I found this tooth in South Dakota. I picked it up thanking it was a peace of volcanic glass stuck in a rock. when I got home I cleaned it up and realized it was a tooth! Any ideas what it came from?
Tooth!!
- Thread starter Rww1987
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Age_old
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Pretty tooth, looks like some kind of rhino from the Oligocene time period. Very pretty. A picture of the top (chewing surface) would help on a more comprehensive ID. I am guessing you found it near the badlands?
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Age_old
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Rww1987 said:
Actually, the top isn't broken much at all. You actually have part of a second tooth there. That 'whitish' line is where the most complete tooth ends; you can see part of another tooth on the other side. The yellowish part is what is called the 'dentin' and the black/blueish part is enamel. This is the chewing surface. The tooth is almost complete, and in very, VERY good shape for what we call a 'surface find'. Most fossils like that are usually encased in tough rock. I am almost positive there would have been more of the animal at that site. That is a VERY nice fossil, and you should be proud of it. Get a nice case for it, and treasure it. Congratulations!
I am no expert in rhinos, but I am almost sure that is from a rhino called Teleoceras. It is from the Oligocene, which is 34 - 23 million years old. Here is a Wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teleoceras
Here is a picture of another Teleoceras tooth. I know it is not exactly the same, but the teeth vary depending on the placement in the mouth.
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BeachComber7
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Wow very nice!
