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Heres a fun thread for those to show off their widest and fattest looking megalodon teeth fossils in thier collections. I'll set the tone with the widest fat boy in my collection, I don't have digital calipers but it measure roughly 5.4 inches wide by 6.1 inches long. When I close my hand together it looks even more monstrous. Share yours and join the wide boyclub Got the idea while thinking about what the widest megalodon tooth ever found measures, if anyone does know do share in this thread!

please can you help me identify this microfossil

About a year ago while researching early filter feeding whales of the Miocene-Pilocene eras (23-2.5 Million Years ago), I came across an interesting fossil record of the small whale genus Cetotherium from after the Pilocene. Note: By small, I mean small by plankton eating whale standards (4.5 meters (14.7 feet) in length). The record was of fossils of a Cetotherium sp. (of the family Cetotheriidae) from Pleistocene formations in Baku, Azerbaijan dating to the Calabrian, Pleistocene (1.8-0.8 Million Years ago). http://www.fossilworks.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?a=collectionSearch&taxon_no=36692&max_interval=Quaternary&country=Azerbaijan&is_real_user=1&basic=yes&type=view&match_subgenera=1 https://studylib.net/doc/7652725/the-finding-of--a-new-marine-mammal-in-the-ashperon-stage... I currently know of only know of one confirmed member of the family Cetotheriidae that lived during the Pleistocene, Herpetocetus (grew up to 4.5 meters (14.7 feet) in length). Image credit: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/zoj.12108 It's also worth mentioning that the discovery of the late Pliocene to at least early Pleistocene Herpetocetus species was accomplished by the forum member @Boesse in 2013. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236077474_Pleistocene_survival_of_an_archaic_dwarf_baleen_whale_Mysticeti_Cetotheriidae I'm wondering if this record of Cetotherium sp. In Pleistocene Azerbaijan is correct, what would it's implications be in the study of Pleistocene Aquatic Mammalian life of Central Asia (especially since the largest body of water around Baku (The Caspian Sea) has been landlocked since the Late Miocene 5.5 Million years ago and any possible whale species to have arrived and lived there until the early Pleistocene would have arrived at least right before 5.5 Million years ago)? How accurate this paper about the Pleistocene Cetotherium of the Caspian Sea is? Also, again if it is, then while the rest of the Cetotheriidae died out by the early Pliocene (3.6 Million Years ago) (the Pygmy Right Whales placement in the family is still debated), what were the external ecological conditions that allowed the supposed Pleistocene Cetotherium sp. and other members of it's family like the Herpetocetus sp. from the Falor Formation of Pleistocene California, US, to survive into the early Pleistocene?

I know that I went hunting yesterday. My neck and back muscles are screaming at me. We go to places we have visited before... In this case, some sort of coral reef or shell bed that was laid down , most likely in the Pliocene. Steve, who worked in the Phosphate mines said that there were 3 layers of shell beds in Bone Valley mines where he worked. Land mammal remains between the shell layers. In some locations, the Peace River has brought those layers close to the surface. I call this location wonderland. When ever I go there ... I wonder.. I wonder what layer I am finding.. Pliocene ? Miocene, whatever the 1st layer is... I wonder what process created what I see.... I went back in TFF to find that I have not revisited this location in more than 2 years. Back to the yesterday, A Barnacle.... This is solid rock... or blended silica with sand , mud , shell ..I wonder if the Barnacle "shell" filled with sand or mud and the silica transformed the whole thing to rock, sand mud , everything.. and I always wonder about the process details... Shells..... ..I wonder if we can identify the shells because that might tells us if there were Pliocene or Miocene.... I wonder about the process details... This is not hard fossilized rock like the barnacle... This is like mud rock,, that would break or crumble pretty easily So the shells existed on the bottom of the ocean, the ocean receded, Peace River brings in fresh water, somehow it is making mud-rock (which is common in many forms)... the shell sticks to the mud rock, then the silicification comes along changing the shells ,not the mud-rock., and the whole thing gets worn down until I pick it up.... Shell # 1 2nd Shell ..The rock weighs 40-50 pounds... a heavy item on the trip back in my kayak..Is this whole bivalve there ? Was this one transformed to Silica.... I wonder ... I also find botryoidal chalcedony, some bigger... some smaller. I think this formed in a "cave" in a echinoid sand dollar... Finally for those who appreciate more traditional Florida fossils, I found some of these also. Really like this tooth, it exihibits serrations with feeding damage and those CUSPS !!!... I wonder if if cusps on Megs is only true of Pliocene Megs. I am sad to say that it looks like the chipped the root on recovery. I guess what it comes down to is I am a wondering kind of guy....Enjoy

Recently went an area known for pleistocene and pliocene material in North Carolina. Stumbled upon what has me wondering is either a tusk or a tooth of some kind. I did find mammoth material there, but never a tusk. But because there's also pliocene, not sure if it's something from then. Would love to know what you all think

Hi guys if anyone has a good resource for identifying these Florida shells it would be greatly appreciated in the meantime, here are a few for identification. 1.Arcinella cornuta 2. another Arcinella cornuta? 3. some pecten I’m not sure on species 4. Conus not sure on species 5. not sure 6 same as 5 7. Unsure 8. Balanus concavus?

The Chondricthyans (including the sharks and rays) have been around and keeping the ocean's ecosystems healthy for about 420 Million Years. Today, in celebration of this, I've decided to do a little fun post and list the eight times in Earth's history truly massive chondricthyans have emerged. Hope you all enjoy!!! The First is the Devonian, where there is at least one confirmed fossil (CMNH 5238) of a large currently unnamed Ctenacanthiform shark that reached lengths of 4.2-5 meters (13-16 feet) in length. https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/3/318 The Second is the Mississippian stage of the Carboniferous (358.9-323.2 Million Years ago), a golden age for chondricthyans. The Early Carboniferous saw the emergence of Giant Ctenacanthiform sharks like Saivodus striatus, which grew up to 10-11 meters (32-36 feet) in length. https://www.uky.edu/KGS/fossils/fossil-of-the-month_2022-07_Saivodus.php https://www.uky.edu/KGS/fossils/fossil-of-the-month_2022-07_how-big.php https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/fossils-of-the-2023-national-fossil-day-artwork.htm The Third is the Pennsylvanian stage of the Carboniferous (323.2-298.9 Million Years ago). Like the Mississippian, the Pennsylvanian was also a golden stage for Chondricthyans where large Ctenacanthiforms continued to thrive and large Eugeneodontida edestoids like Edestus (which could grow up to 6.7 meters (22 feet) in length) emerged. Large Ctenacanthiforms from this time include the unnamed Graham Formation Gilkmanius sp., which grew up to 7 meters (22 feet) in length. https://bioone.org/journals/journal-of-vertebrate-paleontology/volume-37/issue-3/02724634.2017.1325369/A-Pennsylvanian-Supershark-from-Texas/10.1080/02724634.2017.1325369.short The Fourth is the Permian (298-252 Million years ago). There were some large sharks, like the Ctenacanthiform Kaibabvenator (which grew up to 4.8-5.48 meters (16-18 feet) in length). But Eugeneodontida by this point contained the largest Chondricthyans alive at this time including Helicoprion (which grew up to 7.6 meters (25 feet) in length) and Parahelicoprion (which could grow up to 12 meters (36 feet) in length). https://www.academia.edu/29941296/Chondrichthyan_and_actinopterygian_remains_from_theLower_Permian_Copacabana_Formation_of_Bolivia https://doi.org/10.1002%2Far.24046 The Fifth is the Early Cretaceous (145-100 Million Years ago). Though the time's aquatic ecosystems was dominated by large marine reptiles, large sharks managed to emerge and fill ecological niches from time to time. This includes the Early Cretaceous Shark Leptostyrax, which grew up to 6.3 meters (20 feet) in length. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/277782424_A_Gigantic_Shark_from_the_Lower_Cretaceous_Duck_Creek_Formation_of_Texas The Sixth is the Late Cretaceous (100-66 Million years ago). Aquatic ecosystems still were dominated by marine reptiles, but large sharks were indeed present. This includes Cretodus crassidens (which grew up to 9-11 meters (29-36 meters) in length) and Ptychodus (which grew up to 10 meters (32 feet) in length). https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0231544 https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-paleontology/article/morphology-and-paleobiology-of-the-late-cretaceous-largesized-shark-cretodus-crassidens-dixon-1850-neoselachii-lamniformes/A670012A44DDC68FC098BB8C73368408 The seventh is the Miocene-Early Pilocene (23-3.6 Million Years ago). This period saw the rise and reign of some of the largest sharks known currently in the fossil record, including Carcharocles (Otodus) megalodon (which grew up to 17 meters (55 feet) in length). https://www.uv.es/everlab/PUBLICACIONES/2017/2017 Martinez-Perez et al HB miocene sharks.pdf https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abl6529 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9385135/ The eighth is the Early Pliocene-Late Pleistocene (3.6-0.012 Million Years ago). This period saw the last remnants of the large 20 foot + in size carnivorous sharks from the Miocene-Pilocene mega shark era not including the non-Great White shark (Carcharodon carcharias) and not including the large plankton eating sharks make their final stand. These include Hemipristis serra (which grew up to 6 meters (20 feet) in length) and Parotodus benedeni (which grew up to 7.6 meters (24 feet) in length). https://www.app.pan.pl/archive/published/app63/app004542018.pdf https://www.researchgate.net/publication/364591134_A_previously_overlooked_highly_diverse_early_Pleistocene_elasmobranch_assemblage_from_southern_Taiwan https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/paleobiology/article/chondrichthyan-fossil-record-of-the-florida-platform-eocenepleistocene/2835CCEC27DC8EE0B24A5B62B1416618 I hope this is helpful?

3 hour hunt Saturday morning. The sun was brutal. On the walk back to the cars with half full buckets, stopped 6 times I love this hobby Saw 4 friends who all were much more interested in Shells, echinoderms, corals than the fossils I normally find. It was good to get together and talk about fossils I used to hunt and occasionally do now. Note on this last photo, the tiny murex. You have to be careful. Lots of little shells are washed out of the mud and crevices of larger shells. In the early afternoon, after sitting in air conditioned pickup truck, drink ice water, and soothing my back, I drove to the Peace River. I had not brought swim shorts, so I stripped down to my blue genes and went swimming for an hour. Pure heaven... I have a lot of work ahead.. Some of these I know but not the majority.. and even the ones I know like the large Apple Murex in my hand might have a different name back in the Pliocene_Pleistocene. Enjoy.

Hello! For the 'erfgoeddag' here in Belgium the Natural History Museum Boekenberg (where I volunteer) organised a talk about whale and dolphin fossils by Mark Bosselaers. I came to listen to the talk and I also bought some small fossils. Here are some pictures from the museum.

I have this piece from Central Indiana (Generally the Mississippian or Tertiary/Quatemary). What I find fascinating is that it appears to be a nasal cavity. I’m not sure if it’s coincidence or something of actual interest. I took quite a few pictures some with stronger flash so you can see the difference in the different light.

I went out hunting today, needed the exercise. Predicted afternoon showers, but warm and sunny all morning. I was doing pretty well, constant finds of Bull, Dusky, Tiger shark teeth, mixed with Osteoderms from Alligator, Armadillo, Glyptodon. About 1:30, getting ready to kayak back to my truck in order to beat the rains, I saw something that I did not recognize in the sieve. xx I turned it over and over trying to figure out what it might be... When I saw this next edge, I thought I knew... But maybe I was incorrect. What do you think it is... But I am running out of time.... I spotted a VERY small tooth, complete with roots.... I have a guess but I see what others think. Then a 1st timer for me... and one of my favorites, a Cetacean ear bone and a big one at that... These were all in the same sieve... along with a couple of shark teeth and a large Gar Fish scale... Really fortunate... I left after this sieve because I knew the next sieve likely would not be as good, and if I kept digging, I would get drenched....

I have not been out hunting enough, which has me looking at old TFF threads. I posted this canine 5 years ago in FosslID , but did not get much feedback and it faded without me learning much about it. Originally, I thought Alligator, because of the hollow root. but it did not have a horizontal edge between enamel and root, and the root was not an oval shape. Then I considered Dire wolf, because of the shape of the enamel, and the shaped carina down the side. I wondered at that time if the tooth was unerupted. I have never found/identified a Dire Wolf fossil from this site. Finally, because of the serrations ??, I thought Sabercat. The serrations are not clear, the root is oval... Please tell me what you think it is, and what you think it is not... I'd rather not have another 5 years go by... wondering.