Jul 202010
Perhaps it is a Tiny Mandible? "This was found along the shore at Madeira Beach Florida during a sudden rain storm on 7-18-10. At first we thought it was a small tooth of some kind, but on closer examination with a magnifying glass it resembled a tiny mandible! There appears to be a single tooth socket at the rear of the bone. It is totally unusual!"
Submitted by Johnny W.
It is a little hard to make out from the picture, but it does look like a fossil crab mandible. If the serrations are rounded and are only on the inside curve of the pointy end and the other side of this is smooth, then I believe that is the mostly likely suspect. Nice find! Where there is one, there is probably more.
After viewing the additional pictures, I am not so sure my original crab claw fossil assessment will hold. This is a very odd looking little fossil.
Has anyone suggested it might be part of an inner ear of larger animal. I think it’s quite a find. That is one to display. I’m a finder and digger myself. I have some of them in photos on my walls. I’m not educated on inner ears of all creatures but that is where I would look. Just my thought. Whatever it is, it is certainly worth displaying. Good luck on your hunt.
I think it may be a fish tilly bone of some sort.