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So I thought I would share my recent and dream fossil find. Mark Kemp prepared my precious find for me. When I found it on the beach the skull had a big blob on the top. For some reason the nodule had been formed in this shape, possibly preserving it well? Anyway, here it was as I found it. A nice heavy lump to carry back. I could see the front of the rostum (Jaw, and back of the skull poking out of the rock) After preparation Thank you

Well to say I'm surprised by today's hunt would be a monumental understatement. I've hunted the Woodbine for about a year now, and the most I had previously found were some leaves and beat up bivalves, despite visiting many sites. Not this time though... The recent string of good fossil luck I've been having prompted me to humble myself. I decided it was time I made a return to the dreaded Woodbine, a formation I have a complicated relationship with. While it's a very beautiful formation with a diverse range of unique animals and plants, Texas hunters will likely relate when I say that it is one of the most difficult to find reliable success on. Despite wasting countless hours wandering creeks, construction sites, and lake fronts in the past, I still have a fondness for the time I spent trying to pick it apart. I thought this hunt would be the same, taking in spectacular sandstone scenery, but very little in fossil department. As soon as I stepped out of my car, the Texas heat wave hit my face full blast. It was about 99F with hardly a cloud in the sky. As I walked to the exposure I had marked, I was quick to take notice of the lack of shade. I spent a solid hour wandering around, not finding much besides bivalve fragments scattered sparsely at the foot of the hill. Already, I had downed a water bottle and felt my eyes stinging from sweat. At the far end of the exposure, I began climbing the hill and came across a thin, pebbly layer of purple matrix. It was unusual in that I hadn't seen matrix like it in the Woodbine before. It only encapsulated a small area. It was absent from the section only 10 feet in either direction. My recent experience with conglomerates in the Atco and Hawaii prompted me to investigate further. Within seconds I spotted a bluish white crown to a flat tooth, Pseudohypolophus mcnultyi (Brachyrhizodus mcnultyi favored by some). There wasn't a doubt in my mind that I had finally found the spot I was looking for. Pseudohypolophus mcnultyi, the most common tooth of the day. I had stupidly forgotten my rock hammer and chisels, so I was left to begin breaking apart the conglomerate with my hands. Doing so exposed new teeth at an absurd rate. I was taken aback when I laid eyes on an Onchopristis dunklei rostral... and then three more. These are much rarer in other formations, but they seem to be COMMON in the Woodbine! Onchopristis dunklei. They are shattered, so they will remain in matrix. I managed to find two fragments of a mid-sized Cretodus semiplicatus tooth that fit perfectly together. Also snagged a couple of Cretalamna catoxodon and Haimirichia amonensis, staples of the Cenomanian shark fauna. Cretodus semiplicatus. One of the most beautiful shark species in my opinion. Cretalamna catoxodon with some turtle bone below. Haimirichia amonensis. The fun continued with a chunk of shark cartilage. Wish there was a way to pin a species to these... Shark cartilage There were also invertebrates to be had. Most of the time they were bivalve steinkerns, but now and then some crustacean chunks would show up. Bivalve Linuparus sp. segments. Something crustacean. Kinda shaped like mudshrimps found in the Pawpaw Fm. Later into the day, I came across a strange ridged tooth I suspect is reptilian. It is quite thin and sadly most of it isn't there. I'm hopeful it's something cool like pliosaur. Prepping it out of the this tough matrix is a real challenge. Unknown ridged tooth. Of course I had to save the hands down best find for last... a small reptile tooth! I believe it belongs to the reptile the Woodbine is most famous for as well - a croc. It bears a distal curvature, fine longitudinal striations, and has two distinct edges which aligns with Woodbinesuchus byersmauricei. The longitudinal striations seem to appear on only one side of the tooth while the other side is mostly smooth. I'm not sure if Woodbinesuchus teeth are similar or if the striations continue all around the circumference. Woodbinesuchus was described from the Rush Creek Member which is where I found this tooth. Other crocs of the Woodbine include Deltasuchus, Terminonaris, and Scolomastax (a small paralligatorid with crushing dentition!). Of these I think Woodbinesuchus is the closest, but there must be someone on here who knows better than me. Most likely Woodbinesuchus byersmauricei After only a few hours I had to call it quits. The heat today was killer and the metallic rocks of the Woodbine were not doing my hands and knees any favors as a makeshift oven. I really wish I had discovered this place in the winter or spring . Looks like I'll be watching the weather for a dip in temps before heading back. The possibility for dinosaur material is quite the motivator! Thanks for reading

A dyrosaurus from morocco, is it real?

Hi there everyone. I’m embarrassed to even ask this, but I would have sworn, since it last came up for me, many years ago, that Dyrosaurus came from the Cretaceous Kem Kem beds, but everything I’m seeing now says it’s from the Eocene. So Dyrosaurus is an Eocene crocodile and would not be coming from the Kem Kem beds? Would an elosuchus probably be what would have come from the Kem Kem beds that might be mistaken for a Dyrosaurus? My knowledge of this partial jaw is that it came from the Kem Kem beds, but it was said to probably be from a dyrosaurus. It wasn’t a definitive statement, but that was the thinking. Some of elosuchus jaws I look at seem like the could match very well, but some seem off, and I would just like the thoughts of anyone who would know better than I would(most people). Thanks any and everyone who were able to help!

Hi! This compressed, incomplete tooth is 2,9 cm long and has fluting and tiny serrations of the right dimensions for a Suchomimus tooth. Yet it does look quite different than some other Suchomimus teeth I have seen online, so I would love to hear your opinions. The location given is Gadoufaoua, Tenere Desert, Niger, Elrhaz Fm. Thanks!

Hi everyone! I bought a batch of fossils from Tegana Formation, in Morocco. Among the fossils there are those reptile teeth: The seller assures that the five in the top row are Spinosaurus aegyptiacus (or at least Spinosaurid species). The three in the bottom row are reported as Elosuchus cherifiensis. The seller is reliable, however I noticed that the teeth are all very similar to each other. Is there a possibility that they all belong to the Spinosaurus or Elosuchus species? Is there any way to tell the two types of teeth apart? Below I put a few photos of the individual teeth.

OK, I have read the posts about croc tooth versus mosasaur and croc versus alligator. Based on what I read, this could be a mosasaur tooth given the sort of “prismatic” ribbing and lack of any carinae or at least the lack of the two that are equidistant from each other. Anyway, I’m not an expert but would love some help from those more learned. Check out the pics. This is basically from the Calvert formation - but more specifically Horsehead Cliffs area from the water. Thanks for looking!

Hi, I went to the fleamarket and bought these. One is some kind of shark tooth, the other a crocodile tooth from the miocene I believe. What do you think?

Out hunting the Peace River yesterday. Went back to a location we have hunted forever. Basically just depending the river continually moving the fossils around and dropping them in the same place. Wait for the river to drop making this location shallow enough to dig. I know most of what I found... Here is a photo, after removing the shark teeth.... and the few shark teeth I chose to keep... The Meg on the left is 30 mm, some tigers including a Mayumbensis and a broken... meg I think. There was a Tapir tooth with some root, a Croc tooth along with the gator teeth, and a cluster that @Coco Identified for me years ago, but just now I can not remember. There is a chunk of proboscidean foot bone I likely will not identify, a chunk of gator jaw, dolphin tail vert, a dugong/manatee partial skull cap, and a pretty nice Glyptodont osteoderm. But the things I like the most are a dolphin tooth and ear bone... I seem to be finding more of these lately... and that's just fine with me. For last is this canine or maybe canine. I think that I convinced myself that it is a whale tooth that is "spalling"... More than sufficient find to reward a day of hunting, and a surprising number given that I have hunting this exact spot of years...

Hi everyone, this is my first post on here. This specimen was labelled as a 'dinosaur jaw bone' and it was found in the Hell Creek Formation near Glendive, Montana. It is about 27 mm long. It does seem to me it belongs to a reptile of some sort but I haven't been able to find anything on the internet to identify it with any more specificity so I'd really appreciate your expertise in identifying it. Thanks everyone!

All I believe I found what woodbine formation animal I found the vertebrae was from in north tx. looking through all fossils from general area I found with little research found that I had croc skutes fossils. Here is pics and any experts please chime in. I tumbled and polished some of the scutes so that’s why one or 2 look like this. My bad thought was some cool metallic iron ore etc Wish I picked up more. I didn’t know what hole rocks were. Construction already destroyed animals fossil which I believe possibly a partial or whole animal remains.

Four weird little pieces from Gainesville fossil hunting. Guess for 1 is maybe turtle? 2 is very dark and was hard to capture the detail on top even with a dslr and flash, maybe a fish part? The bottom two both appear to be some type of teeth to me, whether that’s crocodilians or cetacean I’m not sure. I’m not even certain they’re identifiable!

Found a partial theropod claw and some other one, not sure if it’s even a claw but I figured I would check. dinosaur park fm

Hi, all! Found this in Green Mill Run last week. Not sure who used to own this one. Doesn’t look exactly like a croc to me. Root seems weird. Thanks!

Hello everyone! Can anyone please help me with the identification of these crocodile teeth? All come from Kem Kem (Morocco) I don't have a more precise location. To the eye there seems to be some Antaeusuchus or Uruguaysuchidae teeth. The dimension is 10/15mm Could any expert help me please? IMG_20230402_104734_220.webp IMG_20230402_104722_616.webp IMG_20230402_104718_143.webp IMG_20230402_104730_942.webp IMG_20230402_104701_797.webp IMG_20230402_104739_967.webp IMG_20230402_104714_605.webp IMG_20230402_104744_939.webp IMG_20230402_104711_083.webp IMG_20230402_104726_200.webp

Here are the two fragments I found in Ramanessin of what i believe to be mosasaur. the right one im unsure of, i still think its a cretaceous reptile. the left one, I am more certain is a mosasaur. but let me know what you think!

Hi everyone, I recently bought this tooth on a whim. It was described as Diplocynodon sp. from the Kimmeridge Clay and reworked into the Albian-age Faringdon Sponge Gravels at the Wicklesham Pit. However, this description is obviously wrong in either species attribution or locality, since Diplocynodon is an alligatoroid genus dating to the Paleocene to middle Miocene, and could therefore not possibly have been found in the Sponge Gravels as Wicklesham Pit. Going by the label that came with the tooth, however, the seller whom I bought the tooth from just copied the information on the label provided by the person they bought the tooth from (I think I recognize the labelling-style, which means I may have a lead to trace the provenance - although that would very much depend on how long records are kept by that other seller and on how long ago the tooth left them). As the tooth isn't rolled, as much of the material form the Sponge Gravels is, and in preservation also doesn't match the buff through orange to deep red colours of most other Kimmeridge Clay material I've seen - whether from Faringdon or elsewhere (mainly Abingdon) - I'm pretty confident this tooth doesn't come from the reworked deposits at Wicklesham Pit. Rather, the state of preservation reminds me of finds from the Oxford Clay. In fact, the root of the tooth has some black deposit on it, that I take to be oxidized pyrite - something I've learned from this thread to be a not uncommon feature of Oxford Clay fossils. Another option as to the tooth's origin is that the tooth could come from Hamstead on the Isle of Wight, where Diplocynodon is known to occur. The dark/black colouration of the tooth and traces of what appears to have been buff-coloured matrix - as opposed to the light grey one of the Oxford Clay - may point in that direction. Though I consider this possibility less likely than the Oxford Clay one for the reasons set out below. Turning to morphology, the tooth doesn't seem to quite match examples of Diplocynodon I've been able to find online. For, while my tooth is densely ornamented with strong striations and exhibits - as far as I can make out - only one possible carina ("possible", as it may just be an apicobasal ridge), other teeth I've seen are mostly smooth/unornamented with what look to be two carinae (although alligatoroid teeth can have anywhere from zero through two carinae and I've also been able to find at least one Diplocynodon-tooth specimen with striations). Moreover, my tooth is conical, which at least rules out the more robust "short but wide" Diplocynodon morphotype. Diplocynodon hantoniensis teeth, Lower Hamstead Beds , Hamstead, Isle of Wight (source) Diplocynodon sp. teeh from the Faluns of Touraine, region of Savigné (source) Diplocynodon hantoniensis from the Eocene deposits at Barton, Hampshire; note the striations This brings us to a closer examination of the features of the tooth's ornamentation, as seen under a microscope. Visible are not just the black deposit on the root and strong and dense striations referred to above, but also what I make out to be remnants of the fossil's original yellow matrix; reticulation of striae; striations stopping close to the base of the tooth, rather than reaching the full apicobasal height; the overall texture of the enamel in between of the striae; and partial cross-section through the tooth enamel. In particular with respect to the cross-section, it may be useful to have a look at the below illustration, figure 4 from McCurry et al. (2019). For, of course it could just be my imagination, but I see greatest similarity with specimen A - that is, the brachauchenine tooth marked as P. interruptus (but see here for a discussion on the validity of this species). Cross-sections through the teeth of A. Polyptycodon interruptus, B. Globidens alabamensis, C. Goniopholis crassidens, D. Spinosaurus aegyptiacus, E. Ichthyosaurus communis, F. Zygorhiza kochii Similarly, if I look at the below diagram of dental ornamentation amongst various clades of marine animal (figure 2, ibid.), I find greatest semblance with tooth D, sauopterygia, pliosauridae indet. (although an argument could be made for A, crocodylomorpha, Deinosuchus rugosus, could be made as well). Phylogenetic distribution and morphological similarity of apicobasal ridges: A. Deinosuchus rugosus; B. Spinosaurus; C. Ichthyosaurus; D. Pliosauridae indet.; E. Globidens alabamensis; F. Hydrurga leptonyx; G. Mammalodontidae indet. I see further comparability in ornamentation when looking at images of the below tooth: As such, I believe that the tooth under discussion here is, in fact, a pliosaur tooth from the Oxford Clay. Moreover, seeing as the density of the striae all round and smooth enamel surface in between, I'm thinking the tooth might belong to Simolestes vorax. However, the traces of yellow matrix make me wonder whether the tooth indeed derives from the Oxford Clay, whereas the few vermiculations visible at the base of the tooth - rare on S. vorax - and the tooth's overall colour make me hesitant whether this might not actually be a Liopleurodon ferox (although I'd think the density of striations would be quite high, in that case; but for comparison with another small L. ferox tooth, see here). As it stands, I guess my questions are: Are the traces of yellow I'm seeing on the tooth indeed remnants of matrix, or could they be dried up glue? Where was the tooth found, what deposits does it derive from? Did it indeed come out for the Kimmeridge Clay, or did it come from either Oxford Clay or Hamstead Beds? Does this correlate with the traces of matrix seen on the tooth? Considering the geological origin of the tooth, is it more likely to be crocodilian or pliosaurian? Is the species attribution correct? That is, if crocodilian, is this indeed a Diplocynodon tooth? And if it were pliosaurian, does it belong to S. vorax or L. ferox? Thanks for your help! @paulgdls @PointyKnight @DE&i @RuMert @Jesuslover340 @caterpillar

Just purchased this crocodile skull piece from the Kem Kem, Morocco, I love the bone structure of this piece. I guess it's difficult, but can anyone maybe ID what part of the skull this came from? Size is 10.1 cm (3.98")

Found on Holden Beach, North Carolina. If you need certain measurements let me know, thank you.

These are sold as Elosuchus osteoderms from the Kem Kem, Morocco. I have seen a lot of crocodile osteoderms, but never this huge. Can they really get this big and are these actually osteoderms or are these parts of the crocodile skull? #1 Length: 21.1 cm (8.31") Width: 7.6 cm (2.99")

I purchased this rooted Alligatoroid tooth measuring 2.54" which was found in the Blufftown Formation on the Chattahoochee River in Stewart County, Georgia. I've been told it is a Deinosuchus schwimmeri tooth, and after some basic searching, it seems like a positive conclusion. However, I'm hoping some more knowledgeable than myself can confirm this.

These are from multiple trips between 2022-2023. all from Calvert cliffs, each trip has something unique I would like assistance in identifying so for convenience's sake, I will refer to the items in alphabetical order relative to the numerical trip order. 1A 2B etc. Trip 1 1A pretty sure it is a crocodile tooth, Thecachampsa sp? 1B this is a bone that i found on the beach, im not sure if it's a cetacean atlas or skull fragment. but it's got this weird hole in it on one side. 1C clearly a cetacean vert. probably a juvie dolphin. i think so bc it doesn't have any fused epiphysis. id like to know what part of the spine this would have been on the animal. 1D maybe the wing of a vert? 1E is this anything? or just concretion 1F biggest fossil I've found yet by far! this massive chunk of whale jawbone. I am going to make a separate post in fossil prep to see about the best ways to clean it. 1G maybe a rib? i believe its a bone of some sort. i need to paleobond this one back together. Trip 2 2A definetely a tooth of some sort. not sure if its a croc or a cetacean since the enamel is worn 2B maybe a rib? or vert wing? 2C I think this might be a turtle shell, because its texture is not pronounced enough to be a cookie fragment. 2D maybe a skate osteoderm? 2E 2F 2G Sand tiger shark 2H crab claw with some sort of borehole? any other comments or ideas are as always, appreciated!

Hi all, Bought this tooth online a while back. It was sold to me as "Ichthyosaurus platyodon" (which I understand to mean Temnodontosaurus platyodon) from Lyme Regis. Likely found by the seller themselves, as I know they occasionally collect fossils there. However, for the following reasons, I'm not sure about this attribution: Overall, the tooth doesn't look like your typical ichthyosaur tooth to me: It has more of an oval rather than round cross-section It's labolingually flattened Messial and distal carinae run the full length of the crown and divide the tooth into labial and lingual parts While fine striations can be seen on one side of the tooth (presumably the lingual side), the other side (which would be the labial) seems entirely smooth - though some traces of rare striations can be seen on the photographs The striations are much more similar to those of crocodile or pliosaur teeth than to the plicidentine condition so typical of ichthyosaurs The horizontal banding on the tooth surface is unfamiliar to me with respect to most marine reptile teeth I have seen, but occurs much more frequently on crocodile teeth of various species I also bought another tooth with the same attribution from the seller, more or less around the same time. This one has no striations whatsoever, has a more rounded base, is less flattened and has a more rounded tip. It also has carinae. I therefore reclassified it as a probable Goniopholis sp. crocodile tooth. Now I know that not having the root makes it more difficult to identify this particular specimen, but I was hoping someone on this forum might be able to help me, as currently it goes without label. I've considered crocodile, plesiosaur and even pliosaur, but all of these have some reservations that prevent final classification. For one, none of these groups have teeth that are typically flattened like this, nor do plesiosaurs (sensu lato, thus including pliosaurs) have carinae. Crocodiles, then again, would either have or not have striations all around the tooth. And what to make of the banding: is this just preservational, or does it reflect the internal structure of the tooth - i.e. outcome of the tooth's ontological growth? Tooth measures 18 mm and is missing the tip. Thanks in advance for your help!