Rooted Fossil Sea Lion Tooth and Fish Vertebra - California

Here is a 1.57" long, rooted sea lion (Allodesmus kernensis) tooth that was naturally concreted to an unidentified bony fish vertebra. This association is from Kern County, California, a location notable for its abundance of well-preserved shark teeth. These fossils are from the Temblor Formation which has been dated to the Middle Miocene (roughly 15 million years ago). Due to the wide variety of large, bony fish that swam in this region during the miocene, a proper identification of the vertebra is quite difficult to ascertain.

Allodesmus is an extinct genus of pinniped (Sea Lion) from the Miocene. It measured about 8 feet long and weighed 800 pounds. This seal lion was a formidable hunter and was a true terror of the seas.