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Science-GAF, Identify this bone please!

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Crab Shaker

Crab Shaker

Doesn't pay his sources
So...several years ago my dad found this bone, but we could never find anyone that could tell us what it was back then. I recently found it somewhere in our house and realized I now have a powerful tool that's bound to solve the mystery--GAF!

Here it is:
 
O

Oldschoolgamer

The physical form of blasphemy
This turned out different than I thought. Seeing as though this is OT, I was expecting to be greeted by a shot of a broken bone, in the op's body, followed up with a, "should I get a band-aid?"

To answer your question...no clue.
 
B

BorkBork

The Legend of BorkBork: BorkBorkity Borking
Looks like:
Slurms_MacKenzie.jpg


Seriously, it looks fake. If that's supposed to be a jawbone, the "teeth" are completely messed up.
 
Crab Shaker

Crab Shaker

Doesn't pay his sources
BorkBork said:
Seriously, it looks fake. If that's supposed to be a jawbone, the "teeth" are completely messed up.
Click to expand...
Trust me, it's not fake. I remember sitting there for an entire night contemplating whether or not they were teeth and to what god unknown creature they belonged to. The bone itself creeped me out for a good while.
 
Dice

Dice

Pokémon Parentage Conspiracy Theorist
maybe you should try asking an archaeological biologist or something
 
Crab Shaker

Crab Shaker

Doesn't pay his sources
Texas, it was found in the southeast area of Texas....well maybe Eastern, I was a lot younger and don't remember exactly how far north of Houston we went to that one place where he got it.
 
davepoobond

davepoobond

you can't put a price on sparks
that's probably some really important archaeological find and you've been hording it in your house for years upon years. its probably the missing link between humans and apes for all we know!
 
B

BorkBork

The Legend of BorkBork: BorkBorkity Borking
Looking through some books, it's really doubtful they're teeth on that piece of bone. My first thought was that it was some sort of mollusc eater with lots of flat grinding teeth, but the placement and size of the teeth are all wrong, plus they're all really polished with little signs of wear. I also thought it might be a piece of alligator scute, but it looks completely different as well. It's not a fossil is it? Wow, if this is real, it has me stumped.
 
davepoobond

davepoobond

you can't put a price on sparks
BorkBork said:
Looking through some books, it's really doubtful they're teeth on that piece of bone.
Click to expand...

the shape of the two sides of the "jaw" in the 3rd pic look as if they could be teeth though, like the lower jaw on that thing curves upward.
 
Crab Shaker

Crab Shaker

Doesn't pay his sources
BorkBork said:
Looking through some books, it's really doubtful they're teeth on that piece of bone. My first thought was that it was some sort of mollusc eater with lots of flat grinding teeth, but the placement and size of the teeth are all wrong, plus they're all really polished with little signs of wear. I also thought it might be a piece of alligator scute, but it looks completely different as well. It's not a fossil is it? Wow, if this is real, it has me stumped.
Click to expand...
I don't know, like I said, I spent a lot of time contemplating the thing a long time ago and came up with nothing. I'm not going into anything serious with it, but I've always been really good at biology so I had some knowhow into it...but yea. What's really weird is if you look, towards the inside there are the bigger, worn down "teeth" and towards the outside, especially the back, there are tiny ones. I don't know if they are replacements like shark's teeth or if they were just permanenty like that.

I doubt it's a fossil since it's preserved so well but I always thought it must be some weird amphibian or fish type creature, because god knows I've never seen a mammal with "teeth" like that. Then again I keep assuming they're teeth.

MickeyKnox, is it down or are you just annoyed because it's slowass imageshack?
 
B

BorkBork

The Legend of BorkBork: BorkBorkity Borking
It's definitely not mammalian, just because all mammals (with very very few exceptions) have differentiated teeth (incisors, molars etc.) It's not an amphibian, because the size of the "jaw" pretty much excludes most of them out there. Plus it's much too sturdy looking. Birds don't have teeth so that's out too.

Like I said, if they are teeth, it's either reptile or some sort of fish that would use it for grinding. Of course, it could be a mutant animal in which case all bets are off. :)
 
davepoobond

davepoobond

you can't put a price on sparks
Crab Shaker said:
What's really weird is if you look, towards the inside there are the bigger, worn down "teeth" and towards the outside, especially the back, there are tiny ones. I don't know if they are replacements like shark's teeth or if they were just permanenty like that.
Click to expand...


that sounds like something i've heard about before. or at least kind of like what shark's teeth do.


maybe we're looking at this wrong. maybe this whole thing is just one tooth?
 
P

Poody

What program do you use to photoshop a picture?
Post this on the ATS forum, they're bound to find out for you, then tell us what it is.
 
M

muttyeah416

Member
fack, looking at that bone gave me chills up my spine. its so damn weird. other than teeth that thing could be a weird hoof or something.
 
R

Ronok

Member
That is seriously ****ed up. o.o;;

I seriously want to know what that's from now. :-/ If you find out from somewhere else make sure to post it here. :)
 
M

Mike M

Nick N
I'd have to concur with BorkBork that it looks like teeth for grinding or crushing. I don't know of any reptiles that have palatal teeth like that (Well, none that are still around, there are some prehistoric ones I think), but there are some fish that have them... but fish jaws aren't so robust. Then there's the fact that it appears to be a single bone instead of multiple bones fused together, which is a mammalian trait, but mammals don't have palatal teeth...

Asuming that they are in fact teeth, but I don't know of any other enamal covered structure that occurs in the body... Plus it appears to be a bone and not a fossil, so I'm totally stumped on this one...
 
Z

Zensetsu

Member
This is freaking me out. Definitley not fossilized - and theres no way that it's mamalian. I can't think what it could possibly be from. Please update this thread if you ever find out.
 
Crab Shaker

Crab Shaker

Doesn't pay his sources
Jacobi said:
Ew, go to a biologist with it pronto and tell us that there were aliens living within us all along.
Click to expand...
Hmmm it's funny that this has even GAF stumped. I thought my answer would be found here, but maybe not. I'm starting to consider the possibility of having to take it to a biologist. This would be rather simple since I go to a university, problem is, I left it back in Houston. If I get my parents to send this through mail, will someone xray it, freak out because it's a bone, confiscate it and take me away lol?
 
W

Wes

venison crêpe
That is weird. I thought it was some kind of snake or reptilian skull at first but the teeth..... The teeth are puzzling.
 
R

radios shipping overview

Member
I did some Googling, and it looks like it's from a sheepshead. They're saltwater fish that are common to the Gulf of Mexico and have differentiated teeth for grinding up shellfish and crustaceans. The incisors look really human-like when they're in the fish...it's creepy. :p

http://www.bertaut.com/realfish30.html
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/02/06/sheepshead/graphic.shtml
http://www.cafelocale.com/discus/messages/15/11115.html?1033076412
http://indian-river.fl.us/fishing/fish/porgshee.html
http://paleo.cc/paluxy/tooth.htm
 
M

Mike M

Nick N
jiji said:
I did some Googling, and it looks like it's from a sheepshead. They're saltwater fish that are common to the Gulf of Mexico and have differentiated teeth for grinding up shellfish and crustaceans. The incisors look really human-like when they're in the fish...it's creepy. :p

http://www.bertaut.com/realfish30.html
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/02/06/sheepshead/graphic.shtml
http://www.cafelocale.com/discus/messages/15/11115.html?1033076412
http://indian-river.fl.us/fishing/fish/porgshee.html
http://paleo.cc/paluxy/tooth.htm
Click to expand...
Yeah, going by that first link, I'd say that's exactly what it was.

I was googling for fish with palatal teeth, but I was having a bitch of a time actually finding pictures that showed the teeth...
 
davepoobond

davepoobond

you can't put a price on sparks
jiji said:
I did some Googling, and it looks like it's from a sheepshead. They're saltwater fish that are common to the Gulf of Mexico and have differentiated teeth for grinding up shellfish and crustaceans. The incisors look really human-like when they're in the fish...it's creepy. :p

http://www.bertaut.com/realfish30.html
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/02/06/sheepshead/graphic.shtml
http://www.cafelocale.com/discus/messages/15/11115.html?1033076412
http://indian-river.fl.us/fishing/fish/porgshee.html
http://paleo.cc/paluxy/tooth.htm
Click to expand...

good find! so it was a fish.
 
Crab Shaker

Crab Shaker

Doesn't pay his sources
jiji said:
I did some Googling, and it looks like it's from a sheepshead. They're saltwater fish that are common to the Gulf of Mexico and have differentiated teeth for grinding up shellfish and crustaceans. The incisors look really human-like when they're in the fish...it's creepy. :p

http://www.bertaut.com/realfish30.html
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/02/06/sheepshead/graphic.shtml
http://www.cafelocale.com/discus/messages/15/11115.html?1033076412
http://indian-river.fl.us/fishing/fish/porgshee.html
http://paleo.cc/paluxy/tooth.htm
Click to expand...
You sir, are awesome. The first link looks like it's definitely it, but the others are sort of iffy, but I'm definitely going to look into it as I'm pretty sure it's it.
 
B

BorkBork

The Legend of BorkBork: BorkBorkity Borking
Nice find! I've heard of sheepshead but I've never seen their mouths. That's really really interesting.

I learn something new on GAF everyday. :lol
 
MetalAlien

MetalAlien

Banned
What do I win? I was the first to say fish! Oh and that fish as the nastiest ****ing set of teeth I've ever seen.. god damn disgusting.
 
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