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Hello! Found this while digging in our yard. Not sure if it's anything, but my son is convinced it's a dinosaur tooth so I told him I'd try to find out. Anyways, we live in Anne Arundel County in Maryland and this was found only 2-3 feet down in very sandy soil. Any insight is appreciated! Lauren

Between 2020-23, two collectors who scuba dive for fossils throughout Florida and Georgia have recovered 5 chesapecten (including two paired valves) with morphological characteristics that signal a Miocene age. These characteristics include an acute byssal notch and a byssal fasciole that is strongly differentiated from the shell’s auricle in terms of sculpture and elevation. The largest of the adult shells also displays an active ctenolium. Additionally, one of the paired specimens displays significant gapes between valves when matched (the other pair was preserved as found by glue according to the collector and cannot be matched). These aforementioned traits are also emblatic of Miocene age for Chesapecten. These shells were recovered from the following areas in Georgia and Florida: Savannah River, Effingham County, Georgia (Collector 1) Specimen 1 (W = 108.0 mm) R valve L valve R valve - close up of byssal notch and fasciole (most of fasciole has been degraded) R valve - close up of ornamentation L valve - close up of ornamentation Profile Close up of matrix, gray sand Savannah River, Effingham County, Georgia (Collector 1) Specimen 2 (W = 101.6 mm) R valve R valve - interior R valve - close up of byssal notch and fasciole L valve - note barnacles are modern species, not fossilized L valve - interior L valve - close up of ornamentation on auricle Side profile of pair, showing gapes Front profile of pair, showing gapes Cumberland Island, Camden County Georgia (Collector 2) Specimen 3 (W = 114.3 mm) R valve, note encrustation is recent not fossilized R valve interior, thick shell apparent Close up of byssal notch and fasciole Close up of ctenolium, although modern encrustation makes it difficult to see what is going on in the ctenolium Close up of ornamentation St Mary’s River, Nassau County, Florida (Collector 2) Specimen 4 (W = 117.5 mm) R Valve R valve interior, active ctenolium and thick shell apparent Byssal notch and fasciole Close up of original sediment, note the olive and gray coloration Profile Suwanee River, Hamilton County, Florida (Collector 2) Specimen 5 (W = 69.9 mm) R valve, subadult specimen R valve interior, shell is thick for a subadult Unfortunately, stratigraphic data were not collected for these shells. However, among the Miocene strata from Coastal Georgia and NE Florida currently described in the literature, the Ebenezer Formation of Weems and Edwards (2001), of Upper Miocene (Tortonian age), appears to be the most suitable match based on the age of the Ebenezer and the characteristics of the shells found. The shells collected resemble Chesapecten middlesexensis of the Upper Miocene of Virginia and North Carolina. The Ebenezer was originally defined by Huddleston (1988) as a member of the Coosawhatchie Formation (Middle Miocene). Weems and Edwards later elevated it to formational rank based on differences in lithological and dinoflagellate composition compared to the rest of the Coosawhatchie. The Ebenezer formation consists of gray to olive-gray, fine- to medium-grained micaceous sand and stretches from South Carolina to NE Florida. Five mappable members are apparent and separable by distinct unconformities. The lower four members correspond to dinoflagellate zone DN 8, while the uppermost member corresponds to DN 9. Revision of the Ebenezer to Formational Rank from Weems and Edwards (2001) According to the dinoflagellate zonation of de Verteuil and Norris (1996), DN 8-9 aligns with the Little Cove Point Member (DN 8) and the Windmill Point Member (DN 9) of the St Mary’s Formation of Maryland and Virginia. Alignment of the Ebenezer to St Mary's Formation of MD and VA from Weems, Self-Trail and Edwards (2004) All specimens display similar characteristics which include an acute byssal notch, differentiated byssal fasciole, slightly inflated right valve, and a hinge size in adult specimens that is relatively small for adult chesapecten with the exception of Chesapecten covepointensis (DN 8 St Mary’s Formation) and in some cases Chesapecten santamaria (DN 9 St Mary’s Formation). Also, these shells could possibly be divided into two distinct variants although issues with preservation which appears to be somewhat better outside the Savannah River region may exaggerate these differences. Nevertheless, the Chesapecten collected outside of the Savannah River Region exhibit stronger, more raised ribs and have thicker, heavier shells compared to the specimens collected within the Savannah River region whose shells are thinner and ribs are lower and less pronounced. This is especially true of Specimen 1. Possibly that these variants originate from different members of the Ebenezer Formation. According to Weems and Edwards, “outside of the Savannah region, beds no older than dinoflagellate zone DN 9 occur”. This suggests that the shells collected outside of the Savannah River Region likely belong to Bed 5 of the Ebenezer Formation. Figure 3 of Weems and Edwards (2001) [shown below] suggests that someone scuba diving for fossils in the Savannah River is likely to collect in Bed 4. Therefore, it is possible that the Chesapecten specimens recovered from the Savannah River belong to Bed 4 of the Ebenezer Formation. This stratigraphic information aligns with the observed morphological differences among the specimens and tentatively supports the significance of these variations. Needless to say, more specimens are needed to confirm. Lateral Gradation of the Ebenezer from Georgia to Florida - Fig. 3 from Weems and Edwards (2001) Ward (1992) has remarked that the period between Chesapecten santamaria (DN 9) and Chesapecten middlesexensis (DN 10) represents a considerable loss of the fossil record in the stratigraphic succession of chesapecten. These Chesapecten, which bear a strong overall resemblance to Chesapecten middlesexensis while displaying traits of preceding species (smaller hinge, more differentiated byssal fasicole), could help bridge this apparent gap. Notably, no other Chesapecten in this age range outside of Maryland and Virginia have been reported in the literature. Personal Remarks The equivalency of these shells to the St Mary’s Formation, not the Eastover formation is surprising to me given the strong resemblance to C. middlesexensis. If anyone knows of any findings correlating DN 8-9 to the Eastover, or of the Ebenezer to DN 10 please let me know. Also, if anyone has any additional samples of similar shells from similar sites, even in SC please let me know. Thank you! References de Verteuil, L., and Norris, G., 1996, Miocene dinoflagellate stratigraphy and systematics of Maryland and Virginia: Micropaleontology, vol. 42 (Supplement), 172 p. Huddlestun, P.F., 1988, A revision of the lithostratigraphic units of the coastal plain of Georgia; the Miocene through the Holocene: Georgia Geologic Survey Bulletin, no. 104, 162 p. Ward, L.W, 1992, Molluscan biostratigraphy of the Miocene, Middle Atlantic Coastal Plain of North America, VMNH Memoirs, no 2, 152p. Weems, R.E, Edwards, L.E., 2001, Geology of Oligocene, Miocene, and younger deposits in the Coastal Area of Georgia: U.S. Geological Survey, no 131, 129 p. Weems, R.E, Self-Trail J., Edwards, L.E., 2004, Supergroup stratigraphy of the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains (Middle? Jurassic through Holocene, eastern North America): Southeastern Geology, volume 42, p 191-216

I found this in Charles County, Maryland along the Potomac River along with the typical ray plates and shark's teeth. Any thoughts?

Hey TFF! First post! Not making my appearance with a bang, but had a decent quick trip to the Potomac, about an hour and 15 minutes. Nice handful of sea glass, decent amounts of ray plates and turritella. A few solid sand tigers. And what I believe to be a small, busted otodus in the palm of my hand. I usually always come away with at least one small complete otodus, so when I don’t, it makes a great day fossil hunting turn into merely a very good day 🤷🏻‍♂️. Let me know what you think!

I’ve been wanting to post this trip on here for a while, so today is the day! Pretty awesome one, showed up to the beach at the scheduled low tide only to see turbulent water up to the top of the beach due to incoming weather patterns. Gave it a chance anyway and very happy I did! Found my first Otodus (along with a busted blade of one), my hunting partner found the smaller one on the right in the second picture on the same day. Also found my first complete ray dental plate. Great day for firsts!

Hi everyone! I’m a high schooler who is very interested in paleontology and archeology. I visited Calvert Cliffs in Maryland and found these fossils. The first photo contains teeth and I’m interested what creatures they may be from. The second photo is full of random things that could be something but may just be pieces of shells (I think there may be a fossilized crab pincer/claw). Take a look!

This was found near the Calvert formation in Maryland. It does seem to be fossilized. Thanks for helping out a newbie and I will take proper photos for future posts.

Following up on the artificial tooth set I recently constructed for the Paleocene sand tiger shark Striatolamia striata, I decided to see if I could put one together for the Miocene snaggletooth, Hemipristis serra, using teeth I've collected along the Calvert Cliffs in Maryland. I haven't found a great resource for an H. serra dentition, but I consulted a few different sources to get a sense for the arrangement, including Fossilguy.com, J-elasmo (which has a dentition for the extant H. elongata), and various TFF threads. The resulting tooth set is below. While I've found quite a few H. serra teeth, their abundance from the cliffs isn't anywhere near that of S. striata from the Potomac River, so this one was a bit more challenging to construct. In addition to several fairly worn teeth in my set, some that I've slotted into various jaw positions are likely a bit more fanciful than the last one. The best extreme posteriors I've collected are proportionally too large, so I also had to use less good substitutes for those positions. The largest teeth below are about 1.25" inches in length. Most of these were collected from Matoaka Beach over the last year, but I found a few of them from Brownie's Beach and Calvert Cliffs State Park. The full tooth set: Quadrants: Finally, here are some better examples of extreme posterior teeth. Both of these are a tad over 0.7" long.

I got back out to the Potomac river yesterday to search along the Paleocene exposures for some more prehistoric treasures. I got to the beach around 8am and had a couple hours till low tide, the water was calm and clear enough to where I could easily see out in the deeper water. Pretty soon after beginning my hike I found a really nice 1.23” crocodile tooth rolling around right on the shore line. It slowed down for a little while after that only find a couple busted Otodus teeth and a nice sand tiger here and there. Once I got around the bend to my favorite stretch of this beach, where I’ve found most of my better Paleocene finds, things began to pick back up a bit. I found a nice tiny crocodile tooth tumbling in the wash, then only a few steps later I see a beautiful 1.48” Otodus partially buried in the sand! Before reaching the end of the beach I also found a large ray plate fragment and nice shark vertebra! The walk back was slow with the waves not churning up much as I’m walking back in my footsteps, I already a nice haul for the day so it didn’t bother me. It was another great day along the river, thanks for reading. Bonus picture from another Paleocene trip a couple weeks ago, the water was murky and high and I didn’t find enough for a full report but I did get a nice ray plate, Otodus and a heartbreaker!

Pictured below is an otolith from an indeterminate cetacean, from the Miocene of the Calvert Cliffs Formation. I've had this particular specimen in my collection for some time, but was under the impression that otoliths weren't diagnostic to any degree, but my research surrounding cetacean dentition for a dolphin tooth I plan to purchase soon has proved otherwise, so I thought it would be worth putting it to the experts. Unfortunately I can't find my ruler to provide a sense of scale for the photos, but the specimen is approximately 4cm long and 1.5cm tall. Thanks in advance for any proposals as to the origin of the fossil Othniel

Had a quick hunt at Purse State park, first time! only about two hours on the beach and found a lot! no big ones but a bunch of interesting sand tigers. Then had some time at my Calvert Cliffs spot, and just as I thought the hunt was a bust, I found a nice tooth! Not sure what the big one is but I think it is a Hastalis? Anyway, great time both hunts!

1 more from the same location, a vertebra. Photos 1 & 2 are the front and back, while 3 & 4 show top and bottom. One end appears flat, while the other is crudely pointed. Axis vert? I was thinking small mammal. Thoughts? thanks!

Hi, trying to get info on this fossil. I was told years ago this was underwater plant life probably 400 to 250 million years old. Also wondering what type of fossil it is...cast, true form, etc. Thank you for any info you can give me.

hello, I have 2 items from Chesapeake Beach, Maryland, USA. Exposures are Miocene. These were found as float, on the beach. The first is a jaw section, approx. 8cm in length, with a broken piece of one tooth present. Porpoise? The second is a tooth crown, approx 18x13 mm and two ridges. Photos of the chewing surface and underside are presented. Manatee? thanks!

Curious to know the ID on these teeth. They were found some time ago in Maryland from a Paleocene location and both are about 3/4" long. I was initially thinking they might be Jaekelotodus robustus, but not 100% sure because Paleohypotodus rutoti looks a little similar. Unfortunately elasmo.com doesn't have any examples of Maryland specimens of J. robustus for comparison. Your thoughts?

I had some time to get back out to the cliffs on Saturday, the wind was rough and it was calling for rain after 10am, so kayaking wasn’t an option and I wanted to be off the beach before the rain got bad. I parked and walked down to the beach a half hour before sunrise to begin my search. As expected the water was very rough, and very murky. I knew I wouldn’t be able to find much of anything below the tide line, and it would be hard to be able to grab something out of the wash before another wave hit. I moved quickly checking the higher shell line and found some decent teeth but nothing to special, until I found what would have been a nice megalodon but a large chunk of the tip was missing, I also found a nice epiphysis disk and shark vertebra before turning around. I didn’t know what my luck would be like on the walk back but I was still hopeful the rough water would wash up something great. Then I got my find of the day when a 1.81” hastalis washed up in front of me. Before getting back to the truck a got another heartbreaking megalodon fragment and another nice hastalis. The conditions were rough, and I was getting a little aggravated feeling like I was missing so much, it also didn’t help that the waves were soaking me even with my waders. Non the less it’s always good to get out and check the beach when I can because you never know which wave will wash up that find of a lifetime. Thanks for reading y’all, until next time!

I got on the beach a little later than I should have and missed low tide. I hiked down the beach in high tide, in my chest waders, and had to turn back because most of the beach had disappeared. Still found some good teeth! A nice crocodile tooth which was a tripmaker and my first piece of a large Meg! I've gotten smaller meg pieces but this one gave me a lot of hope for the future. It showed me that there are Megs out there. Found this piece of meg in the wire and rock dividers that separate the cliffs from the beach, apparently called Gabion baskets? Not sure. Anyway, I also saw a Snake sitting on some clay! Great day, I cant wait to go back. Maybe try a spot in VA next time.

Found these a few months back. My best teeth from 2023. Looking forward to more in 2024. Maryland finds, specifically about 15 miles north of Calvert cliffs

I just started fossil hunting again and I am looking forward to hitting up the best MD and VA spots! Here is today's hunt!

I hit the beach early this morning hoping for a nice low tide and calm, clear water. That wasn’t the case, the water was choppy and murky and the tide was a lot higher than I expected. None the less I treaded on and stumbled on a little 1.32” meg tumbling in the wash. Continuing I found a small handful of little teeth and a nice epiphysis disk with a 2” diameter before turning around. With the water being rough I was still hopeful something nice would wash out in front of me. Then I spot my biggest heartbreaker of the season, the tip of what would have been a large meg. The tip alone was 1.62” with a gorgeous brown color; comparing it with my 4” meg back home it looks like the tooth could have been of similar size. I begin checking through the debris of fresh falls before heading back to the truck and I’m glad I did. I spot a pretty 1.9” meg sitting on top of a debris pile. Definitely pulled the trip together and made the most of non-ideal conditions. But regardless if what I find I always enjoy a walk along the shoreline looking for prehistoric treasures. Thanks for reading y’all until next time!

I got back out to the Calvert Cliffs to do some more hunting yesterday, the low tide wasn’t till noon so I got to the beach around 9am to begin my search. I had more beach than I was expecting which was a pleasant surprise but the wind made the water a little choppy and murky. With it being a weekday there was only one other person out on the beach walking ahead of me. I was careful not to walk in their footsteps, searching the spots they passed when I see a root poking out of the sand, I move the sand out of the way to unearth a beautiful 1.75” broad hastalis! A great start, I really didn’t need to find much else to make to the trip, and it was only the first find! I continue on and eventually the person ahead of me decided to turn back, leaving me a lot of unsearched beach ahead. I found some nice hemis and a dolphin tooth, then I spot what I thought was a chunk of bone rolling in the wash. I pick it up to reveal the corner chunk of a massive megalodon, it looks like it would have been at least 4”. Absolute heartbreaker, but it’s still neat to find and gets my hopes up for the future. Soon after my hopes were realized when I spot a gorgeous 2” megalodon/chubutensis wedged between some clay blocks, unmoved by the waves rolling over it. At this point I was at the end of the beach and ready to begin my walk back, already very happy with my finds so far, and the waves were mixing everything up so I still had hope for another good find. Not too long after turning around, I spot what looked like a large root of an odontocete tooth rolling in the wash, I scoop up and reveal what I believe a 1.8” squalodon tooth, unfortunately a good portion of the crown is broken off so I’m not sure. While the break on the crown is heartbreaking it’s still an amazing find and I was quite ecstatic. The day wasn’t done yet though, before I got back to the truck I found a nice shark vertebra, and a little beat up meg/chub. It was a great day out on the bay and even though I had some heartbreakers, I definitely had a couple trip makers! Thanks for reading y’all, till next time.

Me and my girlfriend got back out to the Calvert Cliffs to do some hunting again yesterday, a resident with beach access has started to allow me to park and walk down to a good stretch of beach, saving us from needed to kayak there for access.(Although I love kayaking the bay it’s nice to get a break sometimes) we got to the beach a little after sunrise to begin to search. The water was a little high but it was calm and relatively clear, and there was a really thick shell line on the beach, so I was hopeful for some good finds. First find of the day my girlfriend found a really nice lower cow shark tooth that had settled on top of the shell line. As we continued on, I was searching the water and shell line while dragging my scoop behind me. I lifted my scoop and looked in to see a lower symphyseal cow shark tooth! As I went to look a little closer it fell through the mesh on my scoop, I shouted and dove on top of it. It’s .53” wide and is missing most of the root but the blade is complete. A little further down the beach I found a nice epiphysis disk with a .7” diameter, strangely most of my complete epiphysis disks I’ve found have been within 20yrds of that spot. Things slowed down for a little but we were still finding a lot of nice sized Physogaleus teeth. We passed and chatted with a couple other groups of fossil hunters, thinking now our finds would thin out even more, I was proven wrong when a large 1.5” hemipristis and a micro megalodon wash out in front of me. As we neared some fresh cliff falls the water clarity got worse, but a wave at the right time gave me the water clarity I needed to spot a beautiful 1.83” megalodon/chubutensis out in the water. The walk back fossil finds were few and far between but we did spot a Belted Kingfisher and a Bald Eagle which can be just as nice sometimes. It was another great day out along the Calvert Cliffs. I’m thank for anytime I get to spend at the beach but, finds like today, bird sightings and chatting with other people passionate about the same thing really make me appreciate being able to do this. Until next time y’all, thanks for reading!

Recently found this coral fossil which seems to match rugose corals from the Carboniferous, however it was found in the lower Chester River, Maryland, which is considered Paleocene. I was also suggested ‘eridiphyllum’ and ‘disphyllum’, also from older than expected periods.