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October 13, 2008

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Differentiating...

Differentiating Mosasaur Teeth from Croc Teeth

2/21/2005 1:23:41 AM

xiphodan

19 posts

Differentiating Mosasaur Teeth from Croc Teeth

On my last outing to Ramanessin (NJ trip on 2/19/05) I found a reptilian tooth that is really beat up but interesting non-the-less. It has a single well defined carinae or cutting edge, a round cross-section, and while almost all the enamel is worn off, there is a small intact patch that appears to be very smooth. In the Cretaceous formations of NJ, one can find mosasaur and crocodile teeth, but there seems to be a lot of confusion (myself included) as to how to tell them apart as some characteristics seem to overlap . If anyone has any information on the matter of croc / mosasaur tooth identification, I (and others I’m sure) would love to hear your thoughts. (Remember we’re talking about a Cretaceous crocodile species - Thoracosaurus neocesariensis)

4/25/2005 9:43:13 PM

legacyForum

725 posts

RE: Differentiating Mosasaur Teeth from Croc Teeth

I have been intriqued by your question. From the njfossils.net website "teeth from this "crocodile" are generally conical, curved & more often than not lacking distinctive carinae. Leidy originally described these teeth as possessing low sharp carinae . . . teeth are coated with enamel & are usually smooth . . . teeth have steep conical indents in the bottom of their roots . . . they are 1 to 2 cm long." It goes on to say the most easily observed difference is the small size of the teeth. I had not believed I had found any of these teeth. However, in looking through my box of teeth the other day I found a tooth that I believe to be one. It is .25 inches, deeply conical at the base, has two carinae, has a deep enamel (about 50% worn off), and no striations like the Mosasaur teeth. I like the Black River Fossils website!

4/26/2005 1:28:02 AM

xiphodan

19 posts

RE: Differentiating Mosasaur Teeth from Croc Teeth

The difficulty in identifying these teeth as croc or mosasaur is because as you stated they are generally small in size. Larger mosasaur teeth are easier to identify due to the heavy striations and well defined carinae. The problem is with smaller mosasaur teeth, which possess striations that are not as heavy (as can be seen on the 3/8" mosasaur tooth in the 9/12/04 trip).
These teeth are also very easy to completely overlook If the portion of the tooth containing the conical indent breaks off, the remainder can resemble a piece of crab claw or just another small, funny shaped concretion. The tooth I found on 2/19 displays a good portion of the cross-section of the conical indent and is the only reason I recognized it as a tooth. Had that piece broken off, I surely would of tossed it back into the stream. I also realized that I had found another one on my 1/22 trip (top left of the trip picture). That tooth has only the slightest hint of an indent on the bottom (indicating it’s the tip of the tooth) and had been filled in with matrix which I was able to remove. It has a slight carinae which is barely evident due to some pitting of the enamel. I’m hoping to someday come across one that doesn’t require 10 looks to finally identify. Hopefully we’ll both get one. Happy Hunting!

8/4/2005 7:50:14 PM

legacyForum

725 posts

RE: Differentiating Mosasaur Teeth from Croc Teeth

It's been a hot summer but seems to be always pleasant and cool in one of those Monmouth County streams. Just wanted to comment that I now have 3 of those croc teeth (or should say 3 teeth that I believe to be crocodile). Two of the three have discernable carinae, all three are distinctly cone shaped and have no striations, and all three are less than 3/8ths of an inch. I have what I believe to be the tip of a mosasaur that is the same general shape and size but has distinct striations. I also have a small mosasaur complete tooth of about the size but it also has striations. At this point, my conclusion is small cone shaped teeth with a smooth enamel and no striations are crocodile. Conclusions should never be written in stone so I'm certainly open to any additional feedback on this subject.

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