A New Fossil Tooth from a Florida Beach for ID

[IndianRiverSonrise]

Here is a new find. It is a different type of tooth than any I've found in the past. I think it is also by far my best example. I think it might be a bear tooth. All information or opinions appreciated. Thanks

 

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[sniffer]

by the looks of it and the relative flat surface, I'd lean towards a grass eater

 

[Harry Pristis]

by the looks of it and the relative flat surface, I'd lean towards a grass eater

Good obsersvation, 'Sniffer' . . . it's a senile grazer, too. I believe it is an equus horse tooth from an ooold individual with worn-out teeth.

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[Martingeetars]

I'm going to say tapir or manettee,thu I'm no expert I think horse teeth don't have a crown like the one on your tooth. I have similar teeth and they are forsure not horse. Nice piece!

 

[Harry Pristis]

I'm going to say tapir or manettee,thu I'm no expert I think horse teeth don't have a crown like the one on your tooth. I have similar teeth and they are forsure not horse. Nice piece!

Manatee teeth don't dish out quite like that, and they are too small to consider.

I did think about tapir, but it appears to me that the crown length is too long and the roots too robust to be tapir.

I have a section of jaw with senile horse teeth, but I couldn't lay my hand on it with a brief search (it's not in my drawer). I did find a tapir jaw with some senile teeth. Maybe 'sniffer' will compare these measurements with his own tooth crown length and let us know what he finds.

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[mrs.oroblanco]

I'm thinking not horse - it just isn't quite right. Maybe of the bovine variety? I have some pig teeth outside, I want to look at them, too.

B

 

[mrs.oroblanco]

Here is the pig teeth.

 

[Harry Pristis]

Whoa! Too many guesses! Something is amiss.

Let's go back to basics (which we skipped to start). What are the dimensions of the tooth?

The more I look at it, the more it looks like a worn bear tooth, just as IRS surmised.

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[mrs.oroblanco]

It's not too many guesses - it is merely a comparison of different types of veggie eaters.

B

 

[Harry Pristis]

It's not too many guesses - it is merely a comparison of different types of veggie eaters.

B

What I meant to say is that there are still too many possibilities as measured by the number of guesses. We need more information about the tooth from FSR.

Bear would explain the crenulations, the little squigglies at the end of the crown and perhaps elsewhere in the crown. Here's a pair of bear cheek teeth for comparison, one unworn, the other worn (but not as much as the tooth for ID).

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[Harry Pristis]

How about it, IRS . . . what are the dimensions of this tooth. Did you decide what it was?

I found the senile horse example for comparison. Here it is:

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[IndianRiverSonrise]

Ok. The crown length of the tooth shown in the photo is 7/8 of an inch. The width is 5/8 inch. From top of the crown to end of longest root is 1.75 inches.

How about it, IRS . . . what are the dimensions of this tooth. Did you decide what it was?

I found the senile horse example for comparison. Here it is:

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[Harry Pristis]

Ok. The crown length of the tooth shown in the photo is 7/8 of an inch. The width is 5/8 inch. From top of the crown to end of longest root is 1.75 inches.

Okaay! The dimensions of your tooth match m1 and m2 of my senile horse jaw. I'm convinced that your tooth is from a Pleistocene horse (Equus sp.). I've always considered this senile jaw to be from a mare because its overall dimensions are just slightly smaller than other Equus jaws in my collection. I'd guess that your tooth is also from a mare. It was serendipitous that I had a jaw to match your tooth.

Show us some more beach finds!