Possible Fossil ?????

pganjon · May 1, 2010

Hello, I found this laying in the wash next to a creek here in Maryland and I wonder if it could be a Fossil? Its about 1&1/2 inches long, 1&1/4 inches wide and about 1/2 inch thick. Its very hard and heavy for its size weighing about 1 oz. It has a small hole in each of its tube like area's that I thought maybe could have come from veins or where food was distributed like the veins of some kind of plant. I also found this funny looking rock at the same place that looks like a animal shape made out of stone. Any thoughts on this, I would greatly appreciate it :dontknow:

Thanks for reading :icon_thumleft:

Paul

naturegirl · May 1, 2010

That first one is a tooth of some kind, don't know about the second one, hopefully someone will be along to help you.

Maybe a horse tooth? just a guess :dontknow:

Harry Pristis · May 2, 2010

The first object is a lower third molar (m3) from an artiodactyl, probably a bison. In MD, it might be from a "woods bison," Bison athabascae.

The second object, with no evidence of being worked, must be an oddly-shaped rock.

pganjon · May 2, 2010

Hello, Thank you both very much :icon_thumleft:

Harry, I really appreciate the pictures and accurate ID :headbang:

Do you think that this is an actual tooth or is it a fossil of the tooth since it feels very heavy to me. I don't know how far back Bison go :dontknow:

Thank you, Paul :coffee2:

Harry Pristis · May 3, 2010

If the tooth is from a bison, it is likely to be Late Pleistocene-to-Recent in age. That is, a few hundred years to about a million years.

Many times, the superhard enamel of mammal teeth is preserved unaltered while the softer (dentin) roots are worn away. Sometimes the tooth is somewhat permineralized. I cannot say which condition prevails in this case.