Incisor of Giant Beaver, Castoroides ohioensis. The giant beaver was the largest rodent in North America during the Pleistocene. Although it is similar in appearance to the modern beaver, it actually may have been more similar to the modern capybara (water hog) from South America.
A fossil repair job that I completed for a customer. This is an incisor from the extinct giant beaver species Castoroides ohioensis. It looks as if the tooth was probably deposited intact, but suffered a lot of fracturing, likely from freeze / thaw cycles. The enamel surface was highly fractured and much of it was separated from its original place on the tooth
The tooth arrived having suffered a catastrophic disintegration.
The rebuilding process was essentially a 3D puzzle, reassembling the tooth from the inside out. Of course some segments were missing, such as the lower portion of the tooth.
Of course, one rebuilt, it required some restoration work including filling gaps, and missing segments. Then I had to tackle the shattered enamel.
Despite a tough beginning, both myself and the customer were happy with the results!
