Jeanette Pirlo

Hi Nathan, can you take and upload pictures of the proximal and distal ends. Looks like it could be a chunk of dugong rib (don’t forget your scale bar!)

I agree with victor

I am absolutely interested! With the crushed Gomphy specimens, I wonder if they can be reconstructed. Thanks Bruce!

looks like a broken horse tooth. modern equus have very long molars

Hi @matthew-thompson I don’t think it’s squalicorax as the root is not as robust as in squalicorax. Do you mind me asking where you found it? Also, what are your thoughts @vperez ?

Hmm, i’m certainly stumped on this one. I don’t think it’s tusk, just from the texture, but it may be a worn tooth of some sort, perhaps horse? I think i see enamel along the lateral edges. @smoran what are your thoughts?

It certainly looks cetacean-like. this is because cetaceans have more rounded verts, almost compressed, with the spinal canal usually getting worn away quickly when the processes break off. They also have that characteristic circular/ring banding seen in image 3. cool stuff!

Def a dugong rib. you can even see some boaring clam holes in the second picture! Anyway, it’s dugong because if you look at the third image, you don’t see any of the spongy bone tissue, which is true for dugongs. Since they are literal balls of fat, they need to have very dense bones to help them sink and swim. As dugongs are bottom feeders (manatees are surface feeders) they need the extra help to reach their food.

Looks like it would maybe be a sperm whale tooth. they have very large teeth and incredibly long roots as seen in this specimen.

I was thinking whale also when i first saw it, but also perhaps proboscidean. A scale bar would be great as well. But certainly knowing the location of where it was found would be most helpful. this will help narrow down age and potential species.

Hi Susan, So we can’t add images to the comments, so i’ve created a set of instructions for you to access the Florida Museum’s Vert Paleo database where you can look up examples of a peccary mandible vs a dolphin mandible and you can compare your specimen. See below:
1. Access the FLMNH Vertebrate Paleontology Database (open source): https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/vertpaleo-search/search
2. In the ‘Family’ box, enter Tayassuidae (note that the box will give you suggestions, use the suggestions given)
3. At the top of the page, check the box ‘Only results with images’
4. Click ‘Submit Query’
5. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and you’ll see specimens from the collections with images. If you click on the images of the first specimen that shows up (UF/TRO 408) and arrow to the third image (occlusal/grinding surface of teeth) you’ll see that the alveoli of the teeth in a Peccary are shaped very differently from your specimen.
6. do steps 2-4, but use the term ‘Schizodelphidae’ under ‘Family’.
7. Specimen number UF 115691 will show a nice maxilla and mandible of an extinct river dolphin. These images are similar to your specimen.

Feel free to play around with the database! Let me know if you have any questions.
-Jeanette

HI @michael-gianakas this is certainly a horse tooth! looks to be in great shape! As for it being in your driveway, it sounds like you may have some other wonderful finds waiting for you. By the looks of it, the tooth seems to be from a fairly modern horse, so you may be looking at ice age material on your property. Keep an eye out for mammoth/mastodon material and maybe even some sloths! Good luck!

I don’t think it’s peccary, but I’ll double check. Usually, in mammals with heterodont dentition (different tooth types) like a peccary would have different size alveolus (holes where teeth come out of). Since cetaceans like dolphins have homodont dentition (all the teeth are the same shape) the alveoli are pretty equal in shape and size and spacing. Similar to an alligator (alveolus would be different size diameters) I’ll look into it and provide more info

It’s hard to tell the size without a scale bar of some sort. Can you provide a picture with something for scale? Pencil, coin? Thanks!

I’m not sure. When I lived out in SC/SV I didn’t really pay attention to the fossil record, I was focused on modern marine bio. Perhaps victor might know

I used to live in Scott’s valley! Fantastic find!

This is a megalodon tooth. It’s one of the far posterior teeth, further towards the hinge of the jaw as opposed to the front of the mouth. Cool tooth!