ID?

[bjinks]

Found this nasty looking tooth on the flats by SLP yesterday. Any ideas what kind of animal this came from? Looks really long for as narrow as it is.

[Tiny]

Need some better pics. But if it was a fishes tooth, it looks like one from a Payara.. kinda

[SCHU]

Looks like a sting ray barb.

[Swells]

Sort of looks like a spine from the back of a pretty darn big trigger fish, hard head, or something like that. The stingray barbs I've seen are more flat and wide like a fat knife, not a needle point like that. Anyway, last time there was a bad fish kill on the surf line and I drove up the beach I got a flat on something a little smaller than that - went right through the tire. Do you know how hard it is to change a flat in the sugar sand?

[Robalo]

I'd say it's a fin or a back bone/rib bone, not a ray's barb-barbs aren't smooth on the sides-they are almost serated like a knife.

[Beandaddy]

Pteradactyl beak!!
Beandaddy

[bjinks]

This is actually pretty serated on the sides, but the top part looked like a tooth root. Very possible it's a stingray barb, but the root-looking piece makes me think it's some kind of tooth. I'll try to post up some better pics.

[kenny]

I'd say it's a fin or a back bone/rib bone, not a ray's barb-barbs aren't smooth on the sides-they are almost serated like a knife.

Yep, prolly!

[coachlaw]

Pics are small, but I agree. Definitely not a tooth.

[2112]

I've never seen a ray barb that had any curvature to it...Mystery point.

[Milkjug]

Gafftop fin. Look closely, it should only have the small back-facing serrations on the curved side (the back of the fin/concave side). Stingray barb will have serrations on both sides.

[Gater]

X2, Gafftop dorsal fin... Gater

[Tiny]

I think milkjug got it, Before I read the second page of the thread, I had GT tiop fin on my mind.

[WestEndAngler]

I have seen a few anglers cut the spines off Gaftop before cleaning (if you eat 'em YUCK!) easily could have been left on the beach or washed up...