Jump to content

Search the Community

Showing results for tags 'shark teeth'.

  • Search By Tags

    Type tags separated by commas.
    Tags should be keywords or key phrases. e.g. otodus, megalodon, shark tooth, miocene, bone valley formation, usa, florida.
  • Search By Author

Content Type


Forums

  • Fossil Discussion
    • Fossil ID
    • Fossil Hunting Trips
    • General Fossil Discussion
    • Partners in Paleontology - Member Contributions to Science
    • Fossil of the Month
    • Questions & Answers
    • Member Collections
    • A Trip to the Museum
    • Paleo Re-creations
    • Collecting Gear
    • Fossil Preparation
    • Is It Real? How to Recognize Fossil Fabrications
    • Member-to-Member Fossil Trades
    • Fossil News
  • Community News
    • Member Introductions
    • Member of the Month
    • Members' News & Diversions
  • General Category
    • Rocks & Minerals
    • Geology

Categories

  • Annelids
  • Arthropods
    • Crustaceans
    • Insects
    • Trilobites
    • Other Arthropods
  • Brachiopods
  • Cnidarians (Corals, Jellyfish, Conulariids )
    • Corals
    • Jellyfish, Conulariids, etc.
  • Echinoderms
    • Crinoids & Blastoids
    • Echinoids
    • Other Echinoderms
    • Starfish and Brittlestars
  • Forams
  • Graptolites
  • Molluscs
    • Bivalves
    • Cephalopods (Ammonites, Belemnites, Nautiloids)
    • Gastropods
    • Other Molluscs
  • Sponges
  • Bryozoans
  • Other Invertebrates
  • Ichnofossils
  • Plants
  • Chordata
    • Amphibians & Reptiles
    • Birds
    • Dinosaurs
    • Fishes
    • Mammals
    • Sharks & Rays
    • Other Chordates
  • *Pseudofossils ( Inorganic objects , markings, or impressions that resemble fossils.)

Blogs

  • Anson's Blog
  • Mudding Around
  • Nicholas' Blog
  • dinosaur50's Blog
  • Traviscounty's Blog
  • Seldom's Blog
  • tracer's tidbits
  • Sacredsin's Blog
  • fossilfacetheprospector's Blog
  • jax world
  • echinoman's Blog
  • Ammonoidea
  • Traviscounty's Blog
  • brsr0131's Blog
  • brsr0131's Blog
  • Adventures with a Paddle
  • Caveat emptor
  • -------
  • Fig Rocks' Blog
  • placoderms
  • mosasaurs
  • ozzyrules244's Blog
  • Terry Dactyll's Blog
  • Sir Knightia's Blog
  • MaHa's Blog
  • shakinchevy2008's Blog
  • Stratio's Blog
  • ROOKMANDON's Blog
  • Phoenixflood's Blog
  • Brett Breakin' Rocks' Blog
  • Seattleguy's Blog
  • jkfoam's Blog
  • Erwan's Blog
  • Erwan's Blog
  • marksfossils' Blog
  • ibanda89's Blog
  • Liberty's Blog
  • Liberty's Blog
  • Lindsey's Blog
  • Back of Beyond
  • Ameenah's Blog
  • St. Johns River Shark Teeth/Florida
  • gordon's Blog
  • West4me's Blog
  • West4me's Blog
  • Pennsylvania Perspectives
  • michigantim's Blog
  • michigantim's Blog
  • lauraharp's Blog
  • lauraharp's Blog
  • micropterus101's Blog
  • micropterus101's Blog
  • GPeach129's Blog
  • Olenellus' Blog
  • nicciann's Blog
  • nicciann's Blog
  • Deep-Thinker's Blog
  • Deep-Thinker's Blog
  • bear-dog's Blog
  • javidal's Blog
  • Digging America
  • John Sun's Blog
  • John Sun's Blog
  • Ravsiden's Blog
  • Jurassic park
  • The Hunt for Fossils
  • The Fury's Grand Blog
  • julie's ??
  • Hunt'n 'odonts!
  • falcondob's Blog
  • Monkeyfuss' Blog
  • cyndy's Blog
  • pattyf's Blog
  • pattyf's Blog
  • chrisf's Blog
  • chrisf's Blog
  • nola's Blog
  • mercyrcfans88's Blog
  • Emily's PRI Adventure
  • trilobite guy's Blog
  • barnes' Blog
  • xenacanthus' Blog
  • myfossiltrips.blogspot.com
  • HeritageFossils' Blog
  • Fossilefinder's Blog
  • Fossilefinder's Blog
  • maybe a nest fossil?
  • farfarawy's Blog
  • Microfossil Mania!
  • blogs_blog_99
  • Southern Comfort
  • Emily's MotE Adventure
  • Eli's Blog
  • andreas' Blog
  • Recent Collecting Trips
  • retired blog
  • andreas' Blog test
  • fossilman7's Blog
  • Piranha Blog
  • xonenine's blog
  • xonenine's Blog
  • Fossil collecting and SAFETY
  • Detrius
  • pangeaman's Blog
  • pangeaman's Blog
  • pangeaman's Blog
  • Jocky's Blog
  • Jocky's Blog
  • Kehbe's Kwips
  • RomanK's Blog
  • Prehistoric Planet Trilogy
  • mikeymig's Blog
  • Western NY Explorer's Blog
  • Regg Cato's Blog
  • VisionXray23's Blog
  • Carcharodontosaurus' Blog
  • What is the largest dragonfly fossil? What are the top contenders?
  • Test Blog
  • jsnrice's blog
  • Lise MacFadden's Poetry Blog
  • BluffCountryFossils Adventure Blog
  • meadow's Blog
  • Makeing The Unlikley Happen
  • KansasFossilHunter's Blog
  • DarrenElliot's Blog
  • Hihimanu Hale
  • jesus' Blog
  • A Mesozoic Mosaic
  • Dinosaur comic
  • Zookeeperfossils
  • Cameronballislife31's Blog
  • My Blog
  • TomKoss' Blog
  • A guide to calcanea and astragali
  • Group Blog Test
  • Paleo Rantings of a Blockhead
  • Dead Dino is Art
  • The Amber Blog
  • Stocksdale's Blog
  • PaleoWilliam's Blog
  • TyrannosaurusRex's Facts
  • The Community Post
  • The Paleo-Tourist
  • Lyndon D Agate Johnson's Blog
  • BRobinson7's Blog
  • Eastern NC Trip Reports
  • Toofuntahh's Blog
  • Pterodactyl's Blog
  • A Beginner's Foray into Fossiling
  • Micropaleontology blog
  • Pondering on Dinosaurs
  • Fossil Preparation Blog
  • On Dinosaurs and Media
  • cheney416's fossil story
  • jpc
  • A Novice Geologist
  • Red-Headed Red-Neck Rock-Hound w/ My Trusty HellHound Cerberus
  • Red Headed
  • Paleo-Profiles
  • Walt's Blog
  • Between A Rock And A Hard Place
  • Rudist digging at "Point 25", St. Bartholomä, Styria, Austria (Campanian, Gosau-group)
  • Prognathodon saturator 101
  • Books I have enjoyed
  • Ladonia Texas Fossil Park
  • Trip Reports
  • Glendive Montana dinosaur bone Hell’s Creek
  • Test
  • Stratigraphic Succession of Chesapecten

Find results in...

Find results that contain...


Date Created

  • Start

    End


Last Updated

  • Start

    End


Filter by number of...

  1. hokietech96

    My 1st Riker Display

    I had to post my first riker display that made for my collection. It’s amazing to think, a little over a year ago I was throwing the teeth I collected in to a glass jar. Thanks to everyone at TFF, I have come a long way in my addiction. A couple teeth came from @Praefectus and the rest I purchased over the COVID months. I was extremely fortunate to have won a contest that Doren (Caldigger) was running. The prize is the first tooth top left.
  2. Hi TFF, Elliot and I were wandering what species of Eocene shark teeth these may be (unsure if they are Eocene). The Geology of the Bawdsey beach exposures appears to be Eocene London Clay, Ypresian age 54 mya. We found these teeth in the shingle that runs along the London Clay exposure. Shark tooth 1 view 1 Shark tooth 1 view 2 Shark tooth 2 view 1 Shark tooth 2 view 2 Shark tooth 3 view 1 Shark tooth 3 view 2
  3. I took a break from Lee Creek and Bone Valley matrix and worked on some Waurika matrix. This matrix was so much fun to go through. Every was a first for my collection! I believe that I identified everything correctly but if you see anything that is wrong please let me know. I will be adding more to this post in the near future.... @sharkdoctor Thought you would enjoy the pictures! Dimetrodon limbatus claw 5MM: @Bobby Rico @dinodigger From previous posts I have read, this is right up your alley. Diplocaulus Jaw 2MM: Shark tooth I have not found anything that shows this type of tooth for this location. I think it might be a contaminant? @Al Dente How cool is this 2MM piece of matrix with a Barbclabornia luederensis tooth in it: Orthocanthus platypternus: Tons of different shaped Orthocanth shark denticles: This one looks like two that are still attached together More variety of teeth pictures to come!
  4. I purchase some matrix and it came a little different than I am use to. It was labeld "Gardner Lacality Peace River FL" and came in unprepped. This was an experience trying to break up the matrix. Not knowing exactly what I was doing, I soaked it in warm water and broke it down the best I could into different size matrix. I need something a little stronger for the other half of the clumps to break down. Everything is a unidentifiable and not complete, but I wanted to post pictures because the colors are so amazing to me. Everything is 1-3MM. As I find more items I will add to this post..... Shark Teeth: Fish Teeth: Ray Teeth: Gastropod:
  5. AlexMcCarthyWX

    Shark Teeth Identification (Cretolamna?)

    Below are five shark teeth I am trying to make sure I have identified correctly. Teeth 1-4 were found in North Myrtle Beach, though I do not know where tooth 5 is from. I believe that #2, #3, and #4 are C. Appendiculata, but am not confident in that. I wonder if #1 is as well, the shape seems a bit different in my opinion. Thanks!
  6. We have our Secret Santa package all ready to go and just got done organizing our loose shark teeth. I found a bunch of STH material that I had set aside for a trade that never materialized. I totally forgot I had them so here they are. This is a package deal, I don’t want to split them up. Saves on shipping. This would make a cool Christmas gift for somebody and we aren’t asking much in return. Sharks- Carcharodon hastalis, Carcharodon planus, Galeocerdo, Physogaleus, Carcharhinus, Triakis, Galeorhinus, Mustelus, Sphyrna, Cetorhinus, Heterodontus, Squalus, Squatina, Batoids- Myliobatis, Dasyatis, Mobula, verts, denticles, partial stingray barb. None of the teeth are large. I believe the largest hastalis and planus are 1.5”. Very nice array of colors though. With Christmas around the corner, we’ll throw in some Cretaceous teeth from Russia too. My primary interest would be Heterodontus, Isurus (desori, oxyrinchus, retroflexus ) , scyliorhinus and other cstsharks but I’m open to any shark teeth except Moroccan stuff. PM us if you’re interested or you want a picture of something specific.
  7. Hi everyone! Little over a week ago I recieved some new bags of microfossil matrix and this time there was a bag with material from the Lee Creek Mine, Yorktown Formation, Aurora, North Carolina, USA (Miocene, 14,5 mya) This material is quite rich in shark teeth as I found little over 90 shark teeth in it. I have photographed a couple of them already and posted them in my microfossil topic. But since I doubt I will get many help with the identification of the teeth there I am going to repost the first batch of teeth here (I apologize for the repost admins) and upload the rest of my finds from that material in this topic from now on. I have tried to ID some of the teeth with the help of the website Elasmo & the paper "Geology and Paleontology of the Lee Creek Mine, North Carolina, III by Clayton E. Ray and David J. Bohaska", but I feel like my eyes aren't enough trained yet to distinguish enough to make proper ID's on all of the finds, so I not all ID's will be a 100 % correct I am affraid. Here are some of the first teeth I photographed. I would be gratefull if some of you could help my ID some of the teeth of verify /correct some of the ID's I have come up with. If the photo's aren't clear of good enough, just let me know and I'll try to make some more/better ones. Thank you in advance! The first tooth which is by far also the favorite in the bunch: Tooth 1: a Sphyrna zygaena tooth? Tooth 2: a chunk of Galeocerdo sp. tooth Tooth 3: another Galeocerdo sp. tooth Tooth 4: This one is a tooth which I have a hard time identifying as I feel it has a lot of features that return in different teeth. Physogaleus? Sphyrna? Loxodon? Tooth 5: another I haven't managed to ID yet. Tooth 6: Carcharhinus sp. Tooth 7: could this be Negaprion sp.? Tooth 8: Tooth 9: Scyliorhinus sp.? Tooth 10: Megachasma sp.? Tooth 11: Megachasma sp.?
  8. Oxytropidoceras

    Shark teeth Hunting in Venice, Florida

    Two Venice businesses turn searching for fossils and sharks' teeth into lasting memories Earle Kimel, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Oct 12, 2020 Yours, Paul H.
  9. flyingpenut

    Post Oak Creek 10-5-20

    Here are pictures from a recent trip to Post Oak Creek in Sherman Texas. Found several shark teeth but all of them broken and most in bad shape. I also found several non-fossilized material. I'm not sure if it is modern or a little older. It is all small. The one with the jaw still has two small teeth incased in it. Also I have no idea what the teeth are that are rounded. One of the pictures is a partial shark tooth still in the matrix. IMG_4149.HEIC IMG_4150.HEIC IMG_4151.HEIC IMG_4155.HEIC IMG_4156.HEIC IMG_4157.HEIC IMG_4158.HEIC IMG_4159.HEIC IMG_4160.HEIC IMG_4161.HEIC IMG_4162.HEIC IMG_4163.HEIC IMG_4164.HEIC IMG_4165.HEIC IMG_4166.HEIC IMG_4167.HEIC IMG_4168.HEIC IMG_4169.HEIC IMG_4170.HEIC IMG_4172.HEIC IMG_4173.HEIC IMG_4175.HEIC IMG_4176.HEIC IMG_4177.HEIC IMG_4178.HEIC IMG_4179.HEIC
  10. Hi guys, we’ve seen people’s 6 gill and 7 gill teeth, we’ve seen peoples extraordinary common teeth and I thought why not post your single rarest sharks tooth this is mine, incredibly rare from a very small site that has been closed for decades, I haven’t seen another, if you have please tell me
  11. Colvin, G., 2011, The Presence, Source and Use of Fossil Shark Teeth from Ohio Archaeological Sites. Ohio Archaeologist 61, no. 4, pp. 26-46. https://kb.osu.edu/handle/1811/56970 https://www.academia.edu/9539090/The_Presence_Source_and_Use_of_Fossil_Shark_Teeth_from_Ohio_Archaeological_Sites Colvin, G., 2014. Shark Teeth from Ohio Archaeological Sites: An Update Based on Newly Discovered Teeth. Ohio Archaeologist 64, no. 4, pp. 55-60. https://www.academia.edu/11497086/Shark_Teeth_from_Ohio_Archaeological_Sites_An_Update_Based_on_Newly_Discovered_Teeth https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330521653_SHARK_TEETH_FROM_OHIO_ARCHAEOLOGICAL_SITES_An_Update_Based_on_Newly_Discovered_Teeth Colvin, G., 2018. Fossil Shark Tooth From the Adena Westenhaver Mound and a Call for Assistance. Ohio Archaeologist, Vol. 68, No. 1, pp. 5-7. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330521579_Fossil_Shark_Tooth_From_the_Adena_Westenhaver_Mound_and_a_Call_for_Assistance https://www.researchgate.net/profile/George_Colvin https://www.academia.edu/38186487/Fossil_Shark_Tooth_From_the_Adena_Westenhaver_Mound_and_a_Call_for_Assistance_GColvin_Ohio_Archaeologist_Vol68No1_2018_pdf Murphy, J.L., 1975. Shark Tooth Caches in Wayne County, Ohio. Ohio Archaeolgist 25, no. 4, pp. 26-27. https://kb.osu.edu/handle/1811/37207 Other papers are: Lowery, D., Godfrey, S.J., and Eshelman, R., 2011. Integrated geology, paleontology, and archaeology: Native American use of fossil shark teeth in the Chesapeake Bay Region. Archaeology of Eastern North America, 39, pp.93-108. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318817806_INTEGRATED_GEOLOGY_PALEONTOLOGY_AND_ARCHAEOLOGY_NATIVE_AMERICAN_USE_OF_FOSSIL_SHARK_TEETH_IN_THE_CHESAPEAKE_BAY_REGION https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ralph_Eshelman Cione, A.L., and Bonomo, M., 2003. Great white shark teeth used as pendants and possible tools by early‐middle Holocene terrestrial mammal hunter‐ gatherers in the Eastern Pampas (Southern South America) International Journal of Osteoarchaeology 13, no. 4, pp. 222 - 231 https://www.academia.edu/888618/Great_white_shark_teeth_used_as_pendants_and_possible_tools_by_early_middle_Holocene_terrestrial_mammal_hunter_gatherers_in_the_Eastern_Pampas_Southern_South_ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/229958565_Great_white_shark_teeth_used_as_pendants_and_possible_tools_by_Early-Middle_Holocene_terrestrial_mammal_hunter-gatherers_in_the_Eastern_Pampas_Southern_South_America Yours, Paul H.
  12. Finally getting around to posting about my recent trip to Stratford Cliffs in Virginia with the Maryland Natural History Society. It was a lot of fun, found some cool stuff, and met some nice people. Here are pictures of some of the finds I took home!
  13. butchndad

    Big Brook 22

    A little rain on the drive down didn’t discourage me after not being able to go last week with the Grateful Dead blasting I made it there in 45 minutes. I tried yet two more new places to access the Brook but neither seemed promising so back to my standby entrance. 5 hours in the Brook and I only saw one person, Gabriel who was the one who inspired me to truck out the glass, metal and plastic I came across. I intended to do a little exploring but wound up in an old familiar spot for the whole time (will roam next time). More quantity than quality with the Crows leading the way as usual with Sand Tiger, Goblin and Mackerel as well as Brachyrhizodus, Pycnodont, Enchodus, Belemnite, Agerostera and some that’s likely a rock but I posted for ID. The only bummer was thinking about the impending winter
  14. hokietech96

    Shark Teeth ID Help

    Hi. I found these two teeth in the Lee Creek matrix yesterday. I have my thoughts on what they are but I wanted to see if my thoughts are correct on them. Thanks in advance for any feedback. @Al Dente 1. I believe this tooth is a Paragaleus pectoralis - 3MM 2.I thought this was Squantina but now after posting the pictures I not sure. 2MM
  15. For the first time in the last 3 months I will not be spending time in Big Brook. Went up to Gloucester Mass. with my wife, daughter and Bo my Aussie and Gracie my Golden. My pre-trip research quickly told me the area is NOT fossilicious but I thought maybe I had a prayer of finding a modern shark tooth. Wife and kid had no interest in helping so I had to enlist the dogs with promises of extra treats. Well, they had a great time on the beach but we’re of no help whatsoever. Best I could come up with was four fish (cod?) verts, a tiny sand dollar and sea urchin. I did however find the world epicenter for fried clams in Ipswich and Essex so a successful trip in my book. In two weeks we (just me and the wife) will be up in equally non fossilicious Cape Cod where the modern shark tooth hunt will resume
  16. Searcher78

    Douglas Point, Maryland

    Was trying different areas, so I didn’t get as many of the small teeth that I like.
  17. bthemoose

    Stormy Shark Tooth Hunt

    I've had this weekend marked on my calendar for a few weeks to take advantage of favorable projected tides by going shark tooth hunting at Matoaka! The remnants of Hurricane Sally scrambled that forecast, bringing high winds and surf to Maryland, but I decided to head down this morning anyway. When I arrived, the sky was fairly clear, but there was a strong, steady wind generating a constant stream of waves, and the tide was well above normal, leaving only a narrow strip of beach. The beach opened up a little bit after I walked and waded north but the storm had dumped a layer of fresh sand and there were almost no exposed shell beds. I searched for an hour before I found my first fossil of any note (a cetacean epiphysis). Then, shortly after that, I found my first shark tooth. It was worth the wait--a nice Carcharodon hastalis up near the high tide line! About a half hour later, I found a pristine Galeocerdo aduncus tooth at the water line. The serrations are still super sharp on this one.
  18. sharko69

    Heading to DC

    Well my job has shifted me from West to East and now I will be visiting DC as. Part of my new territory. I have been fortunate to hunt in California but now will have the opportunity to add some east coast teeth to my collection. my question is where the best spot is to hunt with any short windows of time I have while I am in DC. Brownie’s appears to be about 45 minutes but wondering what other sites I should visit while I am there for business. Any onsite and tips for hunting this area would be greatly appreciated. Looking at tide charts it looks like I might get a little time as tide is going out in the evening while I am there. Thanks in advance!
  19. Teeth hunter

    New Here!

    New to the website have been hunting for a few years and lately have been out hunting atleast 2-3 times a week. Have secured a great spot that me and a few of my closest fossil hunting buddies go to (200+ teeth a hunt) ptychodus, goblin. Cretoxyrhina, gastropods, mosasaur teeth, fish verts, basically anything you could think of for Ala-bama. Also atleast 1 arrowhead each trip(ALWAYS LOOKING TO TRADE) I seriously have been blessed to meet such a wonderful land owner that lets us go anywhere and dig anytime. Also alot of my pictures of my teeth are too big to upload!
  20. Dear TFF members, Ive taken a photo of all the shark teeth that I am having trouble identifying. Could anyone help point out if I got any ID's wrong? These were all found at Calvert Cliffs, MD. Top 3 rows near Choptank and St Marys Formation and bottom half underneath Calvert Formation. 1. Snaggletooth (serrations are similar on both, the first one has a strange enamel color) 2. First two are white sharks, probably plicatilis? Third, I have no clue 3. Requiem shark tooth (just suspicious because I've never found a tooth in the area with that color) 4. Posterior tiger shark teeth 5. Worn down tiger shark? 6. Snaggletooth front tooth piece 7. Cow shark (is this pathological? ive found a couple of other cow shark teeth and none of them have opposing edges) Thanks for the help, James
  21. Could this be a new species of Ptychodus? I have never seen/found one this large before. If not, could anyone who is an expert in Ptychodus teeth give an ID? Thank you! It was found in West Alabama.
  22. I've been visiting the shark tooth site here in the Lake of Constance region quite regularly, since it makes for a nice bike ride to get there and it's also a relatively relaxing activity. I figured I could show you some of the things I've been finding over the last few weeks. Please feel free to revise my ids if they aren't correct. Physogaleus contortus. 18mm. Carcharhinus sp. 15mm. Carcharius acutissima. 16mm. Carcharias sp. 25mm. Araloselachus cuspidatus. 12mm. Carcharhinus priscus. 11mm. Sparus cinctus. 7x5mm. Mitsukurina lineata. 21mm. Araloselachus cuspidatus. 25mm. Carcharodon hastalis. 25mm.
  23. Naples Beth

    Hello from Naples, Florida

    Hello everyone! I have been exploring and collecting since I was young. I lived in Virginia and North Carolina, and am somewhat new to Florida. I enjoy hunting the Peace River and the beaches of Venice. I want to find land sites or canals to explore, too, so any suggestions are welcome. I have been reading very interesting and informative posts on the Fossil Forum a lot recently, and am excited to be a part of your group now. I love history, exploring, collecting, and everything related to nature.
  24. bthemoose

    Otodus obliquus?

    I found the tooth below this morning at Douglas Point (Aquia Formation, Paleocene) in Maryland. The cusp is fairly narrow, it's missing one cusplet and the other is small and/or worn down. But between the prominent lingual protuberance and what looks to me like a small bourlette, I'm getting an Otodus obliquus vibe. What do you think? I also found a tiny Cretalamna appendiculata -- just over a quarter of an inch.
  25. Anybody who has read my recent posts already knows that Tammy and I moved from South Florida to Gainesville so that we could volunteer more with the paleontology department of the Florida Museum of Natural History (FLMNH). Moving out of hurricane prone South Florida and downsizing to a more manageable size house with less yardwork were additional considerations. I've been picking through micro-matrix from the Montbrook site where we often volunteer to dig in the field. It's a late Miocene site which looks to have been a river system much like the modern day Peace River. The site primarily contains freshwater fossils (fishes, turtles, gators, etc.) and some mammalian land animals (gomphotheres, rhinos, tapir, peccary, horse as well as some interesting little critters like pygmy mice, squirrels, rabbits, etc.) but, like the Peace River, contains some marine specimens like shark and ray teeth that are likely reworked from older deposits in the banks. The marine specimens are often in very good condition indicating that they have not traveled far from the banks from which they eroded. For a couple of months I've been picking Montbrook micro-matrix from home. I have a camera-microscope setup that allows me to pick the very fine brass-screen micro-matrix very efficiently--viewing the active area on my picking plate in a large flat-screen monitor which is easy on the eyes and easy on the neck muscles. Because I had this setup at home (which I've used to pick Cookiecutter Creek micro-matrix for the last couple of years) I was able to volunteer my time and efforts working for the FLMNH while the new vertebrate paleontology warehouse was closed to volunteers. Recently, with the new school year starting, the VP warehouse was now open to volunteers. The large building has a very low occupancy rate during the pandemic and the very few volunteers, students or staff are spread out throughout the building and masks are worn at all times inside the building. I've been able to diversity my volunteering expanding on simply picking micro-matrix from home and adding some additional helpful tasks in the VP warehouse. One of the tasks that they need volunteers to help with is sorting through the chunkier end of the collected matrix. The museum collects matrix from the Montbrook site in several ways. They have found that certain layers within the dig site have a more coarse gravel which likely corresponds to stormy periods with an increased flow rate that carries and deposits heavier particles. The very fine sandy/silty layers are thought to be deposited during slower flow rates of the river. These more grainy layers have proven to be more productive for micro-fossils and so when we are volunteer digging at the site we are instructed to collect the coarse layers and pour them into sandbags. These sandbags eventually get processed by wet washing and sifting the matrix through a series of screens with varying mesh sizes. Usually, it is the "window screen" micro-matrix or the even finer "brass screen" matrix (which I've dubbed "nano-matrix") that I end up picking. In a similar manner to how I collect micro-matrix using a 1/4" screen to hold back the larger chunks, they also separate out the coarse bits with a 1/4" mesh and this > 1/4" "extra chunky" matrix has to be picked through as well. The other source of matrix comes from jacketed specimens. As the specimens are prepped out of their jackets the matrix that is removed is also washed and separated into various size classes. These samples are usually much smaller than the amount of material gleaned from full sandbags of collected grainy layers. I just returned from the warehouse a little while ago and decided to write up a report on today's activities. My workspace was out in the area where some of the larger fossils are stored on open racks. You may see in the background some interesting specimens of mastodon skulls which make a splendid background to work by. The > 1/4" extra chunky matrix comes over from the main museum building (Dickinson Hall) on the university campus where the screen-washing station is located. Today there was a couple of big plastic bins with a number of sample bags of chunky goodness to pick through. I work through the bag by pouring out a little at a time into one of the larger cardboard containers that they use to store fossils in the drawers of the cabinets. My task--somewhat mundane but nevertheless important--is to separate fossil from non-fossil, bone bits from matrix. Any complete (or mostly so for the rarer) specimens get put into a "choice" items container while the broken bits go into a "fossil scraps" container. Sometimes a relatively complete bone with a fresh break might mate up with the matching fragment after a bit of searching through this scraps bin. When a match is made the pieces are glued back into a whole specimen and promoted to the "choice" bin--always fun when you can match puzzle pieces and make another catalogable specimen for the collection. Here's the resulting classification of the chunky bits of a "sandbag" sample. The choice bits go into a smaller bag with the collection label and that is sealed within a larger bag with the scraps from this batch. Someone with more experience will review the fossils tossing out any common fossils that are not choice enough to be cataloged or matching up fragments from the scraps to salvage a specimen from the scrap heap. You can see that the bulk of most samples are the non-fossil matrix bits that are discarded. While picking through a batch that was collected back in April 2019 I spotted something that interrupted my picking and brought a smile to my face. It was a partial Notorynchus (Sevengill Shark) tooth. I have never found one of these "in the wild". They are vanishingly rare down in South Florida (Peace River) and I've only seen 1 or 2 that have some from the southern peninsula. Apparently, they are a bit more common in central (Orlando) Florida and further north for some reason. I was volunteering at the Montbrook site a couple years back when someone pulled a beautiful complete lower tooth from the grid square in which she was digging. This is the only time I've even been able to hold such a unique shark tooth before just recently. Last week I was picking samples of the > 1/4" matrix when I spotted a partial lower tooth only missing the last couple of cusps. I didn't bring my camera to the warehouse that day but I no longer make that mistake. Spotting another partial Notorynchus today was a really enjoyable find (even though it was in poorer shape than my last find of this type). I continued to pick through various sample bags of matrix sorting fossil from non-fossil and finding mostly the usual items I've learned to expect from this site. Occasionally, I'd pull a complete specimen and since Richard Hulbert is also in the warehouse I can quickly learn about the species and anatomical location of the novel bone I've found. It's a great way to accrete fossil knowledge one bit at a time. A great teachable moment came not long after when I spotted a (somewhat worn) vertebra that was unusual as it was horizontally oval on one face and vertically oval on the opposing side. Richard quickly recognized this as one of the verts located very near the skull on a species of fish known as Snook (Centropomus sp.). Snooks are a marine species but they are known to venture well into brackish or even freshwater environments. I've seen Snook while hunting fossil in the Peace River (many miles upstream). Richard was able to pull a more complete specimen (also recovered from the Montbrook site) for me to compare my find to and it was easy to see that they matched. Another nugget of fossil information lodged its way into my memory--but for how long? Not too long after I spotted a curiosity that I've seen before. It's an interesting shark tooth with a pair of side cusps on either side of the primary cusp (when these fragile bits are not broken off). I've spotted one of these before picking Cookiecutter Creek micro-matrix and wondered at the ID of this novelty. Some tentative identifications have been posited but the true identity of this cuspy little tooth remains elusive for the moment. It is assumed that this is an older tooth--possibly Eocene in age--that is being reworked into this Miocene site. Hopefully, this little mystery will be solved before long and I'll have a good name to apply to these when they turn up (few and far between). My fun and interesting finds for the day had not completed as the most spectacular was yet to show up. A little over two hours into my task I spotted another novelty sitting among the gravel I was searching--and this time it was complete! A really pretty upper Notorynchus tooth decided to brighten my day and make me question the rarity of this species at the Montbrook site. This was now 3 specimens from this species in only a couple of days picking through this chunky matrix. I've learned that rare fossils can sometimes defy the odds and turn up in clusters with no rational explanation--and then not be seen again for months. I hope I have not seen the last of these as they are such unusual and distinctive shark teeth to find. The particular batch that this curious little shark tooth came from also produced a nice gator osteoderm and tooth, the Snook vert, a few random shark teeth and myliobatid ray plates, a few fish verts and some neural carapace bones--one each from a softshell (Apalone sp.) and slider (Trachemys sp.) turtle. Before I left I had processed 2 large batches of (sandbag) matrix and 7 smaller bags mostly from jacketed specimens. It was a good day "at work" with some nice rarities as well as some great learning opportunities--like I now can recognize the lateral processes of sacral turtle vertebrae. Cheers. -Ken
×
×
  • Create New...