What Bit The Ammonite? Large Fossil Teeth Analysis! - Fossil Friday

Massive thank you to BGS (British Geological Survey) and Dr Kevin Page for all their help!
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[zennbeejones]

Big fan of fossils, but it is your sunny upbeat demeanor that makes your videos So enjoyable. Thank You.

[dmozonnersepicoutdooradven]

We live near the Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park. I have found broken ribs in a black rock matrix in the area. In our latest fossil hunting video, I found my first complete ammonite and a possible vertebrae. Great video.

[trongod]

Great show. I always like the detective tales and this is certainly one of those. Thank you Doctor for taking the time to help Emma and us, the audience, learn a bit more about the ancient seas.

[donaldbrizzolara]

Em: Excellent analysis of the tooth issue. I really enjoyed it. Another point to consider is that ammonites were not necessarily easy prey targets. There quick escape mechanism was essentially jet propulsion (as in squid, octopi, belemnites etc.). Modern Nautilus have been clocked at up to 2 knots upon escape. With such speeds I can easily see how a pliosaur or plesiosaur might only penetrate the ammonite with 2 teeth before it rapidly escapes. Super video! Thank you so very much for these technical discussions.

[dinodadreviews]

That was a really cool examination of your shell! It’s fun to think about what we know happened to this animal, and the mysteries that still remain.

[raghudas.b]

From India its Really miracle of universe....thankful of your information and

[mattcook]

Really enjoyed this episode. Love fossils Fridays!

[Dan-]

Excellent cooperative detective work ! 😃👍.

[donaldbrizzolara]

Em: One more comment. I know the most obvious hypothesis, and I presently concur, for the depressions is a marine reptile bite, but I still think another possible option would be scarring from a marine invertebrate such as the limpet. There are several interesting papers out there that document this condition and explain how post burial diagenetic effects could yield a fracture pattern comparable to those on your specimen. It’s so much fun and so very challenging to solve mysteries such as this.

[supersonicnomad]

NEW SUB! Hello from NW Indiana! I've found a nice detailed piece of an ammonite locally. First I've ever found. Which leads me to believe they are quite uncommon in my area. Very cool vid!

[robertgentry]

I would imagine that the injury was not fatal because it appears that the holes had “healed” and filled in, which would not likely have occurred if the animal was dead. However, the filling in could also been from being fossilized, opposed to healed. Looks painful, either way. Very interesting video.

[DL]

Loved it. The struggle was real for our early friends.

[donaldbrizzolara]

Em: A few more comments. It would be interesting to prep out the infilling matrix to get a better feel for tooth geometry. This would take a very skilled hand and the proper tools. Also, for an excellent read I recommend the masters thesis “THE ABILITY OF MOSASAURS TO PRODUCE UNIQUE PUNCTURE MARKS ON AMMONITE SHELLS.” It can be found on the internet. Although mosasaurs weren’t present in the late Jurassic the concepts and analysis presented are most applicable.

[mustachadon]

Remember us when you are doing voice over work for documentary programs.

[bob_._.]

It looks like if the Ammonite was extended from the shell, the matching teeth could easily have bit into the soft body. Would that have offered enough resilience to keep the shell from being crushed? If the Ammonite had died instantly would it have released from the shell and so not require another crushing bite? Very interesting.

[deanmurray]

Excellent presentation Emma. My fave one yet 👍

[doug-Hakura]

Great video, which I enjoyed and learned from. Thanks.

[mustachadon]

Wouldnt the cracks have filled with sediment? The entire hollow of the creature has been fossilized solid, are the cracks the same?

[paulhaig]

The ammonite was punctured by a birds beak....nothing bit it

[xenaguy]

5:40 Why not get some blocks of modeling clay and "bite" into the clay with the fossil teeth?