetes from the Yorktown and Pungo River LS from LC - including pilot whales, and belugas. I suspect this might be a pilot whale tooth, due to the unusual bluntness. I don't see any reason to suspect this is anything but from an odontocete. Large delphinids (pilot whales, orcas) have teeth like this. The rings around the enamel are only really in sperm whales, which are definitely prevalent at PCS, but there are other toothed whales there to be sure. Bobby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gatorman Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 ahhh ok i knew all the whale teeth i am used to seein have rings Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bj aurora Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 I am far from expert, but I have never heard of any cretaceous fossils from PCS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gatorman Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 yeah i didn't even think about the age i was just going on looks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmorefossil Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 could it be croc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gatorman Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 hmmm possible i guess but that would be a huge croc tooth but i think Boesse is right Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boesse Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 So far, only Thecachampsa has been reported from PCS; it has very tiny teeth that are much narrower. Much more probably/parsimonious that it belongs to Delphinapterus or Globicephala, which are very common at PCS (@ least in the Yorktown Fm.). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charon Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 yes, but this looks alot like pungo to me which makes it much more interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawkeye Posted May 12, 2009 Author Share Posted May 12, 2009 Thanks everyone, this is great. There is no reason to believe that Cretaceous would be mixed in, the piles were Myocene teeth. If you believe everything you read, perhaps it's time for you to stop reading... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boesse Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 AFAIK, there aren't any cetaceans with big blunt teeth like this from the Pungo, and black, phosphatized teeth do occur in the base of the Yorktown. I'm stickin with Delphinapterus or Globicephala from the Yorktown; its the most parsimonious. Besides, this is waaay bigger/narrower than Thecachampsa. Bobby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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