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Showing results for tags 'north carolina'.
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A very nice Belemnite, uncommon at this site. At 83.7 mm or 3.29 inches, a fairly good sized one.
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Hello! I've been trying to identify some fossils from Aurora, North Carolina. My sister sent them to me, now that I have started collecting fossils again (after a LONG hiatus of 45+ years). Some I think I have done correctly, but corrections most welcome. I'm not too familiar with the fossils of this area OR Era. (Pennsylvanian fossils of Pennsylvania is what I have hunted/found). I've made the clearest photos I could (I am a bit shaky with the camera sometimes). Here are my attempts (and requests for help!) A: Sea Urchin Spine B: Lemon Shark Negaprion sp C (1,2,& 3): Tiger Shark - Galeocerdo (contortus?) D through J: Sand TIger Shark Tooth K: A tooth? A claw? I have no idea! L: Do not know M: Do not know N: Rootless Sand Tiger Shark tooth? O: I have no idea! P: A coral? Stromatolite? Q: I have no idea! R: Sponge Thank you for your attention. As I learn and study, I hope to be able to help in the future! I've been gathering books to study, and enjoy this subject very much! David Ruckser I have combined the photos into one; I can certainly upload individuals if needed.
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A nice Turritella. Not uncommon at this site, but rarely in such good shape.
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A nice Dentalium from a site where they are very common. Most a in very poor shape or crumble when touched.
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A nice slipper shell. Not a common find, especially in good shape. Forum Member MikeR has made the following notes on this sub-species in his gallery." Cambell, in his 1994 paper listed all spiny slipper shells as one of two sub species of B. aculeata. The subspecies ponderosa is inflated and can be variable in the amount of spines as stacked individuals will remove the spines of the one below them. Being the lifestyle is different from the extant B. aculeata, sub species ponderosa could be a different species." I agree with Mike's assessment of this, this should possibly be considered it's own species.
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I found this tiny tooth today looking through some matrix I had previously searched. I always search any matrix at least a second time after re-cleaning it. The matrix is from a Cretaceous river site here in North Carolina. The site is Black Creek Group, Bladen Formation. It is mainly marine, but many dinosaur teeth and bones are found there. My first thought was croc (Leidysuchus?), far posterior. But soemthing does not look right to me for it to be that. Looking for your thoughts. The tooth is 6.5 mm long, 4.9 mm wide and 4.1 mm tall. I apologize for the pics, my digital microscope is on the fritz. I edited these to try and get the best pictures I could.
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From the album: MY FOSSIL Collection - Dpaul7
Megalodon Shark Tooth Atlantic Ocean, Off the North Carolina Coast, USA Middle-Miocene to Pliocene (2.6-23 Million Years ago) Megalodon (Carcharocles megalodon), meaning "big tooth," is an extinct species of shark that lived approximately 23 to 2.6 million years ago (mya), during the Early Miocene to the end of the Pliocene. There has been some debate regarding the taxonomy of megalodon: some researchers argue that it is of the family Lamnidae, while others argue that it belongs to the family Otodontidae. Further, its genus placement is also debated, with authors placing it in either Carcharodon, Carcharias, Carcharocles, Megaselachus, Otodus, or Procarcharodon. The shark has made appearances in several works of fiction, such as the Discovery Channel's Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives. Scientists suggest that megalodon looked like a stockier version of the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), though it may have looked similar to the basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) or the sand tiger shark (Carcharias taurus). Regarded as one of the largest and most powerful fish to have ever lived, fossil remains of megalodon suggest that this giant shark reached a length of 18 meters (59 ft), though there are many other competing figures due to fragmentary remains; for example, 24 to 25 meters (79 to 82 ft). Their large jaws could exert a bite force of up to 110,000 to 180,000 newtons (25,000 to 40,000 lbf). Their teeth were thick and robust, built for grabbing prey and breaking bone. Megalodon probably had a profound impact on the structure of marine communities. The fossil record indicates that it had a cosmopolitan distribution. It probably targeted large prey, such as whales, seals, and giant turtles. Juveniles inhabited warm coastal waters where they would feed on fish and small whales. Unlike the great white which attacks prey from the soft underside, megalodon probably used its strong jaws to break through the chest cavity and puncture the heart and lungs of its prey. The animal faced competition from whale-eating cetaceans, such as Livyatan and killer whales (Orcinus orca), which likely contributed to its extinction. As it preferred warmer waters, it is thought that oceanic cooling associated with the onset of the ice ages, coupled with the lowering of sea levels and resulting loss of suitable nursing areas, may have also contributed to its decline. A reduction in the diversity of baleen whales and a shift in their distribution toward polar regions may have reduced megalodon's primary food source. The extinction of the shark appeared to affect other animals; for example, the size of baleen whales increased significantly after the shark had disappeared. Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Chondrichthyes Order: Lamniformes Family: †Otodontidae Genus: †Carcharocles Species: †C. megalodon -
From the album: MY FOSSIL Collection - Dpaul7
Megalodon Shark Tooth Atlantic Ocean, Off the North Carolina Coast, USA Middle-Miocene to Pliocene (2.6-23 Million Years ago) Megalodon (Carcharocles megalodon), meaning "big tooth," is an extinct species of shark that lived approximately 23 to 2.6 million years ago (mya), during the Early Miocene to the end of the Pliocene. There has been some debate regarding the taxonomy of megalodon: some researchers argue that it is of the family Lamnidae, while others argue that it belongs to the family Otodontidae. Further, its genus placement is also debated, with authors placing it in either Carcharodon, Carcharias, Carcharocles, Megaselachus, Otodus, or Procarcharodon. The shark has made appearances in several works of fiction, such as the Discovery Channel's Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives. Scientists suggest that megalodon looked like a stockier version of the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), though it may have looked similar to the basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) or the sand tiger shark (Carcharias taurus). Regarded as one of the largest and most powerful fish to have ever lived, fossil remains of megalodon suggest that this giant shark reached a length of 18 meters (59 ft), though there are many other competing figures due to fragmentary remains; for example, 24 to 25 meters (79 to 82 ft). Their large jaws could exert a bite force of up to 110,000 to 180,000 newtons (25,000 to 40,000 lbf). Their teeth were thick and robust, built for grabbing prey and breaking bone. Megalodon probably had a profound impact on the structure of marine communities. The fossil record indicates that it had a cosmopolitan distribution. It probably targeted large prey, such as whales, seals, and giant turtles. Juveniles inhabited warm coastal waters where they would feed on fish and small whales. Unlike the great white which attacks prey from the soft underside, megalodon probably used its strong jaws to break through the chest cavity and puncture the heart and lungs of its prey. The animal faced competition from whale-eating cetaceans, such as Livyatan and killer whales (Orcinus orca), which likely contributed to its extinction. As it preferred warmer waters, it is thought that oceanic cooling associated with the onset of the ice ages, coupled with the lowering of sea levels and resulting loss of suitable nursing areas, may have also contributed to its decline. A reduction in the diversity of baleen whales and a shift in their distribution toward polar regions may have reduced megalodon's primary food source. The extinction of the shark appeared to affect other animals; for example, the size of baleen whales increased significantly after the shark had disappeared. Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Chondrichthyes Order: Lamniformes Family: †Otodontidae Genus: †Carcharocles Species: †C. megalodon -
Bryzoans are difficult! Can someone at least help me with a genus? From Miocene times, from Aurora, North Carolina.
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A very uncommon find. Especially without it crumbling in your hand upon touching.
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A very nice limpet shell. These are very fragile and are most often found broken.
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An uncommon find for this site, to be double valved and in good condition. This specimen has the added feature of a bore hole from a boring clam most likely.
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A very nice little gastropod. The marl pit this came out of produces very well preserved gastropods and bivalves. An uncommon find, but not rare.
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This little clam, though rather common; is nice to find in great condition. This particular specimen is one of the nicer ones I have found in this location.
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This piece of turtle plastron was identified by Dr. Weems (an in hand look) as the sea turtle Carolinochelys wilsoni. I had been trying to I.D. it for a while before I was able to get it into his hands. It is about 1/4 of the plastron and this turtle is thought to possibly be the extinct ancestor of the modern loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta). C. wilsoni is the only species in the genus.
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Hello! I have tried looking this up and I can't figure it out. I was hoping someone could help. I found at wrightsville beach, NC. Thank you very much for taking the time to help! Karen
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Hey everyone, I'm looking for trip suggestions for this December. My wife and I recently had a little time free up and we have flight/hotel points to redeem. We'd prefer somewhere that's not super cold (we're from Colorado) but something that also has some fun things to do besides collecting, like hiking or exploring. I've been considering trips to NC, SC, or the Peace River. I'd love to hear from anyone who would have some suggestions for places where we can vacation and I can get out for a few afternoons to look for cool specimens. I'd be particularly interested in fish/shark tooth locations, but invertebrates would also be cool (especially ammonites, trilobites, etc). Let me know what you guys think - any suggestion is appreciated!
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This broad tooth mako (or broad tooth white shark) is near the max size for its species. It is a massive tooth, that at first glance when found, made me think it was a meg. But just for a moment. Most C. hastalis found are 2" or less. Whether you call this Carcharodon or Cosmopolitodus it is a desirable tooth and is currently thought to be the ancestor of the Great White Shark; Carcharodon carcharias.
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This complete metacarpal, a.k.a. cannon bone is an extremely rare find for North Carolina. Pleistocene mammals are uncommon and are mostly teeth. Being complete and undamaged it will be taking a prominent spot in my collection. The bone was found in a quarry containing mixed sediments of Pliocene Yorktown Formation, which is marine and a Pleistocene pebble lag. The odds are very very small that this would be from the Pliocene, so I am going on my gut feeling that this is from the Pleistocene. I also would like to send thanks to forum member @Fruitbat and @Harry Pristis for giving me a positive I.D. on this.
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I'm headed to a job out in Southport, NC and I haven't been on a good fossil search in a couple of years. I have been doing some research but I was just curious if anyone had any tips. Trying to stay close to Southport for a search but am willing to travel a little bit. Does anyone know any good spots for any fossils other than shark teeth? I'm more in to brachiopods and corals (I could just never get into the shark tooth scene). Thanks! Kelsey
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I have been told this bone is avian, probably miocene but could be pliocene. The striations are perplexing to me. From Aurora, NC. Ruler scale is in cm. I'd like to know what family it may belong to if possible
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I'm not sure what this is but it was found on the beach this summer in North Carolina. I thought it was a really strange color contrast. It might just be a shell but I thought I'd see if anyone had other ideas. It is smooth with no sharp edges. Thanks
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Hello, I thought I'd share a little bit about my first fossil collecting trip to Greens Mill Run creek, Greenville, NC. As you can see from the pictures, the highlight of the day was this good sized great white tooth, Carcharodon carcharias (correct me if I'm wrong on the ID)! I found it within the first 15 minutes of searching, in about the 5th shovel of material into the screen! Talk about motivation to keep looking! The rest of the search didn't turn up anything nearly as exciting but it was still a fun trip and I found lots of small teeth. Most were fragmented and so I only kept a handful of them. I also saw a lot of fossil bone fragments but nothing I felt was worth holding on too. I know there is more to be found in Greens Mill Run so I look forward to going back soon! On another note, my fossil adventure was almost cut short before it began after I came within a few inches of stepping on a copperhead snake as I was walking towards the creek! I don't have a huge fear of snakes but coming so close to a venomous one with my ankles and lower leg exposed was pretty scary! Luckily it didn't strike!
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From the album: Mitchu Fossils
Found a bunch of teeth from this site but this is the only one that had most of the root intact -
From the album: Mitchu Fossils
crown view of horse tooth
