Help needed identifying fossils (Vanity)

[behzinlea]

Yeah. That’s kinda what I was thinkin.’

[jongaltsr]

check out this site on Saber Tooth (Relatives)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saber-toothed_cat#Saber-tooth_evolutionary_tree

[Hotmetal]

Northeast Mississippi I got lucky I collected these before that date.

[behzinlea]

What you might have there are actually three fossilized cranial protuberances from the species mormonus cornutus. There are FReepers posting elsewhere who might be able to verify this.

[thethirddegree]

Thank you for your service Hotmetal. I really liked your about page. Have a Happy, Safe and Prosperous New Year.

[Hotmetal]

Thanks for the kind words and support.

[SunkenCiv]

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[stockpirate]

They look like rocks to me. Hope that helped.

Is your computer plugged in?

Are you logged on?

[epithermal]

It looks like post #26 has some good information. I don’t know much about vertebrate fossils, other than I have collected a few specimens from the Eocene and did a little study on that period.

I see from the geologic map for Mississippi I found here:

http://www.deq.state.ms.us/mdeq.nsf/pdf/Geology_MSGeology1969Map/$File/MS_Geology1969.pdf?OpenElement

that you have the right age of rocks to find Mesozoic fossils in. Of course the mammal bones you have would not have come from that age, but would be younger.

[smokingfrog]

Cool stuff!

Are you anywhere near the W.M. Browning Cretaceous Fossil Park near Frankstown? Maybe they could help.

[SuzyQue]

I don’t know if you have something like this in your area, and it’s possible that they might be able to identify based on your photos:

Identification Day

Sunday, January 23rd, from 1 pm–4:45 pm

Have you ever wondered about a fossil you’ve found? Then bring it with you to Identification Day. Scientists and experts from all over Central Texas are on hand to look at and identify natural objects (fossils, bones, rocks, etc.) and archaeological materials (arrowheads, points, scrapers, etc.).

Scientists from Texas Natural Science Center’s Non-vertebrate Paleontology Lab and Vertebrate Paleontology Lab, and Texas Natural History Collections are present at each ID Day, along with a variety of special guest experts from The University of Texas at Austin and the Austin area.

For more information contact Pamela R. Owen at 512-232-5511 or send her an email at p.owen@austin.utexas.edu.

This event is scheduled twice a year.

http://www.utexas.edu/tmm/events/iddays/index.html

[Condor51]

I don't know about the fossils.

But those are pretty darn good pics for a 2005 Canon A620, 7.2 Mpx, point and shoot. And taken at 1/8 of sec @ f5, no less.

I'd have to use the Tripod, Macro Lens w/ Flash Ring for my Nikon D3000.

just teasing ;-)
happy new year --- and cool fossils, whatever they are.

[Hotmetal]

I'm impressed how you knew all this info about my camera.

[Uncle Miltie]

From Uncle Miltie’s daughter, Physical Anthropology major, who worked at The Mammoth Site in Hot Springs South Dakota as a Summer Intern:

From what I can tell, you are correct and seem to be very well-versed in North American fossil species.

The left specimen is likely the tip of an antler of a rather modern deer.

The mastodon tooth fragments look legitimate to me, I think we had a cast of the mastodon tooth pictured elsewhere on this page at the Mammoth Site. These specimens are probably in pieces because pachyderm teeth have crowns that have dentine and cementum between them, as opposed to enamel. Dentine and cementum are softer than the enamel, and may have eroded away so that the crowns came apart in this fossil.

“What you might have there are actually three fossilized cranial protuberances from the species mormonus cornutus.”-Kirkwood

I Googled mormonus cornutus, and it doesn’t appear to be a species of any sort. Further, the shiny white portions of the fossil are clearly enamel, as no other bones in the body have a shiny surface.

What interests me is the second fossil on the right which is oriented vertically in the first picture. If it has a hole through the long axis, I would say that it looks like a caudal (tail) vertebra. If there is no hole, it might be a phalanx (toe bone), probably of a mammal. Any ideas?

Neat find, Hotmetal, good luck with your investigation!-Uncle Miltie’s daughter

[Hotmetal]

Pretty handy little camera, wish I had the wide angle lens for it, it is the only camera that I have. Wish I had a better one.

[Texas Songwriter]

I, too, have never heard of mormonus cornutus. I suspect the specimen second from the left is the vertebral body from a mammal, with the pedicles broken off. Probably Equus species, given the several dental components depicted in the photograph are Equus species, and if found in the same assemblage, would be my guess, but I would like to acutally look at the specimens for size perspective.

The pieces held in the hand are clearly the mastodon, but given the size, may represent a decidual tooth from an immature animal...it is difficult to tell.

[Hardouinia]

The identifications by Texas Songwriter are basically spot-on. The cusps you’re holding are indeed those of a mastodon molar, the tapir upper molar is T. veroensis, the vertebra center right is indeed mosasaur (Cretaceous Period), the three horse molars center left belong to the genus Equus (species not possible), the deer tine is indeed most likely O. virginianus, and the roundish bone in the lower right looks to be a vertebral centrum of the fish Xiphactinus or Pachyrhizodus (Cretaceous), but I’d have to see it up close to be sure. All fossils, unless otherwise previously indicated, are Late Pleistocene in age. I’ve no idea what the somewhat pointed “bone” in the center of the image is, but if you are interested, the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science in Jackson is hosting the 8th Annual Fossil Road Show on Saturday, March 5th, 2011 (10AM-3:30). The museum invites the public to bring their fossils out for identification and to share fossil collecting stories with other collectors. And to set the record straight, museums are NOT out to take your fossils away from you (in reply to an earlier ridiculous comment), but you’ll just have to come to the show to discover this for yourself. I can guarantee you’ll leave quite educated on the subject of Mississippi’s fossil history. In the meantime, the museum is easily found on the internet. If you cannot make the Jackson show, there will be a smaller one in northeast Mississippi at the New Albany Heritage Museum, Sat June 11th, 2011. Hope to see you there!

[Hotmetal]

there will be a smaller one in northeast Mississippi at the New Albany Heritage Museum, Sat June 11th, 2011. Hope to see you there!

I will try very hard to make this event, it is only about 45 min. away. Thanks for the info.