Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'purse state park'.
-
I’m down in southern Maryland for the weekend. With the blowout storms earlier today, would Purse State Park or Flag Ponds State Park be better hunting tomorrow morning?
- 4 replies
-
- cenozoic
- flag ponds nature park
-
(and 1 more)
Tagged with:
-
Greetings everyone, I have finally had a chance to sort through my Aquia Formation material and to put proper labels to these specimens. Although I have hunted at Purse State Park and Douglas Point several times, I have not done much in the way of identifying specimens and am quite new when it comes to this area. Responses to a previous post in which I sought identification of some specimens has been quite helpful, and hopefully my tentative identifications of this batch are more accurate than before. All specimens came from the Douglas Point area and I have used Elasmo as my primary reference for tentative shark tooth identification. I extend my gratitude to all who view this post and help with pinpointing accurate IDs for these pieces! I will tag a few members who are knowledgeable in this area: @MarcoSr @Al Dente @bthemoose @cck @Bjohn170. A Specimens: All of the specimens pictured above, which for convenience I will refer to as '1a-49a', seem to be Striatolamia sp. If sharper images are needed or if photographs of individual specimens would be helpful, I would be glad to provide some. B Specimens: I cannot say for sure what these teeth belong to. They - or some of them - could very well be Striatolamia sp., but I felt inclined to tentatively label them as Hypotodus verticalis. C Specimens: These all appear to be myliobatid dental plates. Can a more specific identification be given for any of the above specimens or should they simply be labeled as myliobatid? D Specimens: 1c and 3c very closely resemble crocodilian teeth and I have placed 2c along with the others due to the striations on its surface. I have heard that Eosuchus minor is known from the Aquia Formation along with another species of crocodile. Are there any diagnostic characteristics that would allow these teeth to be attributed to a specific crocodilian? Specimen E: This tooth looked quite different from any others that I have included in previous photographs. I have tentatively identified specimen E as Odontaspis winkleri due to the double cusps but I have a low level of confidence in this ID. Specimen F: Appears to be either a ray or chimera fin spine. I recall having come across a post in which @MarcoSr identified a similar specimen as pertaining to a ray rather than a chimera. Specimen G: A possible bony fish element? I do not know if a more specific identification can be given. Specimen H: Pyconodont fish mouth plate? Specimen I: A very small yet curious piece that I found while sifting with a very fine screen. I am unsure whether this is a fossil or whether it is simply a geologic oddity. Specimen J: Fish jaw section?
- 3 replies
-
- 1
-
- aquia formation
- charles county
- (and 4 more)
-
Here are some of the cool things I have found over the years!
- 5 replies
-
- collection
- edisto beach
- (and 8 more)
-
Hello everyone, this is my first attempt at writing up a fossil hunting trip. I meant to write this shortly after my trip to the river (which was about three weeks ago), but as I'm sure you know all too well, life often gets in the way. I had been itching to get back to fossiling since my last trip out in October, and, having visited Purse State Park on many occasions before, I figured that it would be a great place for the first fossil hunt of the new year. After seeing the yields from some other recent trips to the Aquia, I had high hopes that I might score my first Otodus. Following a long drive and some unexpected setbacks, I managed to reach the beach with about an hour and a half of daylight left to hunt. Due to arriving later than I had anticipated the tide was higher than I had hoped, but I still managed to score some decent finds and enjoy the sound of the waves lapping at the shore. Throughout the hunt there was a flock of birds floating on the river with calls that sounded uncannily human (it took me a while before I realized that there weren't any boats in the river), and by the time I packed my gear to leave, the cliffs were a beautiful sight lit by the last rays of the setting sun. Unfortunately, I had not found the stunning Otodus of my dreams, but perhaps that will come to pass later this year. Below are photos of the finds and some very tentative IDs based mainly on the Aquia page of Elasmo.com. I apologize in advance if some of the photos aren't incredibly clear or if the ruler is a bit hard to read - unfortunately I couldn't locate a lighter colored one that was in centimeters. The entire haul for the day. As I suspect is the case for most my focus was not invertebrate material, but I couldn't resist collecting a couple of specimens. I could not find much available information regarding invertebrates of the Aquia formation but an article on Wikipedia (I know this isn't the most reputable source but I haven't had a chance to search for any research papers on the subject) has led me to tentatively ID the leftmost specimen as a possible Panopea elongata and the rightmost specimen as Ostrea compressirostra. I would be surprised if my IDs are accurate and if someone does know what these may be, please do let me know. Some Myliobatis sp. ray dental plates. The specimen at the upper right was undoubtedly the best dental plate of the trip. The specimen at the top right corner and the one directly to the left of it appear to be heavily weathered so I couldn't get a confident ID, but I believe that they are Myliobatis dental plates. Some examples of Striatolamia striata. However, I am not sure this is the correct ID for the rightmost specimen as I cannot make striations as obvious as those of the other teeth. Another Striatolamia striata? I tentatively ID this tooth as S. striata as it resembled a couple of the positions in the tooth set. ... perhaps some more S. striata? The teeth seemed to match best with S. striata to my novice eye. However, I am doubtful about the leftmost tooth which does resemble the other teeth but which may very well be a completely different shark. I was initially going to assign this to S. striata due to the abundance of this tooth at Purse, but I didn't notice any of the trademark striations. I believe it may be Hypotodus verticalis, but there were several others that also seemed to be relatively good matches. I believe this tooth to either be a small Otodus obliquus or a Cretalamna appendiculata. A few miscellaneous tooth fragments. Not sure if any of these can be assigned confident IDs. I thought this piece looked interesting while sifting. My best guess is that it is a fish rib or another fish element. A few examples of Skolithos linearis that must have washed down the Potomac before ending up at Purse State Park. From other posts that I have seen I believe these to be Cambrian in age. Is there any information as to where these may have washed down from or to what formation they belong to? I am glad to have finally had the opportunity to compose a trip report and I am looking forward to finding out if any of my IDs were correct and, if not, how they can be differentiated from teeth similar in appearance. I am planning on taking more trips out to Purse this year (and I hope to post some more trip reports on TFF), but due to the rather long drive, I am considering visiting a few other sites that I have learned about. The Henson Creek site and some of the creeks in PG County that might expose the Cretaceous Severn Formation are considerably closer than Purse. I have heard mixed opinions about the safety of hunting in the former, and I was hoping that some with experience might be able to chime in on whether it would be safe to hunt in any of these locations. Thanks in advance to everyone who reads through the report and comments on IDs.
- 14 replies
-
- 6
-
- aquia fm
- charles county
-
(and 2 more)
Tagged with:
-
I found this at the beach at Purse State Park in Nanjemoy MD. I don’t know what it is but it’s a metallic material. Wondered if anyone could help identify?
-
Good evening, brand newbie here. We recently went shark tooth hunting on the beach at Purse State Park in Maryland and along with sand Tiger/goblin/mackerel shark teeth, Gastropod internal molds, stingray dental plates, I collected a few other items that seemed unique. I looked online at some fossil sites for the Paleocene era but man I have to admit I was ready to toss these. Figured it was worth an ask here. I used the centimeter side of my ruler to take photos of each of the items and will post each in a separate post. I think this is just a pretty shell but it’s thick and odd feelin.
-
Good evening, brand newbie here. We recently went shark tooth hunting on the beach at Purse State Park in Maryland and along with sand Tiger/goblin/mackerel shark teeth, Gastropod internal molds, stingray dental plates, I collected a few other items that seemed unique. I looked online at some fossil sites for the Paleocene era but man I have to admit I was ready to toss these. Figured it was worth an ask here. I used the centimeter side of my ruler to take photos of each of the items and will post each in a separate post.
-
Good evening, brand newbie here. We recently went shark tooth hunting on the beach at Purse State Park in Maryland and along with sand Tiger/goblin/mackerel shark teeth, Gastropod internal molds, stingray dental plates, I collected a few other items that seemed unique. I looked online at some fossil sites for the Paleocene era but man I have to admit I was ready to toss these. Figured it was worth an ask here. I used the centimeter side of my ruler to take photos of each of the items and will post each in a separate post.
-
Good evening, brand newbie here. We recently went shark tooth hunting on the beach at Purse State Park in Maryland and along with sand Tiger/goblin/mackerel shark teeth, Gastropod internal molds, stingray dental plates, I collected a few other items that seemed unique. I looked online at some fossil sites for the Paleocene era but man I have to admit I was ready to toss these. Figured it was worth an ask here. I used the centimeter side of my ruler to take photos of each of the items and will post each in a separate post.
- 8 replies
-
- nanjemoy
- paleocene potomac
-
(and 2 more)
Tagged with:
-
Good evening, brand newbie here. We recently went shark tooth hunting on the beach at Purse State Park in Maryland and along with sand Tiger/goblin/mackerel shark teeth, Gastropod internal molds, stingray dental plates, I collected a few other items that seemed unique. I looked online at some fossil sites for the Paleocene era but man I have to admit I was ready to toss these. Figured it was worth an ask here. I used the centimeter side of my ruler to take photos of each of the items and will post each in a separate post.
- 13 replies
-
I spent Wednesday morning (10/5) at Purse State Park for the first time. I was the only one there the entire time. It probably helped that it was on a Wednesday and it was raining sporadically. As soon as I stepped foot on the beach, I found a broken tooth. The water had small rough waves. I put my hand in it and scooped up a handfull of gravel and in the first handfull, I found 3 teeth. It was a pretty fun day.
-
here are some stuff that I found in the aquia formation over the weekend. this button is weird to me, my gut tells me it might be a vert, but it could also be a fish tooth perhaps? this is a weird one, it looks like a Galeocerdo tiger shark, but i havent read anything of these existing at the Aquia formation, much less finding them at purse. bone fragments? would it be possible to tell if its reptile bone? this bone is interesting because it has some underside of its surface still intact. it almost reminds me of a skull fragment maybe? lastly, a nice lady gave me this piece, whats funny is that she found it two minutes after I told her I was looking for crocodile teeth.
- 5 replies
-
- 1
-
- aquia formation
- bone
- (and 6 more)
-
I was able to get out to Purse State Park this morning for a Maryland Paleocene (Aquia Formation) hunt. I usually prefer the nearby Douglas Point when I hit the Potomac River but I decided to give Purse a try as I haven't been to that stretch in a while. I was the second car in the lot but first on the beach, which is always the best way to start the fossil day. My first good find--a croc tooth, though the enamel is very worn: Followed by an Otodus -- also quite worn but a decent size for the site (approx. 1.25"): It really turned into a gorgeous day! Can you spot the bald eagle? My find of the day: I've been finding ratfish material on most trips lately, but just small fragments. This is my first mostly complete tooth plate. Something interesting in the water... Multiple Otoduses always makes for a very good day. Like the other one (and all of my shark teeth today), this one's river worn. A good sized croc tooth: I did a fair amount of walking and exploring along the shoreline and didn't see too many people along the way, but the entrance to the beach was quite packed by the time I headed for the exit. Thanks for reading!
- 16 replies
-
- 9
-
- aquia formation
- maryland
- (and 5 more)
-
Hi all, I just made my first trip out to Purse State Park/Nanjemoy WMA in Maryland. I found quite a lot of sand tiger teeth, but a couple pieces I could use some help to ID. I’ve got a photo of all of them and some close-ups of each one. #1 is clearly bone, and I suspect reptile, but turtle or crocodile? #2 appears to have some glossy enamel covering on one part but is this a severely damaged shark tooth or something else? #3 had more of a tortuous, twisted crown than any of the sand tigers I found. Could this still be sand tiger or possibly goblin shark? #4 looks like it could be part of a plastron? #5 I at first thought was part of a ray dental plate but could it also be a plastron fragment? #6 I’m fairly sure is Cretolamna spp. but wanted to confirm. Thanks for any help!
-
I recently took a trip to Purse State Park, MD, U.S. and found this tooth fossil that I cannot identify. Because of the location (Potomic River), I assume it is Paleocene era. The fossil is 13 mm (0.5 inches) across. The pictures are of each side. Please help me identify this fossil.
-
Hi all, I was wondering if this is an otodus obliquus tooth? TIA
- 11 replies
-
Hi Folks, Just wondering if anyone has been to Purse State Park in Charles County, MD since the covid 19 pandemic started. Maryland recently opened all other state parks as part of their phased reopening, but just wondering if this applies to wildlife management areas. Purse is no longer a state park but I think the name is still commonly used. Thanks Matt
- 2 replies
-
- nanjemoy
- purse state park
-
(and 1 more)
Tagged with:
-
I got to Purse a couple hours before low tide and got a good 5 and a half hours of searching. Managed to scrounge together over 1,000 teeth, most of them pretty small, a new personal best. I didn't find anything of significant size, but a handful of oddities/rarities. One such oddity was what looks like a Carcharhinus (Gray/Dusky Shark) of some sort. Perhaps some folks came to Purse following a hunt at Westmoreland or some other place and a tooth slipped out of their bag. This is a first for me. I found a worn down palaeocarcharodon with some nice dark blue coloration, some crocodile teeth, among other things. I found a neat little fossil of some sort that I can't identify, it's about 0.8 mm in diameter. Images: https://imgur.com/gallery/d0qdUxU
-
Hello all! Yesterday I took my girlfriend’s family out to Purse SP to go fossil hunting alongside my sister and me. We spent nearly 4 hours predominantly beach combing looking for any teeth and other fossils. At the end of the day, my sister and I had found our first crocodile tooth and a Pygmy white shark tooth in rough condition. We also found a few other decent shark teeth (identification would be appreciated) seen to the left of the coin. Side note: I am nearly certain that the fossil to the left of the croc tooth is a piece of a crab claw for anyone wondering.
-
Hello I’m new to the forum. -Jeff
- 11 replies
-
Hi all, I found this chunk of bone at Purse State Park this November. It is from the Aquia Formation, which is of Paleocene Age. I was wondering if it could be identified to either crocodile or turtle, considering that these are the only two bony vertebrates that exist in large amounts in this formation. Or, of course, it could be nailed down to chunkosaurus status considering that it is relatively worn and isn’t very large. Thanks in advance!
- 3 replies
-
- aquia formation
- crocodile
-
(and 5 more)
Tagged with:
-
Hello all, first post on the forums despite joining awhile ago. Last winter I was fortunate enough to have some serious luck at Purse State Park in 2 consecutive trips while I was on break. Thanks to @Williamb55I was able to finally muster some motivation to seek some help to ID what I believe is a Crocodile tooth and Otodus from the Paleocene Epoch. Of course this could be inaccurate but I would love some insight into my find, comments and replies are appreciated. Best, DF
-
Hey everyone, realizing right now that I haven't posted any fossils of my own in quite a while on the forum. Anyway, I found this tooth back in 2016 on my trip to the potomac river in maryland. It was found at purse state park which has exposures of the paleocene Aquia formation. When I first took a closer look at this tooth I was surprised to see that it had a shape which I had associated with Tiger sharks. I did some research online and found that Pachygaleus would be a match as they are present in that strata. It has been a while since that initial discovery but I wanted to confirm my idea on the forum. It's about .6 cm wide at the root and about .4 cm long. Thanks, PN
-
Hello - I wouldn't normally post a fragment of a bone seeking help with identification given how difficult it can be to determine the specific animal with just a photo of a piece; however, I found this piece awhile back and was going through my phone looking at other pictures and realized I never posted my question. The pattern on the bone is what makes me think someone with much more knowledge about the fauna that can be found in that area might be able to make a positive identification. If not, no big deal but figured it was worth an ask. This was found amonst the rocks along the beach at Purse State Park in Maryland. Thanks in advance for the help. I only have this pic on my phone so if more angles are needed just post that as a response and I can fire up the Canon, pun intended, and take a few more shots this weekend.
- 6 replies
-
- aquia
- bone fragment
-
(and 1 more)
Tagged with:
-
A couple of weeks ago I stopped by Blue Banks, just north of Purse State Park MD. The Paleocene Aquia Formation is exposed there, and teeth and bones of a variety of species erode from the exposures and accumulate in gravel along the shore. Unfortunately the Potomac River was in flood stage, so the gravel along the shore was submerged despite the low tide. A driving rain storm did not help matters. I scooped gravel and passed it through a couple of screens, and recovered a handful of the usual small sand tigers and ray teeth, before calling it quits after an hour or so. The following was the largest tooth I collected by some margin. I don't see anything like it on Elasmo.com. There are no serrations and no cusps. Any suggestions for an ID would be most welcome. Don
- 23 replies
-
- aquia formation
- blue banks
-
(and 3 more)
Tagged with: