What on earth is this animal part (II)

[British Red]

Okay - this one has me stumped completely. Two items from the same job lot as the last item.

I don't even know if we are talking horn, or tooth or claw or fossil or what here. Shape seems toothy, appearance horny ))

There are two of them, look to be old, mounted on wooden blocks. They are about 4" tall


Front by British Red, on Flickr


Front with tape by British Red, on Flickr

The back is very distictive


Back by British Red, on Flickr


Anyone help me here with a clue as to the nature of these items?

 

[wingstoo]

Animal Hooves by the looks of it.

 

[ozzy1977]

Look like hooves to me..

 

[Mesquite]

I think they could be fossilised teeth Hugh

 

[British Red]

I've been googling images again....how about two halves of the same cloven hoof?

 

[bushwacker bob]

Very worn hippo teeth. Think general incisors as opposed to the two biggies they have top and bottom.

 

[david1]

go on tell us more about the job lot you bought ?

 

[British Red]

Very worn hippo teeth. Think general incisors as opposed to the two biggies they have top and bottom.

I can't reconcile them to any of the teeth looking at this image mate

 

[British Red]

go on tell us more about the job lot you bought ?

Nothing fascinating - I wanted a pair of cow horns and there was a pair and an odd one in this lot - plus these "things" and a lump of some sort of tusk...warthog perhaps?

 

[Monikieman]

if it's horn/hoof a hot pin would leave a burn mark?

Teeth wouldn't. Not sure if you want to try that though.

 

[British Red]

Its a thought!

 

[Bowlander]

Prince William will be wanting you to torch them soon so best keep quiet!

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Xparent Green Tapatalk 2

 

[British Red]

Huh? .

 

[Mesquite]

I can't reconcile them to any of the teeth looking at this image mate

The circled teeth look like a close match for shape Hugh

 

[sandbender]

Huh? .

There is talk of destroying the Queen's ivory collection.

 

[British Red]

Ahhh - that presumably will restore the animals to life?

 

[sandbender]

Ahhh - that presumably will restore the animals to life?

I'm not sure of the logic, perhaps if the Queen has a nice collection of netsuke figurines then that might encourage others to think that they should have one too? The Guardian thinks that it is a good idea so it must be.



Back on topic, I don't think they are hooves, but I have no clue as to what they really are, I will await an expert opinion.

 

[British Red]

I will try the hot wire test somewhere discrete in the next few days

 

[Marijn]

Perhaps the lower teeth of a warthog?
Assuming they have the same as wildboar.

Prettymuch like these (pic is of a 1 to 2 yr old hungarian boar)

 

[Camel]

In consideration of the size especially they are most likely to be Hippo teeth, the ones circled in red in Mesquite's post in fact.

Their job is to sharpen the corresponding bottom teeth to help the hippo cut the huge amounts of vegetation it must consume every day. I kept the teeth from my hippo and have all sorts of little bits and pieces made from them. They make very good rifle and shotgun night beads for example and work very well for scrimshaw work.