TransWikia.com

To which ungulate species does this tooth remainder belong?

Biology Asked on June 21, 2021

Found on the beach in Çanakkale, Turkey.

enter image description here

I have found a lot of these, but this is the first one that has parts like long teeth. My other findings have sometimes 4, sometimes 6 tubes. Very solid, stone-like objects. Is this from a marine animal or is it a non-living formation, I wonder.

Below image is for scale in centimeters.
enter image description here

View from top and bottom

enter image description here

enter image description here

Other similar findings without teeth-like parts

enter image description here

enter image description here

Additional images:

enter image description here

enter image description here

enter image description here

enter image description here

enter image description here

enter image description here

2 Answers

Its definitely not a marine mammal, just based on size and general configuration.

those convoluted ever growing teeth are pretty diagnostic of non-cetacean ungulates.

Just based on the pattern I would say bovidae, but that does not narrow it down much in turkey, the H shaped central portion is fairly diagnostic of bovidae. However you have several antelope species not to mention domesticated animals that each would fit that category.

I suggest changing the title to ask for ungulate tooth identification. You need someone specialized in mammalian teeth to narrow it down to species. if you can add more shots of the tooth crown (the complex ends like those below) that is the part most useful for identification. See the examples below. The more you have the better.

enter image description here

enter image description here

Source

Correct answer by John on June 21, 2021

Sheep or goats teeth.

As it was found at the edge of water and may be from drowning, I would predict that it is much more likely to be from a sheep, as goats are so very much safer around water.

enter image description here Image from: "Enamel hypoplasia in molars of sheep and goats, and its relationship to the pattern of tooth crown growth"

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3403278/

But really I know because I was a farmboy.

Answered by Polypipe Wrangler on June 21, 2021

Add your own answers!

Ask a Question

Get help from others!

© 2024 TransWikia.com. All rights reserved. Sites we Love: PCI Database, UKBizDB, Menu Kuliner, Sharing RPP