Is this a claw or a tooth

[garyuk]

[attachment 35365 claw1.jpg][attachment 35366 claw2.jpg][attachment 35367 claw3.jpg][attachment 35367 claw3.jpg][attachment 35368 claw4.jpg]

We found this today lying on the surface of a ploughed field, can anyone help identify it.
One thing for sure is we dont have anything this big in the UK anymore,I think the last bear went 500 years ago, sabre toothed tiger perhaps...

Gary
www.garysdetecting.co.uk

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Gary;
In ways, it resembles both: a tooth and a claw. However, a claw consists of two parts: the bone core (which will be the most likely to fossilize) and the outer keratin sheath. The bottom of the object leads me away from it being a claw. So that leaves a tooth, which it resembles in more ways than a claw. But the only way to be sure would be to show it to a paleontologist. It could be an ancient fossil dating back millions of years. Worth looking into for sure. GH, David@Dixie

 

[jim central mo]

not a claw for sure.

 

[Texas T]

It looks a lot like the claw of the extent Gaint Sloth!