How To Identify Your Finds (Part 7 of 10)
7) Identifying the Notidanodon loozi teeth
[Note: There's a possibility that the Notidanodon teeth at Beltinge may be from an undescribed species of that Genus. All the papers written about Beltinge assign it to N. loozi but Dr. David Ward points out that there is a noticeable difference in the angle formed by the largest cusp and those next to it] [Notidanodon loozi (pronounced "note-ee-dan-o-don lose-eye") is an extinct Cow shark. It belongs to the order Hexanchiformes, family Hexanchidae.] I've only ever found parts of these spectacular teeth. From the images below, you might think these are much like the teeth on the previous pages - A single, large cusp with a number smaller cusplets on each side. Actually, the large cusp is just the first of a series of maybe 6 cusps, which gradually reduce in size from the first one, giving the whole tooth a saw-like appearance as in figure 2 below (a Notidanodon but not the same species) Also see here. The root faces are flat and the lingual side of the root has a number of vertical grooves. Individual cusps are rounded on both sides, if somewhat compressed. So, if you find an individual cusp without a root, that is rounded on both sides (as I have), it's likely to be Notidanodon. |
More pictures of Notidanodon loozi can be found here.
How To Identify Your Finds (Part 8 of 10) - Chimeroids
How To Identify Your Finds (Part 8 of 10) - Chimeroids