[Bonetools] Re : likelihood of beaver tooth found on the Thames foreshore having been used as a tool

[Евгения Яниш]

Beavers have dense tooth enamel, but softer dentin. Because of this, when a beaver gnaws wood, the teeth sharpen themselves. Beavers' teeth grow throughout their lives and it is very important to grind them down. And the tooth enamel always shines
10 июня 2025, 22:14:28, От "Nathalie Buttimore" <natbuttimore at gmail.com>:
Thanks Christian,
That’s great to have confirmed. Is it normal for beaver teeth to have the front side so much shiner than the rest of the tooth? Is it just that the enamel is worn on the underside?
On 10 Jun 2025, at 19:56, Christian Gates St-Pierre <christian.gates-st-pierre at umontreal.ca> wrote:
Hi all,
It's definitely a beaver tooth, a lower incisor. The "proximal" end seems to have been cut and worn, I agree. The step-like surface of the "distal" end, however, seems natural. This is uncommon to me, from my North American perspective.
Christian 
Christian Gates St-Pierre
Professeur agrégé, PhD
Département d'anthropologie
Université de Montréal
Pavillon Lionel-Groulx
C.P. 6128, succursale Centre-ville
Montréal, Québec, Canada
H3C 3J7
514.343.6111 #51711
De : Bonetools <bonetools-bounces at listserv.niif.hu> de la part de Sonia O'Connor <soniasinbox at gmail.com>
Envoyé : 10 juin 2025 14:42
À : bonetools at listserv.niif.hu <bonetools at listserv.niif.hu>
Objet : Re: [Bonetools] likelihood of beaver tooth found on the Thames foreshore having been used as a tool
AVIS: Ce courriel provient de l'extérieur de l’Université de Montréal. Veuillez ne pas cliquer sur les liens ni ouvrir les fichiers joints si vous n’êtes pas certain(e) de la légitimité du courriel.
Ps it certainly looks like a beaver tooth. 
Sent from my iPhone
On 10 Jun 2025, at 19:39, Sonia O'Connor <soniasinbox at gmail.com> wrote:
Prof Terry O’Connor says the root end is cut  and worn - not a natural break.  Sonia O’Connor
Sent from my iPhone
On 10 Jun 2025, at 19:18, Colleen Batey <colleen.batey at gmail.com> wrote:
Hia..is this definately a tooth? It looks from the pictures that it could be a segment of jet or lignite armring.. examples are known from Viking graves in Scotland for sure, maybe there are Roman examples too. Good luck,Colleen Batey
On Tue, 10 Jun 2025, 17:58 Nathalie Buttimore, <natbuttimore at gmail.com> wrote:
Hi all,
Not a bone object but a tooth, which I hope is ok. 
On Sunday I found what I’m pretty sure is a beaver tooth while mudlarking on the Thames foreshore at Putney, an area which can bring up prehistoric, Roman and Anglo-Saxon finds. The tooth, having been in the Thames mud for a few centuries at least, is completely darkened. The front side of the tooth is very shiny and solid looking, whilst the back looks much more fragile and has a crack. The root end looks like it might have been purposely cut though it might be possible that it’s just a very clean break. Obviously I would love for it to have been purposely worked and used as a tool or an amulet but having no other examples to compare it with I have no idea how likely that is.
Another concern I have is preservation. The boar tusks that are found on the foreshore disintegrate rapidly after emerging from the mud and I would really not like for that to happen to this tooth. Teeth generally survive well but I don’t know of any other beaver teeth finds and it does have a crack.
Is there any advice or information anyone could give me about preservation and finding out if it has any signs of having been used as a tool?
Attached are photos of the tooth. 
Thanks,
Nat 
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