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Found 15 results
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From the album: My Echinoid Collection
Weisbordella cubae Ocala Limestone Priabonian Age, Late Eocene (37-33 Ma) Ocala, Marion County, Florida, USA Acquired from online, August 2023-
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- echinoid
- echinoidea
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From the album: My Echinoid Collection
Neolaganum durhami Ocala Limestone Priabonian Age, Late Eocene (37-33 Ma) Ocala, Marion County, Florida, USA Acquired from online, August 2023 -
Please help. Are these occipitals of a Protosiren? They were collected from the Crystal River in Ocala by a diver. I've had them for years. Now I'm wondering if I'm lucky enough to have two specimens of a super rare sirenian.
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- crystal river florida
- dugong
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Anyone know of any good North-Central Florida Fossil Hunting Locations?
Meganeura posted a topic in General Fossil Discussion
So, going to my Mother-In-Law's next weekend - she wants to go fossil hunting, but near her, which is in Lake County, Florida. Diving isn't an option - but sifting with shovels is, so anyone know if any areas around Ocala (Gainesville is a tad too far) that are good? Not asking for specific spots, but general areas/rivers! Thanks in advance! -
Has anyone ever has success in Volusia county? I know the st. John's has many creeks and streams that run off of it. I'm really curious about these areas, I just dont know where I have access to. Any guidance is helpful!
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From the album: Marine reptiles and mammals
Side view of vertebra, displaying missing piece see 1st picture for information -
From the album: Marine reptiles and mammals
View of damaged surface see 1st picture for information -
From the album: Marine reptiles and mammals
See first picture for information -
From the album: Marine reptiles and mammals
Vertebrae damaged during or before fossilization, from a basilosauridae. Found in Albany, GA, in the Ocala limestone formation, an Eocene deposit laid down by the swannee current between about 34-56 mya. The exact species is possibly still up in the air, since it is been suggested that it is something other than the original ID. We're still looking into the possibilities. Found in Georgia, so that limits the possibilities, but still leaves open a number of basilosauridae, including some dorudontinae such as Zygorhiza. Zygorhiza, which is what it was originally supposed to be, is iffy since it hasn't officially ever been found in GA, but I don't think that means it hasn't, doesn't that just mean it hasn't been found by scientific authorities, or confirmed by such? it seems however, that the person who ID'd it as Zygorhiza was Professor Mark Uhen, who I guess is an authority on the subject, but as before, they're not supposed to be found in GA. Another possibility from a different authority on the subject has ID'd it as Cynthiacetus, which I personally would prefer, but sadly that doesn't have any impact in the matter:( -
I've written trip reports before about volunteering with the Florida Museum of Natural History (FLMNH) at their various dig sites in Florida. The currently (very) active site is called Montbrook for a small town that used to be in the area (but is no more). Here are a few links from FLMNH which provide some contextual information about the site: https://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/museum-voices/montbrook/ https://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/florida-vertebrate-fossils/sites/mont/ https://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/museum-voices/montbrook/2016/09/07/why-montbrook/ The site has yielded an impressive number of specimens and is very important scientifically as it provides the best view of Florida fauna from the late Hemphillian (Hh4) North American Land Mammal Age (NALMA) from approximately 5.5-5.0 mya. The other significant locality for this age is the Palmetto Fauna a couple hundred miles south of the Montbrook site. More info here for those interested in the stratigraphy: https://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/florida-vertebrate-fossils/land-mammal-ages/hemphillian/ https://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/florida-vertebrate-fossils/sites/palmetto-fauna/ Here is a link to my Montbrook posting from 2016 showing the couple of times I managed to get out there--the last time with TFF members Daniel @calhounensis and John-Michael @Brown Bear: http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/63056-volunteer-dig-with-the-flmnh/ Now, enough of the links and time for a few pictures! The Montbrook site has changed quite a bit over the last year since I've been able to get out there. We had plans to return to Montbrook last October but Hurricane Matthew was an uninvited guest to Florida that week and the dig site was tarped down and the dig cancelled. Thankfully, the hurricane left my house untouched (didn't really even get rain or wind of note) and didn't mess-up the Montbrook site but we did miss an opportunity for one last trip to Montbrook in 2016. When we returned in February 2017 it took some time to get my bearings. The deeper pit to the east where several gomphothere skulls, tusks and long bones had been removed did not weather the rainy season well. This section has been backfilled with about 5 feet of sand and clay from the higher levels during the summer rain storms. For now they will concentrate digging on the main pit to the west and hope to get back to the lower "elephant" layer some time in the future--though the prep work to remove the overburden and get back to the original level will be significant. So much material has been moved from the upper western dig area that it was hard to picture exactly where we had dug nearly a year ago. I'm still not quite sure where we were in 2016 as the site has evolved greatly since our last visit. On Thursday and Friday there were mostly just a few volunteers who could make it to the site on weekdays--mainly retired folks or those with flexible schedules like us who could volunteer during the week. On Saturday there were a lot more volunteers and the dig site became a bit more crowded so you had to be aware of others digging sometimes in the grid square adjacent to yours. Here are some overall site photos I took on Saturday and you can see the line-up of cars that brought a full capacity of volunteers.
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Florida Museum of Natural History volunteer opportunities
digit posted a topic in General Fossil Discussion
The Florida Museum of Natural History (FLMNH) at Gainesville, FL has announced the schedule of digging at the new Montbrook site near Ocala, FL. This is a great opportunity for volunteers to assist in excavating this site alongside representatives from FLMNH who are very knowledgeable in the types of fossils found at the site. I've volunteered for FLMNH digs several times in the past couple of years and always found it a rewarding experience. I managed to make it out twice to the new Montbrook site before the site was closed-up for the summer (heat and rains). The new dig season will kick-off October 1 and run through December 18 (and after a holiday break will run through May 2017). This site is on private property and the museum is eager to pull as much fossil material from this important site as possible as soon as possible as they don't have the luxury of owning the site like they do with the Thomas Farm site. So far the owner of this new site has been very gracious and accommodating in letting FLMNH retrieve many important fossils from the site and seem to be willing to let the dig continue (but you never know how things could change). As this is a volunteer dig for the museum, all fossils get bagged (or jacketed) and go back into the museum's collection. You will be listed as the collector on record for all of the specimens that are accessioned into the museum's permanent collection. A great way to contribute to the knowledge of the Florida fossil record from the late Hemphillian (~5.5-5.0 mya) and learn a lot while doing so. Check out the links below for a more detailed description of the site and a the schedule and application form to submit (if you haven't volunteered with FLMNH before). If you want to dig on an important fossil-rich site in northern Florida don't let this opportunity pass you by. Plenty of dates over the next 8 months so pick a date if you are local or plan a trip if you are coming in from out of state. Trust me--it'll be an experience you'll long remember. http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/florida-vertebrate-fossils/sites/mont/ http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/vertpaleo/volunteering/field/ Cheers. -Ken (Photo shamelessly stolen from the FLMNH page on Montbrook--don't think they'll mind.)
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I recently moved to Ocala, Florida and I've been enjoying fossil hunting right in my neighborhood. I've learned a lot by reading these forums, and studying up on Florida's geologic history. This one has me stumped. There are well- defined layers and concentric circles at two corner of this rock. Any ideas ? Some parts of it are brittle, crumbly limestone. But some parts are quite hard and seem to have chert inclusions. ( I've seen a bunch of that around here. Beautiful ! )
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Hello ! First, I confess I have been lurking for months , I even posted a fossil ID question, so it's about time I introduce myself. I moved to Ocala, Florida about 6 months ago. Until then , I lived my entire life on Long Island ,NY (which is basically glacial deposits and not the most exciting place for a fan of minerals and fossils ) . I've been enjoying the forums, as well as reading up on Florida's geologic history, and living here I feel like an 8 year old kid again, going on walks and bringing home pocketfuls of stones that "may be this" or "look just like that ". Fossils in my backyard ? Awesome ! I'm in the process of getting my Fossil Hunting Permit . I look forward to being able to quest for vertebrate fossils someday. For now, I'm a true beginner and I don't know much yet ......so I will continue to rely on the expertise of people here and I will keep reading and keep picking up funny looking rocks ! Margaret
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From the album: Eocene echinoids from Yankeetown, Florida
Oysters growing on the echinoid. Size= 3.5" wide -
From the album: Eocene echinoids from Yankeetown, Florida
Size = 0.75" (20mm)
