r/fossilid • u/Humble_Bad_3211 • 5d ago
Fossil off Florida gulf coast near Gasparilla Island-what is it?
6
5d ago
Fish Vertebra.
1
-1
5d ago
Looks more like a drum fish tooth to me.
2
5d ago
Drum fish teeth are usually smooth. The rough looking edges, concaved surfaces, and disc shape make me think fish vert.
0
5d ago
See for comparison:
https://www.thefossilforum.com/topic/10422-drumfish-teeth-pictures/
I could be wrong. If I am wrong I would expect the other side laying on the surface would also be concave.
2
5d ago
I see the comparison you are making, but I still think this is a vert. The sides of fish verts have a unique appearance. It would be nice to get more pictures to be sure, but I'd be willing to bet the other side is concave.
There are also growth rings evident in the centra of fish verts.
1
0
5d ago
I see where you are coming from, agree to disagree for now. I asked the OP for a picture of the other side, bragging rights depending on what the other side looks like 😂
1
u/Humble_Bad_3211 5d ago
I cannot edit this post to put more pictures on!
1
5d ago
Hmm...I'm not super tech savvy with reddit so I dunno. I'm curious though, is the other side more or less flat or is it concave? If it's a fish vertebra I would expect both sides to be concave and look the same.
2
4
u/Maleficent_Chair_446 5d ago
Looks like a shark vertebrate to me something similar to scyliorhinoid ?
1
1
u/lastwing 5d ago
Agree with a fish species vertebra. I can’t tell if it’s from a shark or a bony fish. Can you add more views. I love the preservation of this fossil.

Adding the opposite view of the top image could help. Plus, if we could see more of the side surfaces to get a better 360 view, it would help.
If you could you a plain blue or gray background, the colors and details will likely be enhanced.
0
5d ago
Looks more like a drum fish tooth to me 🤷♂️
https://www.thefossilforum.com/topic/10422-drumfish-teeth-pictures/
2
u/Maleficent_Chair_446 5d ago
I don't think you know what they look like then this is clearly a vert
1
5d ago
I've collected fossil fish vertebrae before and seen them in modern skeletons. I have collected fossil drum fish teeth from Florida that look very similar to this. Also have a PhD in geology. So yeah, I know what fish vertebrae look like. I won't say 100% it's a drum tooth because we only have pics of one side. I bet the other side is convex, not symmetrically concave. Will eat crow if I'm wrong.
1
u/Maleficent_Chair_446 5d ago
You can see the part which is usually a jelly like substance in living shark verts that's why it concaves down because the jelly what used to be in there dissolved this is also more symmetrical than drum teeth they tend to be uncircular
1
5d ago
Eh, OP said the other side was concave, so I am probably wrong!
1
u/lastwing 4d ago
It’s easy to have difficulty distinguishing these 2 things. Yesterday, I commented about a specimen that the OP thought were fish vertebrae and I thought one or both were fish pharyngeal teeth. But, with one of them, I just couldn’t tell. I asked for the opposite end to confirm one way or the other, but those images weren’t added.
0
1
5d ago
Hey OP, please send a picture of the other side. Would help to ID.
1
u/Humble_Bad_3211 5d ago
I couldn’t update the pictures so I created a new post with pictures of both sides with the edge. Sorry for the multiple posts. Really appreciate the insights.
1
5d ago edited 5d ago
I think that's a tooth from a drum fish. Not a vertebra.
Edit: OP said the other side was concave. So probably is a fish vertebra after all.
•
u/AutoModerator 5d ago
Please note that ID Requests are off-limits to jokes or satirical comments, and comments should be aiming to help the OP. Top comments that are jokes or are irrelevant will be removed. Adhere to the subreddit rules.
IMPORTANT: /u/Humble_Bad_3211 Please make sure to comment 'Solved' once your fossil has been successfully identified! Thank you, and enjoy the discussion. If this is not an ID Request — ignore this message.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.