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Hello! I'm brand new as a member of the forum but have been looking on here for awhile. I caught the fossil bug while on a vacation to Texas in June. I just got back from a Peace River trip and wondered if anyone could help me identify what I got. I believe I have scutes... but don't know what variety - Armadillo? Alligator? Turtle? The first two photos are of the same specimens but both sides. The third pic I think might be alligator. The last two pics are of two teeth, different angles - I think I have llama, but don't know the other? I'm so excited about starting fossiling! My next trip to Florida will include diving for megs (which was cancelled on this last trip, leading to the Peace river search...) I want to do Peace river again, but this time branch out to an area that doesn't rent canoes for that specific leg of the river (so not as picked over maybe). If anyone has advice, it's very welcome. Thank you to any one who can help!

Hello - first post here. I've been lurking in the background reading lots and lots of your posts in the forum. Very informative, really enjoy looking at the pics of the fossils being found on the Peace river. I noticed in some of the pictures what appears to be rapids on the river - appears to be shallow water moving over rocks. Where on the river would these rapids be located? On the satellite images it looks like there may be some rapids 5.24 miles (following the river) or 4.2 as the crow flies - north of the Gardner ramp near Oak Creek. Has anyone made it that far north from Gardner and checked out the area for fossils? I'm trying to plan a trip and was thinking of using a canoe with a small outboard to travel from Gardner to Oak Creek. Is it possible to motor on the Peace river north of Gardner - or are there too many obstacles or shallow water? Thanks in advance for any information you can share - hope to see you on the river soon! G

Between work and home life 2018 wasn't much of a year to get out hunting for me. Outside of two short trips down to the Ramanessin I didn't really get out this year. Hoping to change that in 2019. To start I am working on a family vacation to Florida around March. The last time I was down there at that time of year I was able to do a day of creek hunting around Wauchula that netted a ton of small shark teeth including multiple mini megs as well as a slew of ice age mammal items. My favorite was a small glyptodon scute which was one of my personal bucket list items . I am looking for suggestions on areas I can start researching that would be in range of a day trip based out of the Orlando area. Call it a 2 hour radius of Orlando so I have time to hunt. Not looking for anyone's special hunting grounds, just general suggestions. Haven't looked to see who might still be offering guided trips these days as its been a few years since my last visit, but I am willing to entertain that option. I still have the books I gathered for my last trip so I will start with a refresher from those, but any advice would be appreciated

Found a bunch of Shark teeth today and other interesting bits. If possible, can anyone ID this spike? Catfish spike? Is the hole natural? And found a tiny vertabrae, can anyone tell what animal that may have been from? And I found what to me looks like an alligator tooth, but wrapped in a concretion or something? Or is that just a rock? Thanks for any help!

I don't know much about whale fossils . . . Can I get some help? This appears to be an auditory bulla which seems unlike the larger specimens from baleen whales. I think it may be a damaged bulla from Pomatodelphis. Any thoughts? In the one view, I've marked with a yellow ''x" two pholadid clam borings so that they don't distract. That same view seems to show an area of shear which represents a missing process.

Hey everyone, I'd like to know what you think about this vertebra I found on the peace river last February. I know people find snake verts once in a while on the river and was wondering if this specimen had any traits that would determine its identity whether it be more general or specific. I know that not everyone knows the size reference when using American currency, the vert is 1.5 cm from the top of the process to the bottom and about .8 cm long at its longest point.

I was browsing the Forum and came across an excellent (Jan 25, 2018) post by @GeschWhat listing some characteristics of coprolites. Unhappily, Lori did not provide illustrations. I want to quote her list later. I have here a few coprolites from different rivers, including the Peace River. I'll post some images, and let you judge how well these specimens fit Lori's list of characteristics. This one (two images) is from the Peace River: This one (two images) is from the Suwannee River, a bear-dog site: This one (two images) is from the Peace River: This one (two images) is from the Peace River: Report post I don't subscribe to the 'lick test,' and Lori has heard all of the scatological jokes by now, so let's get down to serious 'business.' Feel free to provide further illustration or commentary on the identification of coprolites.

A friend showed me these today, bith found in the Peace River in the last week. He asked if I thought either was a canine? I decided to ask TFF for identifications. Fossil #1 Fossil #2 Thanks for all comments, suggestions, identifications.

Hello! I am moving to Huntsville, Alabama from Daytona Beach, Florida, and I'm wondering if anyone knows of some good areas to fossil hunt in Alabama and the surrounding area. I am used to taking trips to the Peace River on the weekends and hunting there. I know of one place with research so far that is fairly comparable to the peace river in Alabama, but does anyone know of anywhere else? Thanks!

I was wondering if anyone would be interested in trading trips to fossil collecting sites. I want to go hunt fossils in the Peace River next Feburary, in return I can provide a collecting trip to Sharktooth hill (or a bunch of STH fossils). Anyone interested?

Hey! Been a while since I've posted on here. Haven't really had a chance to go hunting as of late, but these have been sitting in my collection for a bit now unanswered. Quality might not be the best, because I currently have no access to my usual camera. All were found between Tampa and the Peace River down in Arcadia. Any ideas? I suspect the first might be a horse incisor but the others I'm clueless with.

Guys I want to propose an identification on the shell fragment below based on some research for which criticism is more than welcomed. Found in Hardee Co., Florida Peace River Formation, Bone Valley Member. First there are only two genera of thick shelled tortoises in the US (Oligocene to Pleistocene) which are Hesperotestudo and Caudochelys (Hulbert, Jr., 2001). The largest and one with thicker shell being Caudochelys crassiscutata. This species is known for having a very thick hypoplastron. The shell fragment bellow is robust, and weirdly thick compared to the other many fragments I have found in the Peace. So... Judgement time!

Here is another one I have no clue about. Any thoughts!?

Recent Peace River find. Does not appear broken. Does not match Bos/Bison drawings that I have as ref. Roughly 2.5 X 1 inch. Looks to be from a good sized animal.

Last one of the night. Any idea guys? Or shall I change my name to paper weight?lol

I am just posting the thins I have no clue about. Here is another one. Resembled some marine mammal otoliths I saw online. But could be a Nothing Sp.

Me again, Have a few to post but will do tonight, here is a curious one I found Hardee County last Sunday. Could it be lower jaw section of a Snapping Turtle? Please advise guys! Thanks Alex

I've been cleaning and remodeling my son's old room these past few weeks, making it a safe and presentable guest room for my son's son, my 4-year-old grandson. Lots of dinosaur stuff in the room now. As I was cleaning out old baseball and hockey cards I had a fossil-brained idea. Such ideas usually lead to many hours of neglect for all the responsibilities of a husband and homeowner, even one who is supposedly retired. This particular idea involved those "collectible" baseball and hockey cards. Why not "collectible" fossil cards? Not just photos though. Real fossils. Even better, how about using the cards to display my own small but growing microfossil collection. Some fossils I've found in gravel matrix I've collected myself, but mostly matrix I've obtained from other TFF members, especially @Sacha I thought about attaching those wonderful little "gem jars" to the cards, but they really wouldn't be ideal for this job. I ordered, instead, a package of 19mm coin capsules, exactly the size of a U.S. penny. Each capsule would hold a microfossil and each card would include a photo of that fossil and it's relevant information. I liked the idea, and I gave it a try. Here's how it looks so far. There are a few ID's I'm not actually sure about, but I wanted to get going on the cards. I'll fix them as need be. Each card has a catalog number that refers to the photo files for that fossil. I attached the coin capsules with either Velcro dots or that tacky putty stuff that's not supposed to damage walls. I wanted the capsules to be removable. Each capsule has a small label inside with the catalog number, in case it falls off the card. I put a bit of cotton in each capsule, and the fossils are sitting on the cotton. I would love to find 19mm foam dots, but the cotton will do for now. The millimeter rules are at the same scale as the photos. The cards fit in anything designed to hold a baseball card collection, mostly boxes and album pages. They also stand nicely in those little plastic frame holders. I used different colors for each location, so far, to make it easier to keep track the cards and the fossils. When I add more locations I might have to change the designs a little as well. It's been a bit of a slow process so far, it should be quicker in the future. I think any shark teeth that could fit in these 19 mm capsules would display nicely as well, as long as they aren't too thick for the container. I'd be glad to hear any ideas which might improve the usefulness of the cards, or any inaccuracies you notice. I'll be posting a few of my questionable ID's in the ID section soon. Thanks for looking. Mike Most of my current ID's are thanks to the incredible photos and research by TFF members @oldbones @MarcoSr and @Al Dente, and others as well. Thank you!!!

1. Partial mammal tooth? (Peace River FL, Mio, Plio or Pleisto). Maybe a piece of horse. 2. Another partial mammal tooth (potentially odontocete? also Peace River FL). 3. Yet another piece of Mammal tooth (Peace River).

Back in February I went fossil hunting along the Peace River in spots between the towns of Wauchula and Arcadia. I found the usual shark teeth and dugong rib pieces along with a few porpoise and even barracuda teeth. However I would appreciate it if someone could help me identify a few of the other fossils I found. 1. Partial alligator tooth? or just a piece of bone. 2. Tusk or tooth fragment (strange pattern on the cross section. 3. Claw core from a bird or small mammal. 4. Partial glyptodont scute?

FF member @TyRex23 (Tyler) came down for a full week of hunting the Peace River and it's tributaries last week, so we met for 2 of those days to see what we could find. I don't have pictures of his take, so I hope when he gets organized he'll post some of his better finds. Before he came, I prospected a couple spots in the Zolfo Springs area to ensure he had a chance to get some mammal fossils before we went meg hunting. I thought I had a pretty decent couple spots picked out, but overall I didn't do well although I think Tyler got a couple things. Here's my disappointing take for the day.

I had to look at this one twice. It seems to have a process sticking off the wrong side of the centrum at first glance. The pedicles and neural arch are missing, and the spinal canal location is evident. It has a pronounced triangular shape. This leads me to think I am looking at 1/2 of an Axis vertebra, but the shape seems all wrong for that too. What are we looking at here? 3.5 inches across. 2.5 inches deep

Appears to be a bone fragment with air cells found in the Peace River. I was guessing skull fragment but would appreciate an expert opinion.

This year has not been a particularly productive one for me as far as fossil hunting goes, but sometimes in an entire day one screenful makes the difference. I found this really pretty little tooth in the last spot I tried, sure I was just sifting discards from the other hundred guys before me. It's not big, but it is really a pretty little thing. No roots, but nobody's perfect! I'll be back to this spot later this week just to confirm this was a fluke and my luck hasn't changed for the better.

The last year or so I have gotten back into fossil hunting which I loved when I was young (45 now). With a 9 year old son that loves it too (I have even converted my wife a little!). We were invited to look for fossils in a small creek accessible by foot on 4-28-18. Less than a foot deep where we dug and sifted by hand and small garden shovel for about 4 hours. Mostly found a couple hundred small sharks teeth that we will donate to a science facility here that will put them in a sand box and let children find them at a class/event. An interesting bone that looks like a socket joint piece, and a few other things... Mostly Bulls and Lemons here Cool socket of some kind (hoping I don't find out its a chicken bone someone threw in the creek!) Tube worms or coral / sponge maybe..? 4-30-18 we made our first trip to the actual Peace River and rented a canoe at The Canoe Outpost for the day. I have read about fossil hunting there a little (a good bit from this forum) and knew to look for gravel bottom and that deeper banks could be best. We just paddled north about 1.5 - 2 miles and found a nice sandy bank on the inside of a bend to put the canoe on. As I waded out I could feel the rocks crunching under my feet and it seemed to go down about 12" so we set up and started digging/sifting (1/4" mesh). Found some nice 1" teeth in the first half hour and there were generally a small tooth or two mixed with some various sizes of turtle shell etc. on each screen. Never found a real gem on the trip but did get a nice gator tooth and a few other teeth including barracuda. Some interesting bones and shell fossils that I kept as well. When I dug down I got about 12" of mud and gravel, under that was a white clay like sediment that contained nothing. I have heard digging deeper can produce better finds, maybe next time I will prod for a deeper gravel bed. All in all for not knowing much of where to go it was a great day, and I surely can't be disappointed with some nice tiger shark teeth and the Gator tooth...Also found the largest sting ray plate I have seen so far. Just one more screen full I promise! This was close to The Canoe Outpost...(We did not dig here!) The ID section of the forum helped identify the far right tooth as barracuda and the second one as alligator. The better of the teeth. Also found a couple hundred more small ones to donate. Bivalves Not sure what this is, looks like piece of broken tooth coming out of a root..... Interesting bones. turtle shell pieces I believe Not sure about this either, maybe a skin plate of some kind. My wife claimed this turtle shell fragment for the peace sign.