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I've been sorting through some Kemp Clay (latest Maastrichtian) micros recently, mostly in search of rare sharks. The majority of teeth I've found are easily identified from elasmo's web page on Kemp Clay sharks which itself is based on Case & Cappetta 1997 Kemp Clay paper. However, this singular tooth does not seem to match well with any of those described species or even genera. The closest tooth I could find was Scyliorhinus ivagrantae which is still very different. I think my specimen is Pararhincodon sp., but I cannot find any reputable reports of the genus from the Maastrichtian of Texas (it does show up in the Campanian however). In Germany's Maastrichtian, there is a species called Pararhincodon groessensi which could be it. I did manage to find a senior scholar thesis from an A&M undergrad (Janus 2009) that reported Pararhincodon sp. from the Kemp Clay, so there's a sliver of evidence. Here's the photos: Lateral view Basal Labail Lingual Other views Thanks

Found this tooth on Holden Beach, NC last night. Was wondering if it’s even real and if so, what it’s from? Thanks!

Even after having a night to sleep on the fact, I'm still in shock. I was tempted to not even go on this trip since part of me wanted my plesiosaur tooth from last week's Woodbine adventure to be my final impression on North TX. The other part of me wanted one last crack at the Kamp Ranch and a new potential site. It's fine to return to already known locations, but I was thirsting for one more journey into unknown territory where the risk of failure is greater, but the taste of victory is sweeter. After swimming/wading a ways, I found the first small outcrop of Kamp Ranch. I've had some previous experience with this layer in the past, and the knowledge I picked up from then proved useful. While most of the outcrop was relatively devoid of vertebrate material, there was a thin pasty layer cemented to the underside of the thickest limestone that proved to be rich in teeth. I pried out the odd Ptychodus tooth here and there, but pretty soon I was out of real estate. The thick limestone slab looked precarious and the rest of the pasty matrix I was after was nestled deep in the crumbly wall. Noticing the slick shale beneath my feet, I decided jumping away from an avalanche was out of the question and it was time to move on. Ptychodus from the outcrop. All P. anonymous except the top right which may be a P. marginalis(?) lateral. On the walk over to the next outcrop, I made sure to scan the loose pieces of Kamp Ranch matrix scattered about. Most of them were only comprised of oyster bits and Collignoniceras woollgari impressions, but once in awhile there would be some shark. I went for a rock with a shiny black Ptychodus anonymous that had caught my eye. As I dug it out to have a closer look, I saw there was a tiny tan mosasaur situated next to it! Unfortunately it's cracked and in super hard material. If I try to bust it out, it will probably explode! Ptychodus anonymous and mosasaur tooth (Russelosaurine?) Just a few feet further I found an absolute heartbreaker. I could see black striations coming from the edge of a slab and my hopes shot up. As I turned the rock, I realized it was a shattered piece of a pliosaur tooth . Don't even think it's worth keeping... Pliosaur tooth, likely Brachauchenius lucasi I picked up my pack and headed to the last outcrop of Kamp Ranch. I was relieved to see the thick limestone was much more secure. As I examined underneath, I had my mind set on small Ptychodus teeth when I almost fell on my back from surprise. Cemented to the slab was a truly astonishing sight: Pliosaur Tooth! If that wasn't crazy enough, just centimeters below was a limb bone jutting out. I got out my excavating gear and carefully went to work. I don't carry b72 in the field, so each tooth fragment was extracted separately. Afterwards, the bone slid out pretty cleanly. I didn't find other similar material, so I'm not sure if the two are associated or it's just coincidence. Maybe someone familiar with reptile anatomy can say if the bone came from a pliosaur. The tooth came in 6 pieces Once I was home, I got straight to cleaning and gluing. The fragments had held up alright along the journey thankfully and the prep went smoothly. By the end, I was holding up the newest and greatest tooth in my collection! It is most likely Brachauchenius lucasi although Megacephalosaurus eulerti is also a rarer possibility (I don't have access to the paper distinguishing their dentition). Both of these pliosaurs represent the youngest pliosaurids in the fossil record which adds some extra coolness factor. That Woodbine plesiosaur tooth (possible basal Polycotylid) I found last week is interestingly tied evolutionarily with the demise of pliosaurs such as B. lucasi. Polycotylids had traditionally been placed in Pliosauridae until more recent findings moved them to Plesiosauroidea instead. This confusion is likely due to convergent evolution. As pliosaurs disappeared in the aftermath of the Cenomanian-Turonian Anoxic Event, it seems some Polycotylids evolved to fill a similar niche, moving away from gracile dentition (like my Woodbine specimen) and into a more robust form similar to B. lucasi. At least that is how I understand it. Brachauchenius lucasi most likely The second half of the neat discoveries is this reptile bone I found several centimeters below the tooth. I'm not sure it's associated. The high energy nature of the Kamp Ranch makes me wonder if it was just coincidence. Anyways, it seems to be a limb bone. If you look closely, you can see toothy scrapes that are probably from scavenging sharks. I tried to look for signs of serrated teeth, but I didn't see anything obvious. Some of the attached matrix is vertebrate rich with tons of little fish verts and other goodies. Anyone know if this is pliosaur in origin? @pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon Reptile Limb Bone So glad I decided to have one last exploration before my move. I guess it's not like I will never hunt in North TX again, it's just that it will be much, much more rare. I've added so many new, fun, and interesting sites to my list this past half year, I'm a bit sad to leave them all behind. At the same time, I'm itching with excitement to make new discovers in the southern half of our big state. It won't be easy though! Look forward to more trip reports in the not-so-distant future . Thanks for reading

I found this tooth while dissolving a rock from Mishash formation (in southern Israel). Some suggested that it might be a nurse shark tooth or a cat shark tooth. Could you please help me figure it out? And if you know the specific species it would be great!

Hi Everyone, I will be grateful for helping me with identification of shark and stingrays teeth found in Korytnica clays in Poland (miocene-badenian age). I'm searching for genus and species names rather than common names (for example "Galeocerdo aduncus" instead of "tiger shark") but every information will be useful. Thank you!

Friend found this today in SC. Any ideas?

Help identifying this fossil found in the ocean at Stump Pass Park, Englewood, FL. It’s 2” long 1” wide

Hello, These teeth were offered to me as Moroccan sharks coming from "Garsift" in "North Morocco". But I couldn't figure out what formation these came from. I never intended to acquire or purchase these, but the dealer had given me these as a sample. The seller also had Otodus megalodon from the same area, but I did not purchase those either, but that should place these in Mio-Pliocene age. I figured it would also be useful reference for anyone that comes across similar material. Oops, I just realized that I skipped the number 5. There is no tooth #5 Tooth #1 - Sand Tiger (Carcharias sp.) Tooth #2 Tooth #3 Tooth #4 Tooth #6 Tooth #7 Sand Tiger (Carcharias sp.) Tooth #8

Hi everyone, While hubs and I love nothing more than to seek out teeth and fossils when coming to the beach each year, we chose to head down to Charleston to both John's Island and Folly Beach and found quite a bit. Unfortunately, we're still learning how to ID them so I thought I would ask you knowledgeable people. Could you let me know what these teeth are and for the lightest one, curious how old this one is! thanks for any help!

A pond was dug out to use the dirt as a base for a barn I’m building. While walking around on the job site I found this tooth. Can anybody help with some identification?

Hello! I’d love to know if this is a shark tooth. It was found on Dauphin Island in Alabama. I’ve looked at several pics and can’t decide if it’s real or not. Thanks for all of your help!

A couple days ago I embarked on an adventure to a site I was never expecting to visit. The setting was a family vacation to the Hawaiian islands of Maui and Oahu and I initially had no intention of crawling around in gravel bars as I so often do at home. Nevertheless one thing led to another and I ended up going on a hunt that was perhaps the most unforgettable outing of my fossil career and I came away with some amazing specimens impossible to find anywhere else. Maui Our trip started on the lesser populated island of Maui which is a bit younger than its sibling Oahu. The landmass can be described as a valley where two large volcanoes form the east and west edges. The Hawaiian islands get older as you travel westward and this trend is true for Maui. The western half of the island is about 1.3 million years old whereas the eastern is only about 0.75 million. To my knowledge, there isn't any fossil bearing strata on the shores, but that doesn't mean a fossil hunter will be left with nothing to do on their visit. Snorkeling was my main activity throughout the trip. Of course there are tons of interesting sea creatures to admire on the visit, but I think my recent fossil interests have given me an extra sense of appreciation for the ocean life. I don't have any underwater equipment, so there's sadly no photos from beneath the waves, but I captured some neat stuff from out of the water. Horn-eyed Ghost Crab catching a wave (Ocypode ceratophthalmus) Little green crab washed out of the water Had no idea what this was at first (between starfish or urchin). Turned out to be a helmet urchin which is adapted for attaching strongly to rocky surfaces. Colobocentrotus atratus I was surprised to find that the beach sand contained millions of tiny urchin spines mostly from the rock boring urchins living just beneath the waves. I didn't take any home, but occasionally a large red spine from a pencil slate urchin would wash up as well. Rock boring urchin spines Most of the beaches on Maui weren't all that great for combing. It wasn't until I took a closer look in the waters that I finally came across a spot with gravelly deposits. As I snorkeled it was impossible to keep my eyes away from them and I kept hallucinating various fossils showing up. Eventually, one hallucination actually proved to be the real deal, so I held my breath and dove down a few meters to retrieve what I had spotted. Echinometra mathaei While technically not a fossil, these recently-deceased oblong urchins were too cool to leave alone. They belong to the species Echinometra mathaei which is the most common urchin in Hawaii. When it comes to fossils, understanding the original animal's behavior is a difficult task. In this instance, it's actually very easy as the living counterparts are literally all over the place. They are a burrowing urchin that use their spines and teeth to carve out rocky holes for hiding during the day. At night they leave to graze on algae. Makes me wonder what sort of neat behaviors are hidden amongst our local Cretaceous urchins here in Texas . Besides urchins, I also came across some beautiful Hawaiian Snakehead Cowries (Monetaria caputophidii) as well as one Granulated Cowry (Nucleolaria granulata). Both of which are endemic to Hawaii. Monetaria caputophidii Nucleolaria granulata That about sums up the Maui finds. This pushed me to do a little research on fossils in Hawaii and I was surprised to find on FF that Oahu was actually known to possess some Pleistocene reef. @hemipristis has a lot of great stuff on the island! I saw him mention finding teeth on one of Oahu's coasts in the Waimanalo Fm. I did a little satellite searching on that particular coast and found 3 potential spots to later check out. Oahu For those interested in the geology, the Waimanalo Formation is Pleistocene-aged limestone resting atop basalt at various points around the island. While the island is 3-4 million years in age, the Waimanalo Formation is only about 130 thousand. This age is significant because it aligns with the latest interglacial period known as the Eemian or Sangamonian Stage. Despite being nestled within glacial periods, this point in time was actually quite warm and sea levels were accordingly raised. The ocean was about 8 meters higher compared to today. It's fascinating to observe fossils from such a unique time period. Of the three potential sites, I was only able to find access to two. Of the two, one site was a bust and had no sign of the Waimanalo being completely volcanic. Thankfully, I found one amazing site. I made a brief initial visit where I hunted mostly the exposure itself. The finds were only invertebrate in nature consisting of gastropods, bivalves, and crab claws. These were cool, but they didn't meet my highest goal of finding a Hawaiian shark tooth. My family was waiting on me, so I didn't get the chance to browse the gravel talus underneath. On the last day of the trip, after some begging and various concessions, I was granted just one hour to hunt which I gladly took. I sprinted out to the site so as to not waste any time. It was hot and humid. The black lava rocks absorbed a lot of the heat and were uncomfortable to navigate, but that didn't dissuade me. In all the gravel there had to be at least one shark tooth. The first vertebrate find turned out to be bony fish. I've never found one of these before, but I've seen similar stuff across the web from around the world. These are usually referred to as pufferfish mouth plates, but they are actually from the family Diodontidae or porcupinefish/burrfish. This particular specimen was burnt orange and possessed partial jaw elements as well as fossilized worms tubes on its surface. I was leaping up and down! After reading more on the topic, it seems that this belongs to the genus Chilomycterus and perhaps the species C. reticularus commonly known as the Spotfin Burrfish (the only Chilomycterus species found in Hawaii today). Chilomycterus reticulatus jaw fragment Not too long after I found a couple more mouth plates, but this time not from a burrfish. Whereas burrfish (Chilomycterus) only have about 1-4 sheets exposed on their crushing dentition, porcupinefish (Diodon) have much more at 10-18 according to a conversation I found on ResearchGate. In Hawaii, the genus Diodon is represented by two species: the larger D. hystrix and smaller D. halocanthus. It's difficult for me to make a distinction between the two species, so I'll just have to stick with Diodon sp. for now. The first porcupinefish specimen was only a large broken half. The second specimen, however, is quite a beauty and one of my favorite fossils of all time! Diodon sp. in original matrix with volcanic inclusions This piece is about as Hawaiian as a fossil can get. The ancient reef bed the mouth plate is preserved in also features numerous small volcanic inclusions. After some time collecting the gastropods not already picked up from the prior visit, I stumbled upon what I had been dreaming of the entirety of my visit. Sitting plainly atop the rubble was a tan shark tooth in nice condition. I tried to milk the moment a little, picking it up slowly and soaking in every second. I was at a total loss for words and more or less silently slipped it into my pouch. It is likely from the species Carcharhinus melanopterus also known as the Blacktip Reef Shark and the most common shark in Hawaii today. I suppose there are many other Carcharhinus species present in the area, but I think Blacktip is the most likely. Before this tooth, my youngest shark was from the Eocene strata at the Whiskey Bridge. This was quite the temporal extension to my collection . Carcharhinus melanopterus At the very end of the hunt, I picked up a fragment of a shark tooth with fine serrations. I think it is likely also Carcharhinus melanopterus, but it's hard to say. Its size is very small. Carcharhinus melanopterus? So that about wraps up this unforgettable hunt! It's crazy to think that the second state I'd ever find a fossil on wasn't some place like Oklahoma. It's a surreal feeling to look at these various finds and imagine their lives 5 timezones away and 130 thousand years into the past. Hopefully you enjoyed reading this post almost as much as I enjoyed writing it! Here's the overview of the rest of the finds from Oahu: The species are based off of what I can find from modern Hawaiian waters Various crab bits Tellinella crucigera Quidnipagus palatam Unknown bivalve Ctena bella Unknown Monoplex nicobaricus? Cypraea sp. Nerita picea Peristernia sp.? Conus aff. spiceri Canarium sp.? Canarium sp.? Littoraria sp. Amplustrum amplustre? (Look up "Bubble snail") Morula lepida Ceritherium sp. Drupa aperta Cellana sp. Unknown Thanks for reading! Monachus schauinslandi

Hello. Took my daughter for a little adventure in the famed Calvert Cliffs area of the Chesapeake Bay yesterday. An insane amount of fossils there. anyway, we did manage to find these two teeth and was wondering if the knowledgeable people here can ID the species for me. I have some ideas based on online searching, but don't know enough to pin it down. they are both in prehistory e condition My daughter found them and the ear-to-ear grin was priceless. Thanks for any help.

I went to douglas point a few days ago, eager to get a large Otodus. What I did not expect to find was a skull fragment with teeth still embedded inside! None of the teeth are complete, but there is a lot of them, and it’s a pretty nice sized chunk of crocodile skull. I wasn’t even planning on doing douglas point that day, but we looked at both of the parking lots of both places, purse state, and douglas point, and I decided that zero cars was better than trying to navigate the beach with over 12 or so cars parked. There was no room for us to pull in anyways so I chose douglas point instead. The hunt started off very typically. I found a few goblins and sand tigers, some really nice bone fragments, and some busted up Otodus, one of which would have hit 1.75 if complete :(. But about half way through the trip, I found something odd. I thought it was one of the sandstone rocks from the zone 3 but it was colored brownish, so I picked it up and when I flipped it, there were rows and rows of teeth lining the bottom. I thought at first that I just found a jaw in the rock and did a little victory dance. It wasn’t until I investigated further that I came to realize that this was a piece of SKULL. WHAT?!?!? In my 10 years of collecting, I never would have thought that I’d ever find a skull. I was ecstatic! I will be taking this to the Calvert marine museum for further study and if they need this, I will give it up :(. That’s what a good scientist would do. Anyways, here are all the finds from that day. I found a lot. The whole haul: The whole haul flipped: Close up of the better stuff: I found 3 broken up Otodus teeth, a complete shark vertebrae, a scute, a coprolite with a fish scale inside, and a crocodile skull fragment. All the better stuff flipped: Underside of the skull: There are so many teeth in here! This is my first every crocodile skull, I’m now hoping to find the other pieces when I come back to this location. What a find! Coprolite: You can actually see what this animal had for lunch. This is a pretty neat fossil and would probably have been my favorite if not for the skull! Thank you for reading guys. I hope you enjoyed this trip report!

The first images are of a bone i am almost certain is non-fossilized but i could always be wrong! can anyone ID the species? Next images are of what i assume may be petrified wood, any chance it is? Its quite heavy for its small size, and has a wood-like texture. Then i have this black shell-like thing, unsure of it’s species but it is certainly something. Lastly i ID’d this tooth as a cretaceous thresher shark tooth- am i right? thank you for your help!

Hi, Would love help with IDs for the teeth in this photo. The bigger ones were found in Bawdsey and the smaller ones in Felixstowe in Suffolk, UK. Thanks!! Cait

Hello! I got back from some travels to Turkey (no fossil hunting there this time, I did however have some nice fossil gifts from the US I was bringing to my relatives seized by Turkish customs which was... fun) and immediately headed to Penn Dixie for the 2023 Dig with the Experts event, which was a huge success and had perfect weather for a very fun two days of collecting the NY Devonian. Found numerous nice prone trilobites, a good selection of the available brachiopods, and the absolute find of the weekend was a sizeable, possibly complete, head shield from a placoderm, which is a dream find for me as they're easily my favorite animals. It was beyond my skill to prep though so I will have to wait until next year to see it uncovered, which will be a great intro the event in 2024 . First, while I didn't do any collecting in Greece or Turkey, I couldn't help but find a few to take pictures of. The breakwater in Istanbul appears to be full of burrow fossils and one coiled cephalopod (maybe) that I'm unsure about the age on. Any ideas? It's likely rock either taken from the Bosporus or from nearby since the blocks are so huge. The next picture is from the walls surrounding the Parthenon in Athens, which I think I read is Cenozoic marine limestone. Next we have the pictures from Penn Dixie - the Placoderm (along with a nice bonus prone trilobite) is split in two and covered in glue so it looks pretty rough now, hopefully it emerges looking good on the other side of the prep process. Not having had enough, the following weekend we returned to NY to try out the famous Deep Spring Road locality which was amazing! My mollusk collection was greatly expanded and I came away with a small rolled Dipleura and the head of a Trimerus, along with a number of Geenops fragments and assorted other material. We also checked out the nearby Museum of the Earth in Ithaca which I highly recommend if you're ever in the area. Next is the Aurora Fossils Festival, which very much did not enjoy the same weather luck as Penn Dixie but was fun all the same. I came away with tons of teeth, my first semi-complete Meg, and two very nice sting ray spines. A nice quality cetacean vertebrae continues to elude me, but they're tough to find there anyway as everything gets so beat up it seems. I was excited to find a fair few complete mollusk shells as well of many different types. They're small but really pretty, they make a nice display! Lastly, a shoutout to the incredible mural at the Fossil Museum, another thing to definitely see if you're ever in the area.

Anyone can help me put a value or rarity on these teeth. ps: I know it is a undeveloped tooth, pretty cool to me. about 1.5 inches

hello everyone! These are Korean fossils I dug up a while ago! Age: Middle Miocene, Cenozoic Era Location: Pohang, South Korea 1. Cosmopolitodus hastalis. tooth(mold) 2. Carcharhinus sp. tooth(mold) The cast has not been preserved. 3. Leesquilla sp.(mantis shrimp) 4. Unidentified fruit 5.Boreotrophon xesta.(gastropod)

Ciao a tutti! Potete aiutarmi per favore a identificare i denti di questo squalo? Provengono da Ypresian del bacino di Ouled Abdoun. Dimensione circa 1 cm. Hi everyone! Can you please help me identify this shark's teeth? They come from Ypresian in the Ouled Abdoun basin. Size about 1cm.