(NON-CEPH). Please help me ID this tooth!

[Phil]

Neale,

Thanks for the tip; I'll do exactly as you suggest.

Apologies for the delay in replying: I've just got back from holiday!

Thanks,

Phil

 

[Phil]

If anyone remembers this old thread, I had a fossil expert look at the tooth a couple of weeks ago. Turns out it is mammalian, probably a dog or a wolf. The tooth is certainly not recent, though it was found on the beach that lay below a Roman villa situated on a small cliff at Folkestone in Kent. Chances are it probably washed out of a Roman rubbish pit as the villa is very close to the cliff edge, and weathering has taken its toll on the site. Previously I have found a small piece of Roman pottery at the base of the cliff underlying the villa.

The confusion I made is that the beach is flat and sandy and tapers out to rockpools that frequently contain Cretaceous remains and ammonites, these wash out of the clay that are situated just a few tens of meters away. It seems the tidal action may have mixed up the deposits.

Disappointing? Yes. But at least I now know what the thing is, and I'd rather that than remain an enigma in my collection.

There are a few details about the villa here if anyone is curious.