Jump to content

Search the Community

Showing results for tags 'sharks'.

  • 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

  • Community News
    • Member Introductions
    • Member of the Month
    • Members' News & Diversions
  • Fossil Discussion
    • General Fossil Discussion
    • Questions & Answers
    • Fossil Hunting Trips
    • Fossil ID
    • Partners in Paleontology - Member Contributions to Science
    • Fossil of the Month
    • 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
  • 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. From the album: Cretaceous

    Scapanorhynchus texanus Goblin Shark Lower Lateral Tooth 1/2 inch across Upper Cretaceous Wenonah Formation Mattawan Group Ramanessin Brook Holmdel, N.J.
  2. Is there anyone else on here who collects large shark vertebra? I am mainly interested in the ones from the USA. Although I have a bunch of ones from Morocco and all of them, or at least, most of them are over 4 inches.
  3. Kolya

    Shark tooth for ID

    Hello! Help, please, to identify one old find tooth. Scale in mm, so height ~ 4 mm Western Ukraine. Age: Eocene. Thanks in advance!
  4. mpach033

    Help with shark tooth ID

    Here’s another one guys. Any idea what this one belongs to? It was also found in South Carolina.
  5. Hi everyone, my name is Gavin and I’d like to say hi. I am a Geology major that likes to dabble in the paleo world. My beginnings in fossil hunting were as a little kit with my parents but by the time I was in middle school I didn’t do it very often but after I got into a geology class in college I regained my passion for hunting and I’ve been going strong since last fall. I look forward to see what every one has to post! Posted below are some of my best sharks teeth finds so far.
  6. SawTooth

    Florida shark species

    Earlier today I thought that I should figure out what kinds of sharks teeth (that are possible to find in my area) I am missing in my collection, but to do that I need to figure out what there is to be missing. Does anyone have or know of a book, or just a general online list of every shark species that was, or still is in Florida, the books I have are either nonspecific, or not focused on Florida, I don't think I'm going to find a Greenland shark's tooth anywhere near here. Thanks!
  7. 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.
  8. The Ctenacanthiforms sharks emerged in the Late Devonian period and were one of the earliest evolutionary radiations in the Chondrichthyan lineage. They were also an incredibly successful group, surviving up to at least the Early Cretaceous in deep waters of what is now Southern France and Austria. Image of Reconstructions by J.P. Hodnett of some Ctenacanthid Sharks (the three yellow sharks) from Permian formations at Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, U.S. Image Source: https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/fossil-inventories-uncover-permian-sharks-in-western-national-parks.htm Unfortunately, this group is currently still relatively rarely studied by large sections of academia specializing in prehistoric sharks. This is the case even for species with preserved body fossils such as the magnificent, awe inspiring, and a personal favorite of mine, Saivodus striatus (Duffin and Glinter, 2006)! Duffin, C. J., & Ginter, M. (2006). Comments on the Selachian genus Cladodus Agassiz, 1843. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 26(2), 253–266. https://doi.org/10.1671/0272-4634(2006)26[253:cotsgc]2.0.co;2 However, one incredible genus that deserves more study and academic along with public spotlight is Amelacanthus (Maisey, 1982)!! Maisey, J. G. (1982). Studies on the Paleozoic selachian genus Ctenacanthus Agassiz. No. 2, Bythiacanthus St. John and Worthen, Amelacanthus, new genus, Eunemacanthus St. John and Worthen, Sphenacanthus Agassiz, and Wodnika Münster. American Museum novitates; no. 2722. https://digitallibrary.amnh.org/handle/2246/3536
  9. Meganeura

    STH Micro Matrix

    So I was recently lucky enough to very generously receive some amazing and very very rich STH micro matrix! So here’s the finds, ID help courtesy of @digit and @MarcoSr’s website. Starting off with the shark teeth - alongside the micro mix I was given a very nice C. planus tooth. So here’s that alongside the 2 C. hastalis teeth I found: Bigger other shark teeth - Negaprion, Carcharhinus: Squatina - Angel Shark: Squalus - dog shark: Cretorhinus - Basking Shark: Galeorhinus - Tope Shark: Symphyseal tope shark: Triakis sp. - Hound Shark: Heterodontus sp. - Horn Shark: Posterior: Anterior: Dermal denticles: Vertebrae and fish spines: Fish teeth: Pharyngeal fish teeth: Now onto the Ray teeth - Dasyatis and Gymnura cause I can’t tell the difference - there were SO MANY OF THESE! Easily 300+. The nuptial/male/breeding teeth from Dasyatis and Gymnura: Mustelus sp (Smooth-hound shark) and Rhinobatus sp. (Guitarfish) cause I really can’t tell the difference either: Mobula sp: And finally, the 3 Raja (Skate) teeth I found: There were a couple other finds - couple triggerfish teeth, a barracuda tooth, etc as well! I went through the matrix twice and I know I’ve missed stuff too. Im surprised I didn’t find any shark denticles, but ah well. Also not included is all the Ray mouth plates and broken shark and Ray teeth I found! Tons of stuff that I’m very happy with! If anyone wants pictures of anything in particular do let me know!
  10. This past Sunday I had the opportunity to join in a Dallas Paleo Society sponsored trip to the Ash Grove quarry in Midlothian, Texas. As with other quarries in this area, they are mining the carbonates of the Austin Group and often expose the Atco Fm. (Upper Cretaceous / Coniacian aged) near the base of the operations. In this case, the fossiliferous rock was found in various piles that had been moved aside during their work and usually can be identified by its grey color, speckled with black bits (the black bits either being fossils or phosphatic "pebbles"). Thanks go out to DPS for organizing this and to the Ash Grove quarry for allowing us in. Due to recent rains inundating an area of the quarry containing previously quarried material, we went to a very new part of the operations, where the sought after rock had just been dug up in the last week or so. Unfortunately, fossil hunting in this case greatly benefits from the rock having had a chance to weather so fresh stuff was not necessarily ideal, but the weather was fantastic, so that was good. The Atco is a marine deposit, part of the large inland waterway that cut north/south-ish across North America during much of the Cretaceous. It is a lag deposit , although the exact details of its deposition are the source of much debate. For most of the collectors on this trip, sharks teeth are the primary target, but there are other fossils to be found in the rock. First off, a couple of pictures of the group (there were about 50 participants) getting organized, heading down into the quarry and out collecting. A picture of the rock we were primarily searching for: Here is what I found. The last quarry trip in this area I was on, I came away with well over 100 small, but nice, teeth. This time was quite different, I probably only have a half dozen complete teeth, but a couple of pretty nice ones, so I was OK with that. This one looked really nice when I found it in the rock. The color was fantastic, a nice brown (almost all the teeth here are black), a little over an inch long blade (most teeth here are quite small), and very sharp edges still present. I cleaned it up a bit when I returned home and put a scale on it (increments are CM's). Unfortunately the root on this Cretoxyrhina mantelli is a little punky I think due to pyrite or some other diagenetic change. During cleaning a nice little tooth showed up just underneath (see third picture below) that looks like a little C. mantelli or a small Scapanorhynchus raphiodon posterior The other nice find of the day for me was a Ptychodus atcoensis, my best and largest Ptychcodus by far (I don't see these a lot in my collecting) and a new species for me. I neglected to take a picture that showed the whole rock it was in, about a grapefruit sized chunk of limestone but here is a close up of what was peaking out. When I returned home, I put my air scribe to work to see if it was complete or not, luckily it was and is in great condition. I have opted to leave it in the matrix for now and have trimmed down the rock to a more reasonable size. Lastly here are a few of the other fossils I picked up. A couple of bivalves (probably Ostrea for the small one on the left and Lopha for the larger) and then a chunk of what would have been a large Inoceramus which are quite common in this material. The fourth picture is wood I am told (I'm not a plant guy) which also was quite common in the the rock. That is all for now, thanks for taking a look. Mike
  11. Shellseeker

    Harvard MNH April 2023

    I wanted an adventure and my youngest niece is graduating from Boston University in a few weeks. Definitely worth a celebration. I booked a 6 am flight Saturday, landing in Boston at 10 am. I had about 6 hours before Emily was done with class. Commonwealth Avenue has a park like setting with statues and walkways going back a couple of centuries. I took a 4 mile walk through Boston Commons to the Boston Opera House. My primary contribution to the activities was a pair of tickets to the touring play "My Fair Lady" on Friday evening. We went to dinner and to the Play. Grand time was had by all. Emily had selected a fantastic lunch at the Tasting Counter, followed by a tour of the Harvard Museum of Natural History. We spent 3 hours viewing exhibits. We started in the Hall of Rocks and Minerals, A couple of interesting examples. Next into the glass renditions. In 1888, Harvard commissioned reproducing Flowering plants in glass. You can read about it here... https://hmnh.harvard.edu/glass-flowers In thousands of plants and Flowers, the creators included one insect buried deep in one flower. Unfortunately I did not get a photo. I did get a few photos of the plants.... a flower, a tree As I moved out of the Glass plant exhibits, I was looking for the marine and shark exhibits, I did not realize that many were a glass collection of Inverts: https://mcz.harvard.edu/blaschka-glass-invertebrates So, as I provide photos, think about whether you are looking at glass or a fossil..... Just below is a Dorsal Spike from Hybodus reticulatus (200 mya) So, Is that Meg glass ? How about the Sawfish Rostral ? This is Orodus ramosus tooth (300 mya) Just for you , Daniel... Hexanchus griseus Above Eryon arctiformis, Jurassic. Solnhofen, Germany Very impressive.. easy to stand and stare at each exhibit.. On to Cenozoic Mammals, I sometimes find many of their bones....I do not think these are glass.. Parahippus Teleoceras.... Those tusks seem small.. Look at those footbones. I have some.. Menoceras Jaw Articulated bones for Sloth, Osteoderms for Glyptodon.. an edge Osteoderms... and over this , I get to see it in place... This was a great afternoon, a nice gift from Emily.... Enjoy..
  12. I found this tooth at Sharktooth Hill near Bakersfield, CA. It is Miocene from the Round Mountain Silt. It doesn't quite match any of the specimens at Elasmo.com with Alopias latidens being the closest. It is one inch tall. Any helpful feedback would be very appreciated. Thanks and have a good one.
  13. dolevfab

    Shark/ray teeth ID help

    Hello everyone, I have a set of teeth from marine sediment of campanian age from the middle east. After many tries to identify, I couldnt pinpoint them exactly. Some of the rays feel like Rhombodus, but they are not a perfect match... I would Really appreciate any help! Please note there are 6 ray teeth total, just different sides. Also the drawing has (some of) the general types I could distinguish. Thank you! Dolev
  14. The Mississippi River has (in one form or another since the shrinking of the Western Interior Seaway) been flowing for 70 Million Years. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/geological-history-mississippi-river-180975509/ This may be more of a current biological rather than paleontological question, but I'm curious about the origin of the current chondricthyan diversity in the Mississippi River? Now a fair amount of you might be confused when I say "Chondricthyan diversity in the Mississippi River", but this is truly a cool case of truth stranger than fiction. The most famous species in this case is the Bull Shark (Carcharhinus leucas), a requiem shark able to tolerate both fresh and saltwater that had been confirmed to be recorded as far up the Mississippi River as Alton Illinois in 1935. Image credit: https://www.thetelegraph.com/insider/article/Researchers-affirm-two-bull-shark-sightings-16308838.php Shell, R., & Gardner, N. (2021, July 1). Movement of the Bull Shark (carcharhinus leucas) in the upper Mississippi River Basin, North America. Marine and Fishery Sciences (MAFIS). Retrieved February 12, 2023, from https://ojs.inidep.edu.ar/index.php/mafis/article/view/181 Shell, Ryan & Gardner, Nicholas & Hrabik, Robert. (2022). Updates on putative bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas) occurrences in the upper Mississippi River Basin of North America. 36. 10.47193/mafis.3612023010101. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/362847015_Updates_on_putative_bull_shark_Carcharhinus_leucas_occurrences_in_the_upper_Mississippi_River_Basin_of_North_America But these are not the only cases of Chondricthyans found in the Mississippi River as shown by the reports and articles here: http://chnep.wateratlas.usf.edu/upload/documents/Essential_habitat_of.pdf (Specifically pg. 10) Rafinesque, C.S. (1820) Ichthyologia ohiensis, or Natural history of the fishes inhabiting the river Ohio and its tributary streams, preceded by a physical description of the Ohio and its branches. W.G. Hunt, Lexington, Kentucky, 90 pp. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.6892 Jordan, D.S. and Evermann, B.W. (1896). The fishes of North and Middle America. Bulletin of the US National Museum 47:1-1240. https://www.actionnews5.com/story/12943330/memphis-woman-photographs-stingray-in-mississippi-river/ Today, the Mississippi River is one of the most industrialized rivers in the world, with many locks and dams in places that previously allowed Chondricthyans to enter as upstream as Alton Illinois. This is a phenomena that unfortunately is still occurring both in the US and across the world today from places as far away and China and Brazil, Pakistan to Russia, and Cambodia and Australia, disrupting natural river flows that make regions more prone to sever flooding effects and causing a terrifying decline in large bodied freshwater fish that migrant frequently across a whole rivers lengths (and also contributing to the Human induced climate crisis as all the dead animals that pile up at the bottom of these dams produce high amounts of methane). This phenomenon is also something I must add we as a species needs to address urgently and decisively by switching more to more renewable power sources like solar, install fish ladders and workable passages for fish to go around the dams, or legally breach the dams safely whenever possible. But not to get off track here, I'm still curious about the paleontological date of chondricthyans from the Mississippi River. How many fossils of brackish water sharks and rays have been found in the areas of the Mississippi River, was there a historically larger or smaller amount of chondricthyans in the Mississippi during the Late Pleistocene-Early Holocene, and why isn't (at least that I know of) the chondricthyans diversity in the Mississippi River even historically been as high as places as the Amazon river in Brazil? What do you guys think?
  15. harpercm3

    Personal Collection

    Here are some of the cool things I have found over the years!
  16. In 1995 (long ago...) a friend of mine and me digged at a highway-constructionsite in nw-germany. It was the Highway Nr. 2 between Gelsenkirchen and Gladbeck in famous Ruhrgebiet-Area. The construction site opens at a lenght of 3 km sandy sediments from middle Santonian, Zone of Uintacrinus socialis. We really found a lot..., beach sediments with everything from plants over echinoderms up to vertebrate fossils (some lang-living ones...), and stored it. Till now. Some weeks ago I started to clean, glue, sort..., to write a paper about it. Hope to finish in 2025, lot of work... I go to show piece by piece fossils from this site, might be one a day, might be one a week. depends. Start is a nice Cretalamna appendiculata, approx. 2 cm long, root is a little bit damaged.
  17. Late last year I received some micro matrix from @Notidanodon that he collected from the Isle of Wright (UK) out of the Greensand Fm. near Yaverland. This material is Lower Cretaceous, Albian aged. I have picked through much of it and have some questions on what I have found. I am not well versed in the fauna from this area and some internet searching has led me to some suggestions, but I'm hoping Will or some of our more experienced collectors from this area such as @Welsh Wizard, @Yoda, @Bobby Rico, and any others that I cant think of off the top of my head, can set me straight. #1. One of the more common (relative term) items I found were these small teeth that belong to some Chondrichthyian, but I am not sure which one. My first guess, based on what little bit I'm familiar with, was some sort of Sclerorhynchidae but I had some doubts due to a total absence of a root on these, then I saw some Hybodontidae (Lonchidion/Lissodus) were found in this formation and some looked similar but not exactly the same, and then otheers reminded me of some Rajiformes with the small lingual face that you can see on some of them. So here I am. They were relatively common so I'm sure someone will recognize them right off, even if the pictures are not ideal. These are about 2-4 mm at their widest. There could be several different types in here, so if you can just get me started with a genus or group, or want close-ups of a particular one, just let me know. #2. Next up are a bunch of shark teeth partials, most are probably too worn or fragmentary to ID, so that's OK. I just wanted to show what else was in the sample. Again, total width of the container is 2cm, so these are all less than 4mm. #3. I believe these to be a fish scale and found many references to Lepidotes, now known as Sheenstia, from this section and they look somewhat similar, so I just would like to confirm that. The largest one has a max. dimension of just under 5mm. #4. These are some other small teeth that may of may not be identifiable. 2-3mm #5. Next up is a small jaw fragment. I know it needs cleaned up some more, but it is somewhat fragile and I didn't want to poke at it too much just yet. Is this fish, something else, or impossible to say? Length is about 4mm. #6. And finally, some fish vertebrae. Again, no ID requested, just wanted to show what else was in the mix. I know reptiles and amphibians are found in this formation, I'm not sure I'm qualified to try and separate those out, especially since may of these are highly phosphatized (is that a word?). Thanks for looking and for any advice that can be offered. And thanks again to Will, for the interesting matrix. Mike
  18. erose

    Eagle Ford Sharks

    Does anyone know of a good resource for sharks in the Eagle Ford Group. In particular I am working on specimens that came out of the South Bosque Shale and the Condensed Zone below the Atco in Williamson County, Texas. I have a lot of reference material already but have no good faunal lists for vertebrates. PS I have good info on Ptychodus. It's the other sharks and fish I need. I'll try and posts some pics of the specimens as I can.
  19. Hey again everyone! I have a LOT of overdue trip reports, experiences, and finds I’d love to share. Ive been busy traveling around Texas exploring and having the best outdoor fun before I buckle down and start my academic journey. I want to start off saying Happy Holidays and Happy New Years to everyone here! I will never forget anyone who has been kind to helped me, especially this year, and I wish everyone only the best. I literally mean it! Some of you remembered me from years ago and scrambled to help me like a guardian angel- I’ll make you guys proud someday. These adventures are me trying and improving- handling life the BEST I can and spending time outdoors. This year for me has been… insane. Some of you already know this, if not long story short, only months ago I found out I was diagnosed with a serious and legitimate trauma-related amnesia where I lost most of my memory from a set of years which unfortunately included most paleontology related things I knew and did & any trace of my blossoming paleontology career when I was 17/18 years old when I even had a science job. During the pandemic I started remembering random terms & latin names, instinctively and luckily found my way back here but at that time only for collecting. It wasn’t until late summer this year I remembered who I actually was, what I wanted to DO and WHY I moved to Texas. The shock was… very intense. I have made phenomenal progress processing & accepting… having to relearn so much and move forward. The progress I’ve made in only months takes a lot of patients years to reach to my point of mental healing and I’m proud. I really believe if I keep at it I’ll catch up to my peers academically AND become closer to the person I used to be, become who I should have been by now. I’m even ready to relearn how to drive again so I can go on more adventures with other future paleontologists! This post is me trying my hardest and even seeing new things. My roommate is helping me study both for paleo-memory related things & for my placement test. Late in November I decided to join DPS! What better way to re-learn and meet people than to join a club. We went out on a private trip to the OK border and I instantly found a giant Eopachydiscus and a few other ammonites including multiple Mortoniceras & a baby Oxytropidoceras. Im actually working on a personal research paper for the giant ammonite- for FUN! I want to be able to publish this ammonite’s story someday- there appears to possibly be deep predatory teeth marks on one side of the “shell” and I want to know more about my prehistoric friend. That day was extremely important because I met Roger F. for the first time- the gentleman who co-wrote my TX Cretaceous shark book! He’s one of my favorite people now to talk to since we both love prehistoric sharks. I was SO flattered I was mentioned heavily in the December paleo newsletter for my recent finds- it’s reassurance that others see I already made significant progress! MORE PICTURES! In-situ too! Next adventure, I wanted to take a weekend off to explore the Red Beds of northwest Texas in early December! I went to the Seymour Whiteside museum and to try to find my own Permian freshwater shark Orthacanthus teeth! I came out here to also see an artist friend but I also accidentally met one of my female paleontologist heros, legendary Holly Simon, and she presented me with an Otodus meg. shark tooth- wished me luck on my paleontology career. I wasn’t prepared! While Mesozoic marine vertebrates are my career-goal focus I thought it would be fun to get my nails ruined in that red Permian soil and learn about other animals- especially Xenocanthids! The Diplocaulus on display were adorable. Ya’ll should definitely visit the Whiteside Museum of Natural history! MORE PICS Excited to get my own hands dirty and 3 hotel muffins later- we drove waaay out across Archer & Navarro formations to find a good public exposure. Some great nature shots! I found a giant centipede exo which I took home! I found an excellent exposure which we actually used a Permian lithography map of a formations in Utah (same age!) to help locate a layer where the teeth could be! (Successful btw!) I saw what I needed and scooped up some of this gravely stuff the rain washed out in a baggie for later. I surfaced picked a tiny microfossil fish tooth (?) and later when I got home- MY PRIZE! Tiny little Orthacanthus microfossil! When we were actually there we tried looking through the gunk and wet sieving it in the creek with no luck of a larger tooth. We were also very close to Wellington Formation in OK and another day took a trip out there. That drive was wild because we drove through a park for a picnic area that had like 15 wild turkeys appear out of nowhere running around and they were even falling out of the trees over us! It happened so fast… I couldn’t react to take a photo but I have an IG vid of it. We drove around EVERYWHERE in search of a famous pond- now super closed to the public btw. I eventually found out where it was and we got as close as we could in the “creek” off the roadside without actually potentially trespassing. I lucked and found the TINIEST gravely spot in the “creek”of what I was looking for, crossing my fingers, scooped a baggie for home. SUCCEESS AGAIN! Two more teeth and wow different color than my Texas one! I still have most of the bag to sift through! We drove alll that way. For micro freshwater shark teeth. xD MORE PICS TO BE CONTINUED- Reached photo MB limit
  20. ThePhysicist

    Isurolamna inflata tooth

    From the album: Sharks

    Early mackerel shark, I believe this is the earliest (if not among the earliest) of the Lamnid sharks (Late Paleocene-Early Eocene) - a family represented today by the extant great white shark, makos, porbeagle, and salmon shark.
  21. My kiddo and I made a trip to our favorite cretaceous spot in central Texas. We've been hoping to find a certain type of rock with the hopes of finding a coniasaur or other cenomanian or turonian treasures. This trip a found a medium sized slab in about 8 inches of water. The slab showed white shells and was crumbly. I gently overturned it and took a look. I was very surprised to see a pliosaur tooth. I knew it was possible at this site but I didn't expect to find one. Unfortunately, my faithful assist had slipped and fallen in the water and was now shivering so I decide to pack up the rock and take it home. To give it a shower. In the bathtub. I then sorted through the flaky, sandy dark shell-filled shell. It really smelled like petroleum, and was loaded with teeth and bits. Long story short. I found a nice pliosaur tooth, what I think is a plesiosaur tooth and plesiosaur paddle bone. I also found a knobby, circular-ish dark bone piece, and some sort of fang/claw... The knobby thing is probably a mosasaur kneecap or fossilized snake head. We also found some shark teeth, and hunk of flaky fish bone. It was a fun hunt and I hope I'm right about the plesiosaur tooth and paddle bone, and the mosasaur kneecap or fossilized snake head! Jackito
  22. My husband and I went on a little "tour" of Mississippi on a three part "hunting" trip....for fossils, ancestors and ghosts. Before you get all grammatical, I didn't hunt my ancestors, but I did hunt for their gravesites. I have ancestry 7 generations back in the Natchez area of southern Mississippi and had been there a few times for family reunions while growing up. But it's been at least 35 years since I was last there. So we decided to make a little road trip around the state to visit not only my ancestors, but also a tour of as many Native American mounds as we could fit in the trip - from Vicksburg to Natchez (Emerald Mound and Grand Village) to Clarksdale (Winterville Mounds and the "Crossroads" if you are a blues fan) to Tupelo and back to Texas (via Toltec Mounds in Arkansas.) And of course, my husband did his ghost hunting (we always stay in haunted hotels and B&Bs- we both hunt old dead things....in our own way hahahah) and I did a little bit of Fossil hunting....not as much as I would have liked because THREE of my scouted spots were bunk. Nothing in two spots, just some busted oysters in a third spot. But I did make it to the Browning Fossil Park and while I was not exactly prepared for the very very cold and muddy waters, I did at least bring a hand shovel and a sieve so was able to get myself a half bucket of matrix to bring home to look at at my leisure. AND I found two little crinoids on the Mississippi river because it was historically low and you could walk out quite a ways. So here are some of my fossil finds and some random Mississippi pics for you to enjoy. My VERY BEST FIND: 1. Shark Odontaspis sp. 1/4 inch 2. I think this is a Scyliorhinus sp. but the tip curves WAY up, so I may be wrong on my ID. Size 1/8 inch 3. A few Sawfish Ptychotrygon triangularis 1/8 inch 4. Another Ray Top Row: Brachyrhizodus mcnultii Bottom Row: not sure...maybe fish tooth 5. More Fish Teeth: Top L: Hybodus or Pycnodonte, Top R: Xiphactinus sp Bottom L : Unknown Bottom R: Enchodus sp. 6. Top Row: Unknown...couldn't find any info. If anyone knows, please enlighten! Bottom Row: might be Barnacle Zeugmatolepas sp. ? 7. Top Row: I love these things...I'm guessing they are a worm tube of some kind Bottom Row: Echinoid Spine 8. I think the top row black one is a Crinoid...I thought it was a vertebra at first, but the ring on the outside makes me think crinoid...plus I did find the one little yellow crinoid. SO not a lot of finds, but I am happy with what I ended up with....at least I ended up with something! Here's the crinoid I found on the Mississippi river...it's a nice big one! the mighty Mississippi at sunset in Natchez a turtle at the cemetary our sharecroppers cabin in Clarksdale (The Shack Up Inn is a great place to say, y'all)
  23. Need help identifying these teeth. Some look so similar and I can’t be sure which shark they’re from. I am an armature enthusiast! thanks in advance! You guys are great!
  24. WOW, what a day! Today I had the pleasure of finally meeting @Jared C after over a year of reading his trip reports and admiring all of the incredible finds he's made exploring the Cretaceous formations of Central Texas. We have a lot in common: both of us are pursuing a career in paleontology, are both (almost) the same age, and are both attending universities in-state that are only an hour and a half away from each other. Needless to say, I can't believe it took us this long to finally go on a hunt together. Jared drove up from his new place in College Station this morning to meet me at my apartment and from there we set off in search of an exposure of the Eagle Ford formation I wasn't sure existed. Last spring I became very active in the geology society here at Baylor, and as a result I found a treasure trove of old literature published by the university in the '70's and '80's. More than a few of the many booklets, articles, and papers I searched through contained almost exact directions to several interesting locales that were apparently known for producing vertebrate material, specifically shark teeth. I cross referenced Google Maps, marked the spots likeliest to be the ones I had read about, and then....did nothing. I was a little too busy with school work at the end of last semester to have the energy to go scout out new locations with a high probability of finding nothing, and so I sat on the information I'd found. Flash forward to earlier this week when Jared and I were talking to each other on Instagram about the incredible plesiosaur tooth he recently found and the topic of the exposure I had read about got brought back up. It wasn't long before he had made plans to visit and help me do some legwork in a formation he was much more familiar with than myself. Just after noon we arrived at the spot. Getting to the location I had predicted to be the exposure was incredibly easy, and in no time my hunch was proven right when we found ourselves facing a steep wall of grey shale. It's worth saying now that I'm a believer in luck, specifically as it relates to fossil hunting trips. Almost all of my best finds have been found when I was with other people. With Jared being so notorious here on the forum for the insane rarity of some of his finds, I had high hopes that some of that luck would rub off on me today - and it seems like it did! Less than a minute after arriving at the Eagle Ford exposure I spotted a Squalicorax falcatus tooth lying on top of some loose shale. I was incredibly excited, as the only shark teeth I've ever found coming fresh out of the formation they originated from is the Grayson that's exposed most famously at the Waco Pit. Even better, finding a tooth this fast meant that that there must be a lot more to be found. Jared congratulated me on the find and the two of us immediately started scanning the shale for a line of shell hash that might indicate more teeth. After what could only have been two or three minutes at most, I laid eyes on my best find to date. Sandwiched between a couple of roots and a thick layer of sandstone was a line of tooth sockets extending directly back into the wall of shale. If I thought I had been excited by the shark tooth just a few minutes prior, I was wrong - NOW I was excited! After several exclamations of "oh my god I found a jaw!" Jared hustled back over to where I was standing and confirmed that yes, my eyes weren't deceiving me. We took a bunch of pictures from several different angles of the bone as it was without being disturbed in case it turned out to be a significant find or if there was articulated material covered up by the shale. Here's a view of the shale wall with my gardening knife marking the spot just below where the jaw was located: After examining what portions of the jawbone we could see that were already exposed, Jared ruled out marine reptile pretty fast. That left bony fish as the only real contender. Based on the shape of the jaw and the differently-sized sockets, I reasoned that we had a Xiphactinus on our hands. With a tentative ID, probably as many pictures taken in the span of a few minutes as possible, and the exact location marked on my phone, all that was left to do was excavate the fish. This proved to be incredibly challenging. Shale is a lot easier to separate and break apart than something like limestone, but unfortunately it's also more similar to soil - roots surrounded the fossil on almost all sides and would be a pain to remove. Jared's pocketknife and the serrated edge of my gardening knife were both pretty blunt, but after several minutes' worth of sawing away we were able to remove the offenders and clear away some of the overburden in the process. What was immediately clear was that what was exposed wasn't a jawbone, but instead the maxillary, with what seemed like a fair amount of the skull and facial elements attached. Traversing the rest of the exposure to find more shark teeth no longer seemed like the direction the day was headed, but to say I didn't mind would be an understatement! During the hours we spent crouched amongst the loose shale, slowly chipping away at the earth around the fossil with a dental pick and a knife, I was immensely glad that I had waited to explore this location with someone else who knew what they were doing when it came to articulated remains (and in this formation no less!), as I had never come across anything like it before. Jared's knowledge from his mosasaur excavation and time spent in the Hell Creek was a lifesaver. Thankfully he had also decided on a whim this morning to bring Paraloid pellets and acetone which saved us a trip to the local Lowe's. After a while it became clear that there wasn't an end to the fish in sight and more overburden shale would need to be cleared out of the way before we continued any farther. Jared produced a roll of aluminum foil from his backpack and we got to work wrapping what was already exposed. Once protected by the foil, the risk of falling shale damaging the fossil was greatly decreased. Once the overburden was cleared it was time to get rid of some more pesky roots. Distinguishing between shale and bone became increasingly difficult as the hours wore on. In many places the bone was the exact same color as the shale that surrounded it. As a result, a couple of pieces were broken off by accident, however, videos were taken explaining where they came from before they were glued back into place. After a while Jared and I both needed a break and some time to stretch our legs. We ended up following the exposure further away from the direction we came from. I followed Jared, and so I squinted my eyes to try and see if I could spot a shark tooth he might have overlooked. That's why I was so surprised when I found an ammonite right next to the snakeskin he'd just been examining. Jared had just started walking away again when I pulled the ammonite out of the shale, flipped it over, and spotted a tiny Ptychodus tooth clinging to the underside of it. After getting home and pulling the tooth out of the matrix tonight, my best guess is that it's a posterior tooth from Ptychodus anonymous, one of the more common species from the Cenomanian; although decurrens is also a possibility. On our way back to the dig site Jared spotted a large slab of limestone with some really eye-catching gastropod internal molds. I wonder why they all seem to be facing the same direction? Finally, after several more hours spent uncovering and preserving the sections of bone we could see, the sun was beginning to set and that meant it was time to leave. The chances of getting the skull out in one piece before we left were looking very unlikely. Jared had initially been optimistic and I wanted to be as well as I knew the forecast for this upcoming week looks like multiple days of rain. Unfortunately it just wasn't doable. We both decided it would be best to cover up the bone still in place with tinfoil and take the assorted loose fragments with us. I took another look at what he had exposed and did a quick mockup later of what the portion of the skull I think we uncovered today looks like (although it's debatable whether or not the orbital is part of that portion just yet): All-in-all, today was one of the best days of fossil hunting I've ever experienced, made even better by great company, amazing finds, good weather, and excellent ice-cold lemonades from Sonic after Jared and I headed home. Some time this week I plan to speak with the paleontology professors at Baylor that I know personally and get their opinion on what should be done next. There is obviously more bone to be found than just what Jared and I were able to uncover today, and I don't have the equipment or the expertise needed to do it properly. Luckily I know quite a few graduate geology students who would be more than willing to help. With the direction of a professor or two we should be able to get the fish out in one piece. I'll make sure to keep everyone posted! I know this is just the sort of thing that I'd be waiting every week to hear more about. Until then.... - Graham
  25. JakubArmatys

    Cretaceous Shark Tooth?

    Anybody can identify this Tooth? Found in cretaceous, turonian sandy-limestone in Poland (Tyniec, Cracow). I think it's a Shark Tooth, or other fish but I don't know which exactly.
×
×
  • Create New...