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Any members of the forum who live near or in Calvert County in Maryland, I have a question. Is there currently snow on the ground in your area? I'm considering going hunting at Brownie's tomorrow, but a bunch of snow on the beaches would be a pain. According to the weather channel, it definitely snowed there (and it did quite a bit where I am), but what I'm wondering is if you think it would still be there tomorrow. I think it's supposed to be sunny tomorrow, and maybe the tides will clear the beach of some snow, but I'd really love to know the current conditions if anyone could tell me. Thanks in advance!

Just thought I'd share some cool pictures I took with my macro lens, getting up close and personal with the knife-like serrations of a few teeth that I've found on my trips. Enjoy!

This tooth was found along the base of the Calvert Cliffs in Maryland during one of my trips to Brownie's Beach. It made the Hop 5 of that trip because it's a decent size and cool-looking tooth, but now I've run into a problem. Of the few species of Mako shark found in the Cliffs, I don't know which one this is. I had it classified as an Isurus desori tooth in the Hop 5, but I'm beginning to reconsider that identification. After studying descriptions and pictures of specimen from both Cosmopolitodus hastalis and Isurus desori (supposedly the two most common Mako species in the area), I can't make a confident verdict. The tooth has a slant height of slightly over an inch, a thick root center, and broad crown with a smooth and defined cutting edge. It's size isn't much of a help because as far as I understand, C. hastalis is larger than I. desori but this tooth is right in between the average for the two species. It really could be either, but I'm sure there's got to be a good way to tell them apart that I'm just not aware of. The two sharks are really quite different after all. Although we hunters call them "Makos", C. hastalis was truly a Giant White Shark. Anyway, I'd love some help on this one. I'll attach a few pictures, including one with a scale, as well as the ones I posted in my Brownie's Beach trip report from 12/26/17. Thanks!

It is 5:30 am and a brisk 23º but I am going to try my luck on some trilos today. I will keep you posted.

Hello! Later this year I'm planning on moving from Florida back to New England. I was hoping to make the voyage into an interesting road trip... I've heard of several places in the Eastern half of the US where you can dig your own fossils. I know that there are some places in Georgia and the Carolinas that are good to find Megalodon teeth, and some places in the northern US that are good for finding trilobites... I'm up for anything interesting and was looking for suggestions on exact places, tour companies, people, anything that you can offer that might extend my collection on the trip!

This is a picture of my Spinosaurus Caudal vertebra I recently purchased for quite cheap on an auction site. It is 7cm long and 4,5cm high and is from Morocco. As you can see it has some reparation. Hope you like the post!

This is a picture of my baby Keichousaurus hui that I got on an auction site for very cheap price. The slate is 8x5cm but the reptile itself is 5cm. It is very small so to see the bones and details you need a magnifying glass. Hope you like the post.

I found this walking the beach near South Ponte Vedra, FL. I have no clue what it is. Can you help?

Some permian crinoides for trade! I put only two specimen if anyone interesting I have more.

Hi! Im fossils collector from central Europe and this is my hobby since I know. I like to trade fossils and hope I Will meet here some new friends and maybe make some trades!

just making sure I don't have something here,,,,,,thanks

These two pieces are said to be from the Morrison formation. Anyway way to ID them?

Hello, everyone. One thing is for sure. Paleocene shark teeth from Purse State Park are difficult to identify. Many of them appear nearly identical to another species, and if the teeth are worn, identification is next to impossible. While I was sorting (or at least attempting to sort) my 600+ teeth from my trip to Purse, I was finding that the vast majority of my teeth were either Striatolamia or Carcharias. While this is normal for the area because these species are among the most abundant, it seemed that I didn't have a single specimen of what is apparently another common find: Goblin Shark teeth. According to fossilguy.com, as well as phatfossils.com, Anomotodon novus was a species of Goblin Shark that was alive during the Paleocene Era, and its teeth are commonly found along the Potomac River's Paleocene fossil sites. Why is it that I just could not seem to identify one? Apparently, they look very similar to the species of Sand Tiger, but their defining feature is that the cutting edge extends onto the root, in a sort of "enamel shoulder." Some of my finds had flattened or rounded cusps, but no obvious continuation of the cutting edge. I was frustrated because with a find that is said to be common, you'd expect to find at least 1 in 600. After sorting through the finds from Purse, I moved in chronological order to my Brownie's Beach trip with my dad on the day after Christmas. My dad didn't have the most productive day at the site, and only found 20 or 30 teeth, but they were some cool finds. There was one in particular that caught my attention. It looked a bit like a Sand Tiger, but its cutting edge extended onto the root. I was stunned. I have never seen any mention of Goblin Shark teeth in the Calvert Cliffs, or any Miocene exposure for that matter. I'm assuming that A. novus went extinct between the Paleocene and Miocene but I could be wrong. Obviously there were other species of Goblins alive, but the reason I think it's A. novus is that when I've looked at pictures of teeth from all different kinds of extinct Goblins, this tooth is nearly identical to that specific species. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that there actually are Goblins in the Calvert Cliffs because they yield over 200 different species, but I am just confused because I've never seen them on any identification website or trip report from the Cliffs. I've posted three pictures of the tooth below. The first with a tape measure reference shows the lingual side of the tooth, the second is the labial, and the third is a close up shot (that I took with my super cool clip-on macro lens) of one of the enamel shoulders. Here's what I'd like to know. Is this tooth from a species of Goblin Shark? If so, is it A. novus or a different species that was alive during the Miocene? Also, (less important, but still would be helpful) how can I distinguish Goblin Shark teeth from the Sand Tiger species at Purse State Park? Are they less common than I believed? As always, help would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Im looking Miocene fossils ( Pannonian sea). If anyone have something for trade please contact me via personal message. Thanks,

Hey everyone, After I collect a bunch of fossils from a trip, I sort them by species or genus. What I'm wondering is how you guys do this (if you do sort them). I've been using fossilguy.com so far, as well as this forum for when I can't find a match. Sometimes I'll look up a suspected species in a simple search, but my go-to right now is fossil guy. Although his site is really great overall, he really only covers the more common teeth found at the sites. So I have found his site to be very useful with identification, but I'd love a source that might go into more detail and cover more species. I want to hear what you all use to ID your finds (other than the forum). Keep in mind, the source would need to cover fossils from the exposures where I hunt. These include the Calvert Cliffs in Maryland, the Paleocene exposures near Purse State Park in Nanjemoy, and the Horsehead Cliffs in Montross, Virginia. As great as it is to have you guys identify finds of mine, I obviously can't do that for hundreds and hundreds of fossils, so I'd like another online source. It would be ideal if the source includes pictures and descriptions of how to distinguish finds from each other. Thanks in advance!

Hey guys. Since I'm a new collector I'm looking for some advice. Would it be best to start my collection by buying bulk fossils? The one pictured bellow I'm considering and it has a couple neat things: dolphin jaw, alligator scute, meg tooth, etc. Or should I save for quality stuff right from the getgo?

I just bought this fossil fish. I wanted to know if the "wide open" areas just under the dorsal fin and in the ribs are signs of breakage, or are they just under the matrix?

I found this at Bayfront Park/Brownie's Beach in Maryland. This tooth is in decent condition aside from its lack of a root. This might make it more difficult to identify, but you can still identify from the crown alone sometimes. It is almost an inch in length. It has a smooth enamel with no striations, and a defined cutting edge that does not extend all the way up the crown. Rather, it stop about 2/3 of the way to the top on both sides. From a side view, the tooth does curve much like a Sand Tiger. It also has a very large protuberance at the top of the crown where it would meet the root. Although this is a characteristic of lower Hemipristis serra teeth, I do not believe that to be the correct identification because those teeth are conical and lack a cutting edge. Everything is leading me to believe that this is a massive Sand Tiger tooth, but I don't know for certain. I've gotten Sand Tiger teeth bigger than this from Purse State Park, but nothing even close to it at a Miocene exposure. If it had a root, it would be a pretty big chomper. Do Sand Tigers in this area/age get that big? I've included pictures of the tooth from the front, both side views, and the back. I understand if it is difficult to identify because of the missing root (and possibly cusps). I would be thrilled if I turn out to be correct. That would make this tooth my biggest Sand Tiger from a Miocene site. If you can confirm that it is a Sand Tiger, I would love to hear what species it is from if that is at all possible to determine. There are so many species that come from Calvert Cliffs! Thanks for the help.

Every now and then on the forum someone posts a cream colored meg, or some other type of white sharks tooth. I just thought it was cool and moved on, but after finding two white sharks teeth myself (one below) I started to wonder how this could be. I extremely doubt it’s the original enamel, though I’ve doubted true things before. Would this be because of a certain mineral? Perhaps plant acids, such as in lightning strikes? Just from wear? Are there multiple factors?

Hello folks, So, I rarely do trades anymore (I used to do them all the time), but I have recently taken a bit of an interest in plant fossils. I don't live in a great place for collecting them, but I do live in a great place for vertebrate fossils and marine invertebrates. If any members out there have some extra plant fossils collecting dust and would like to exchange them for some vertebrate fossils, let me know. I've always specialized in hunting for Pleistocene vertebrate fossils from sites that produce lots of color variety, so I have a ton of that material. I also have a fair amount of Miocene shark teeth, Eocene echinoids, Plio-Pleistocene gastropods and bivalves. As far as my Pleistocene material, I really couldn't even begin to list what I have. Just let me know if you have a special interest in something from that period that lived here in Florida. The only plant fossils I probably wouldn't be interested in are isolated pieces of petrified wood, since I have sites where I can find that stuff myself. I may also be interested in trades for something else besides just plant fossils. EDIT: If you happen to be growing any cool plants, I would possibly trade for those too. -Cris

After a successful second trip to Brownie's Beach a.k.a. Bayfront Park, I thought I'd head out there again. This time I chose to go alone, and I got up extra early to get there as soon as the park opened. I ended up doing just that; it was just becoming visible as I pulled into the gravel lot. I was the first person to arrive, which I've never been before, so waking up early was totally worth it. When it comes to fossil hunting at popular locations, "the early bird gets the worm." Once there was enough visibility outside, I slipped on my boots and made my way down the trail to the beach. As soon as I saw the Bay, I had to drop all my gear and snap a few pictures. The horizon was absolutely stunning. The sun was about to begin rising, and when it did, I got an even prettier spectacle. Brownie's Beach has got to be among the most scenic fossil sites out there. Every time I get to marvel at the beauty of nature. After I got a good look at the beautiful sunrise, I took advantage of arriving early and made my way South towards the cliffs. Sure enough, some of the best finds wash up over night and are simply laying on the surface, waiting for the first hunter to snatch them up. Within the first ten or twenty minutes of searching, I found a lovely Mako. As the sun took its place higher in the sky, more hunters began to show up, and a few eager ones passed me along the cliffs. They were moving really fast to be finding much, but maybe they were just trying to get to the end first. I continued to get some decent finds, and eventually made it all the way to private property sign. Technically, you could legally cross this by walking beneath the high tide line, but it was pretty far from the entrance so I decided it'd be a good point to turn around. The cliffs were very unstable that day, most likely due to the fact that the beach had been frozen over recently and was thawing out. Most of what fell while I was there was just small bits of sediment, but there was one time that really startled me. It wasn't a huge fall, but bigger than most and pretty loud. Luckily, although it was parallel to me, I wasn't close to the cliffs. Anyway, I made my way back towards the entrance and kept looking. As the day went on, more and more people showed up. It was a really nice day for January, so people were out enjoying the weather. I tried sifting for a bit and didn't find too much as usual, but I did grab a few Sand Tigers that for some reason I hadn't found any of while surface hunting. I ran into a lot of fellow hunters, and got to share my finds with them as well as see theirs. There was a woman who was primarily searching in the cliffs, as dangerous as that can be, and managed to find a Mako that looked quite similar to mine. She told me about how she once found a massive whale vert, and showed me pictures. While doing another scan on the cliffs, I found a really nice Hemi with some killer serrations. It was not, however, the legendary Hemipristine. I haven't quite explained this yet, so I'll go ahead and do it now: I am on the lookout for the fabled "Hemipristine", a massive and perfectly intact Hemipristis tooth with big, sharp serrations, and awesome colors. One day I will find it. One day. Shortly after finding my Hemi, I ran into a man and his son and showed it to them. The man then showed me two huge and perfect Hemis, which he apparently had just found ahead of me. I was beyond frustrated, but tried to hide it. I'm sure many of you know that feeling when you were so close to a perfect find but it got snatched up by another hunter. My first time experiencing that. Near the end of the day I met @eannis6 with his water bottle full of teeth. We shared some of our finds; I showed him my strange lower Hemi and he showed me a Cow Shark tooth that looked just like the one I had just found. It was great talking to him, he's a real nice guy! In my last few hours of hunting, I walked beneath the cliffs some more, all the way to the sign. I started heading back as the sun was setting. I passed a few cliff falls that had their bases worn down from the waves, and they looked like mushrooms! I posted a picture below. Something else unusual I saw was a bright blue snake skin. As the tide was coming in, the waves became more violent, and it was washing up more gravel and searching material. Because of this, I got some good finds on the way back to the entrance including a few nice Tigers. Hunters left the park as some other people were just arriving for some pictures at sunset, including a man and his pregnant wife who had a professional photographer. Brownie's really is the place for a nice picture! The sunset wasn't quite visible because the sun rises over the Bay but doesn't set over it, but the colors in the sky were still very pretty. I found some really nice Tigers, which I'll really never get tired of. The Sand Tigers weren't quite as abundant this go around, but I still got a couple sweet ones. This was my best trip for Hemis so far, as I got my biggest upper yet (at least I think it's an upper) and two slightly damaged but really cool lowers that have serrations. I snatched up a few nice Chesapectan and somewhat complete Turritella shells. I have those big molds from Purse, but I'm yet to find actual shells of the same caliber. I found two Makos, both slender and pretty cool. Just as I got my first upper Cow last trip to Brownie's, this time I got my first lower! I got one porpoise/dolphin tooth, and two broken shark verts. Other than that, I found some usual small ones like Lemons and Grays, but also a couple less common ones like some Hammerheads. And finally, I found some ray plates as always, but this time I found what is by far my biggest yet! Lots of finds, and really nice ones too! Apparently, two people found 3 inch Megs that day, some more proof that Brownie's has got them! I'd love to be the one to find one of them eventually. Overall, it was a fantastic trip. Getting to the park early really paid off, and I'll definitely try and do the same in the future. I got to meet a lot of great people, and have a successful day out on the beach! I think I'll plan on heading out down south next, either to try out Westmoreland for the first time or maybe hit Stratford again. I hope you all enjoyed my report and my finds, and as always, Hoppe hunting!

Im starting to run out of room in my crab display case so i put some on my desk. Quite nice for me. I do have two guys who want to buy a Tumido from me, but I have a really hard time letting these go. I seem to fall in love with them while prepping? And its really hard to get a really good Washington crab. I guess the collection will just keep on growing. I dont think i will have a problem with that. Life is good. RB

Hi all, I've been considering applying to the Calvert Marine Museum Fossil Club. It looks like a great place to share your finds and discuss paleontology with other fossil hounds in the area. The club apparently also goes on occasional hunting trips as a group, which would be fun, especially if we could get some special access to typically restricted areas. And as an added bonus, it would probably look really good on college apps. I am just wondering if there's anyone here on the forum who is already a member of the club who would be willing to give me some more info. I'd love to here more about what goes into being a member of the club, exactly what they do at meetings, how the trips work, etc. I just want to know if it would be worth joining, because the distance is not ideal (about 2 hours as opposed to the 1 that it takes me to get to Brownie's), but I'd be willing to make the trip if it's worthwhile. Any information from members would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

While finishing up with my identifications from my trip to Purse State Park, I noticed two that I thought I could use some help on. The first is a nearly complete tooth that I believe to be that of O. obliquus because it has a bit of a bourlette, but I could be wrong. It seems far too long and slender to be from Otodus, but I'm not sure what else it would be from. I'm personally hoping that I'm correct because Otodus teeth are always awesome finds, but I'll be interested to see your take on it. When it comes to the second of the two, I don't even know where to start. It's very tiny, and has a root unlike any tooth I've every seen. the protuberance on the root is about as long as the crown, which makes it look totally bizarre. The top of the tooth looks like an arched "V" or like a banana peel. The root is wide and flat. My best guess for this one would be a baby Sand Tiger shark tooth (either from Striatolamia or Carcharias), or perhaps even a pathological tooth. As always, any help would be much appreciated. Hoppe hunting!

My first real fossil show in 13 years. I was asked by my buddy to fill his spot to save it for him. He had an eye problem. But I wont be doing this again. Just too much work even though i still had fun. But I can see now that I wont be going to the quartzite show any more. Just too much driving. But I did sell all the so called 'pine cones' from Morocco. Sold all my theropod teeth. Sold all kinds of other things and it was great to get rid of so much fossil stuff but what amazed me was that I did not see one single crab! Sold 22 or 23 the first two years,,, and this trip,,, not a single one! Oh well, thats how the cookie crumbles. When I was gettting ready for this trip i was going through yet again more boxes I havent been through in 10 to 12 years or so and kept running into sharks teeth. Cant belive how many freakin sharks teeth ive accumulated over the years. Only sold 10 or 11 at the show. Gunna have to put some here on the forum someday at half price just to get rid of them? Along with a bunch of other different things too. Gunna take a few years I think. RB