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Had to take a day off from work to take advantage of a day without rain. There were mushrooms all over the forest. Some finds would have been better if not broken.

I found this shark tooth a few weeks ago along the Calvert Cliffs (Miocene exposure) in Maryland and categorized it as Carcharodon hastalis. Looking at it again, I think it's perhaps Isurus desori. However, while I know C. hastalis can sometimes have cusplets, I'm not sure if that's true for I. desori. What do you think? Was my C. hastalis ID correct or would you label this one I. desori or something else? Whatever you think the correct ID is, if you could help point me to what you see as the defining characteristics, that would be great as well. Thank you!

Hi All! I'm camping in the Chesapeake area of Southern Maryland and am trying to plan out a little Calvert Cliffs trip. It seems like COVID has closed off almost all the access points to the Cliffs except for Matoaka and Calvert Cliffs State Park--a bummer, but I'm new to this so it will take very little to make me happy... Should I take my kayak? I've never been to either location but saw that the hike from parking to the beach area at the state park is 1.8 miles, so I'd hate to get the kayak all the way down there and find out I didn't need it after all. Any general advice would be most welcome too. Thanks!

I found this small fossil along the Calvert Cliffs (Miocene exposure) in Maryland. My first thought was a jaw bone with teeth, but my working hypothesis now is that it's a very worn cow shark tooth (Notorynchus sp.). What do you think?

I found this along the Calvert Cliffs (Miocene exposure) in Maryland. The root shape doesn't look right to me for Carcharodon hastalis, though I could be wrong on that. Is it perhaps an Isurus desori?

I’ve recently bought some fossil shark teeth online to expand my collection beyond the local Maryland fauna (Miocene from the Calvert Cliffs and Paleocene from the Potomac River/Aquia Formation), and it occurred to me that perhaps there are some forum members who would be interested in sharing some of your finds or extras in exchange for mine. The things I have to offer are shown below—mostly fossil shark teeth and a few other things. These aren’t all perfect, but there’s a good variety, including some less common species. I’ve collected most of these myself and have also listed a few purchased teeth for trade. If there’s something that interests you, hopefully we can help each other build out our respective collections. I have particular interest in adding Ptychodus sp. and Cretodus sp. teeth from the Cretaceous to my collection, but I’m open to a broad range of offers. U.S. trades are likely easiest for shipping, but I’m happy to consider international offers too. Thanks for looking! Quick summary of shark teeth available for trade by species (also see photos below): Miocene from Calvert Cliffs - Alopias latidens (2), Carcharhinus sp. (5+), Carcharodon hastalis (1), Galeocerdo aduncus (2), Hemipristis serra (4), Negaprion eurybathrodono (5), Notorynchus cepedianus (1), and Physogaleus contortus (4) Paleocene from Potomac River/Aquia Formation - Anomotodon novus (2), Cretalamna appendiculata (2), Palaeohypotodus rutoti (3), Paraorthacodus clarkii (1), Striatolamia striata (4+), and unidentified sand tigers (4+) Miocene-Pliocene from Purchases - Carcharocles megalodon (1), Carcharodon hastalis (2) I. Shark Teeth Available for Trade A. Miocene shark teeth from the Calvert Cliffs (unless otherwise noted): Alopias latidens (thresher shark) - both pending Carcharhinus sp. (gray sharks) – I also have others available. The tooth on the far right is from a Miocene exposure in Virginia (Westmoreland State Park). Carcharodon hastalis (white shark, predecessor to the great white) Galeocerdo aduncus (tiger shark) – The smaller tooth on the right is from a Miocene exposure in Virginia (Westmoreland State Park). Hemipristis serra (snaggletooth shark) - tooth A is pending Negaprion eurybathrodono (lemon shark) Notorynchus cepedianus? (sevengill cow shark) – This is most likely N. cepedianus though it’s a partial so I don’t know if it can be definitively ID’ed. Physogaleus contortus (tiger-like shark) B. Paleocene shark teeth from the Potomac River/Aquia Formation: ** I’ve done my best to identify the various sand tiger shark teeth below, but I may have made some mistakes. Anomotodon novus (goblin shark) - both are pending (though I also have others) Cretalamna appendiculata (mackerel shark) - tooth B is pending Palaeohypotodus rutoti (sand tiger shark) – I am pretty sure these are all P. rutoti due to the presence of basio-labial folds (see this elasmo.com page), but I could be wrong. Paraorthacodus clarkii (no common name shark) - tooth is pending Striatolamia striata (sand tiger shark) – I have others available too. - teeth A and D are pending Other non-striated sand tiger shark teeth – I’m unsure of the species on these; some may be Hypotodus verticalis. I have others available too. - tooth C is pending C. Purchased shark teeth available for trade: Carcharocles megalodon – This tooth was collected by a diver from the St. John’s River in Florida and measures a little over 2.75” slant height. I believe these are both Carcharodon hastalis – They are from an estate sale and their original collection location is unknown. They measure 1.7” and 1.2” slant height, respectively. II. Other Fossils Available for Trade A. Miocene from the Calvert Cliffs: Ecphora gardnerae? (gastropod) – If this is E. gardnerae, it’s also Maryland’s state fossil. Drum fish teeth Ray crushing plate fragments – The two v-shaped ones on the left are Aetomylaeus sp. and the other two may be as well. I have others available too. - plate B is pending Fossil corral – I believe these are Astrhelia palmata. I have others available too. Fossil sand dollar fragments – I have others available too. B. Paleocene from the Potomac River/Aquia Formation: Ray crushing plate fragments – I have others available too. Turritella sp. steinkerns/casts – I have others available too.

Hello! Last time I was here I posted about 50 pieces of barnacle which I thought were teeth. Good news is, this time I actually have teeth! I sent these in to another fossil ID place, and they identified a few of my teeth as possible lemon shark, and the 8th from the left as a possible C. hastalis. If anyone can help identify more specifically what sharks the teeth came from I'd really appreciate it!! Also, the big brown fragment on the far right in these pictures they identified as some kind of bone fragment- maybe it's a long shot but do any of you know what it could have come from??? I'm really curious about that one now. (Ignore the second and third from the right. They aren't interesting.) I can post more pics if needed.

I found the tooth below on a beach along the Calvert Cliffs (Miocene exposure) in Maryland this morning. Any idea what it came from? It looks like some kind of mammal tooth to me though it's missing the root. I'm not sure whether it's a fossil or modern. Thanks!

Found this on a recent trip to purse state park, tried to look online for similar teeth or bone and no luck. I’ve seen something similar before on the forum but for the life of my can’t remember where or what it was. Thanks!

Spent the morning hunting. The water level was ridiculously high. A little friendly green snake was on the trail.

Fish tooth from Douglas Point, MD. 3mm Not shiny like Drum Fish.

Is this fossil from the Calvert Cliffs a ray barb fragment, or something else entirely? It measures 1/3 of an inch as far as it's size goes. Thanks for any suggestions regarding it's identity.

Here are two vertebrae that I've found at Calvert Cliffs sites (Miocene exposures) in Maryland in recent weeks. The first I also included in a recent trip report, but am posting it separately here along with some better pictures. Any idea what kind of animal this came from? My first thought was a cetacean/dolphin based on the oval part of the photo in the upper right (which looks sort of like the epiphysis attachment point--though that's probably not the correct term--on another but otherwise different looking cetacean/dolphin vert I found). However, I haven't yet found pictures of any similar verts to this one online. The second vert below I found a few weeks back. I think it may be from a fish but would appreciate confirmation or correction of that. I had trouble getting clear photos of the top (looking down at the "ears") and bottom, but can try again if needed/helpful. It doesn't look to me like there are broken processes on the bottom side but I could be wrong. Thanks for any help with these!

Hi everyone, I'm buying some shark teeth from someone who hunted a bunch of them in Maryland - I would assume Calvert Cliffs. I'm looking for Isurus oxyrinchus - short-finned mako. Could anyone please confirm if 30 in this image is Isurus oxyrinchus? For reference, each square is 1.5" x 1.5". Also, is anyone able to identify 40? I would say Snaggletooth, but it doesn't appear to be serrated.

A few of the small shark teeth from today. Too many to take a pic of all. My favorite is the nurse.

Hello, I’m new to this forum but have enjoyed fossil collecting for quite some time. Just today my son and I went to Calvert Cliffs. While I didn’t do well with teeth, we found this which I was unable to identify. I was hoping someone might be able to give me an idea of what this might be. Thanks in advance for your time!

Hello again fossil gurus! I went to per state park again today and found over 80 shark teeth and shark tooth fragments! It was really great. I also found these three little bits which I thought were intriguing, particularly the middle one. Is it a bone fragment!? I apologize for the picture with my hand, but it was the one that seem to catch the texture inside the best. Any ideas on what the others are? They were all found near the waters edge. Thanks so much!

Hi all, I'm hoping some of the resident experts here can help confirm or correct my IDs of the three fossil shark teeth and what I believe is a cetacean lumbar vert shown in the pictures below. I found these recently on a beach along the Calvert Cliffs in Maryland (Miocene exposure). Thanks for your help! For the shark teeth, I believe the the two on the left are both Carcharodon hastalis (though am more confident in my ID for #1) while the one on the right is possibly Isurus oxyrinchus though may also be Carcharias sp. All three have worn roots so I realize that may complicate the IDs. See pictures further below for scale bars and labial and side views of these. From pictures online, I believe this is a cetacean lumbar vertebra. The "bumpy" surface in the two lefthand photos also signifies that the epiphysis is missing, and thus this came from a juvenile, correct? Is it possible to further identify this as from a particular species or genus? Thanks in advance for your help!

Found both of these teeth today while out on the Chesapeake Bay. Would’ve come from the Calvert formation. I’m believe the second tooth is a chunk of a small megalodon based on the serrations and root of it, first tooth I am not sure on. Both teeth are approximately 2 1/3 cm. Thank you!

I found a nice exposure of the Arundel Clay recently. For those who don't know, the Arundel is an early Cretaceous unit known for it's dinosaur, plant, and other fossils, and is the only source of early Cretaceous dinosaurs east of the Mississippi River. I've been hitting the sites a fair bit over the past several weeks, finding a lot of really nice lignified and fossil wood and even some leaf imprints, amber, and what might be the imprint of a piece of bone or shell in a lump of clay. However, I recently found this specimen which has perplexed me. To start off; I'm fairly certain these are fossils. I just can't tell what of. They look similar to petrified wood, however I have not seen such fossilization of the other wood fossils from this site (or elsewhere from this unit). It appears to be silicified/agatized. I know dinosaur remains have been claimed to have been found near this site, including pieces of a leg bone that the finder originally mistook for wood (I can't verify if that's true or not, however). The Arundel is also well known as a dinosaur bearing unit, however I haven't heard/seen of agatized remains from it. After a quick search online it is possible, and my specimen at least bears a superficial resemblance to pieces of agatized bone from the Morrison Formation. Unfortunately my piece is too weathered to really see any features typical of bone in cross section, like a "sponge texture" or "webbing." Along the edge of the piece there is a bumpy, almost crystalline (for lack of a better word) texture, but nothing specific. I've included an image of a typical fossil wood specimen from this locality to compare this piece with the fossil wood.

Some tiny teeth from Douglas Point, Maryland today.

Hello there fossil experts! I'm a total newbie and just went on my first fossil hunt --a couple hours at Purse State Park. I found a bunch (like 60!) shark teeth, mostly tiny but i'm still thrilled. But i also found some things that look like fossil shells, and one thing that looks like fossil scales, that i was hoping you could help me ID. The first picture is what looked to me like fossil shells, but are they? are there fossil shells at purse state park? most of the online discussion of finds there seems to be of teeth, rays, and mouth plates and doesn't mention shells so i wasn't sure. They were mostly found about halfway between the water's edge and the cliffs. the things in the second picture (with two large items) were found basically at the water's edge. Are these fossils? if so, what are they? i thought the one on the left sort of looked like underbelly scales. I also found two small mystery objects which are in picture 2, below the tape measure. Any ideas what these are? they are smooth and seem heavy. Thank you so much!

It's been awhile since I've posted...but the good news is that I've been able to make many trips to Calvert Cliffs since my last post. Yesterday was my most recent trip down. The predicted tide and swell forecast looked good and I had visions of megs dancing in my head during the 2.5 hour trip down. I arrived by 6am and after a nice nature walk I was beach-side by 6:30. The tide was high as it usually is during the summer, but it never really went down at low tide (~11:00). That being said, there was very little beach to search and not much being kicked up. However, it was great weather and I spent about 6 hours enjoying the Chesapeake Bay before I called it a day (I usually stay until 5:00ish, but with no beach to search I decided to skip the traffic jam on 695 that is inevitable between 4:00-7:00). I found about 50 small teeth, some bay glass, half a cookie, and saved a few fish & horse crabs. My find of the day and total trip maker is below. Besides some large (for the area) meg frags, it is my largest tooth to date. I couldn't believe it when I saw it sitting along the high tide line, and even forgot my phone in the water when I examined it after snapping a few pics and filming an uncovering video (thank goodness for waterproof cases). Anyway, below are a few pics as found, unearthed, and dried. Although I didn't score any megs, it was a great day to enjoy nature by myself without seeing another person other than a family on a boat that anchored and was enjoying the bay themselves. Any help on ID and scarcity would be great. I'm thinking either lower isurus oxyrinchus/desori (mako), carcharodon hastalis, or possibly carcharodon plicatilis. The exposed formations at this location are Calvert and Choptank, with possible wash from St. Marys.

Hi all, I was wondering if this is an otodus obliquus tooth? TIA