ID - Fish

Fish Fossils found in Florida
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Puffer (Porcupine) Fish Mouth Plate (jaw) - Upper plate is semi-circular shaped (like drawing). Lower plate is similar, but more pointed - like a beak. (average size = 3/4 inch)

Gar Fish Scale - Scales are very flat and can be several shapes. They are also VERY fragile. Each has a polished, diamond-shaped area on one side, which can be either smooth or have a fan-like pattern. (average size = 1/2 inch)

Gar Fish Tooth - These teeth are cone shaped, with a slight curve running the length of the tooth. The tooth has a slight angle change a short distance from the tip. That area near the tip may be colored differently. It looks similar to a small alligator tooth, but curved. (average size = 1/2 inch)

Barracuda Tooth - These teeth are not round, but somewhat flattened. The left drawing is a lateral tooth and has a sharp edge on both sides. The right drawing is a canine tooth and has a sharp curved edge, but a rounded straight edge. (average size = 3/4 inch)

Saw Fish Tooth (or Tyne) - Since it is located outside the mouth, this tooth is more accurately called a tyne. It is very flat and if you look closely, you will see a length-wise pattern (like wood-grain). (average size = 1/2 inch)

Drum Fish Tooth - The drawing's upper surface fits into the jaw. The opposite surface is smooth, rounded and often polished appearing. (average size = 1/4 inch)

Sea Robin Skull - Skull shape varies slightly. Look for the four small holes in the upper surface. Posterior "winged" portions are often worn or missing. (average size = 1 inch)

Ray Dermal Denticle (skin armor) - These come in many shapes and sizes, depending on the species of ray and where they are located on the body. They can be round, oval or elongated, with a slightly raised center portion. Rarely you will find two attached to each other, at the sides. (average size = 1 inch)

Ray Tail Spine - Because they are fragile, you generally find only a portion of the spine, with some barbs broken or worn off. It's cross-section is a flattened oval shape and grooves run the length of the spine (on the surface between the rows of barbs). (average size = 1 inch fragment)

Ray Pavement Teeth - Rays have an upper and lower "crusher plate." Each is oval and slightly dome shaped and made of several rows of pavement teeth (drawing is a fragment of one of those rows). The comb-like surface attaches to the skull/jaw and the smooth surface is for crushing it's food (shellfish). (average size = 1 inch fragment)

Fish Ballast (or Bladder) (or Tilly) Bone - These come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Because they can look very much like an ordinary rock, they are often overlooked. Look for the distinctive double bulb (or sack) portion of the bone. (average size = 1 inch, but can be much larger)

Fish Vertebra - The disk portion has deeply concaved surfaces on both sides. There are spines attached to the disk in several places, but are often broken off. A shark or ray vertebra will be flatter and larger, with no spines. (average disk size = 1/4 inch) (shark vertebra can be 1 inch plus) (whale vertebra can be huge)

Fish Spine - Fish such as catfish have defensive spines. They are generally round in cross-section and have a slight lengthwise curve. They also have a single row of very small barbs running the length of the spine. If complete, the attachment end of the spine looks as represented in the drawing (left side of spine). (average size = 1 inch fragment)