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Too hot to get out much and lots of competition on the beach (or at least footprints). More beach glass than teeth lately. Here's from several trips: Drum and angel (side one): drum and angel, side 2: Shrimp coprolite burrows (evidently those looking for teeth ignore these): Some teeth (rootless mako and sand tiger symphyseal), skate spikes, broken vert:

A quick note from my last few hunts. The water is cold but clear and I have been finding several shrimp coprolite burrows three of my last four trips. Sometimes 4 to 8 small teeth, sometimes double that. Have been looking hard for the makos which appear in the winter, and quickly pocketed what I thought was a nice one (but smaller than the mako I posted last week; added for scale to some scans). When my 8 year old niece saw it, she said ,"that's a megalodon tooth!" and looking closely I saw she was correct, fine serrations and the bourlette. About 2 1/2 inches with only the tip missing serrations. Will try to catch up with other finds later, but this is the first whole, decent (though small) meg I have found in five years! They do exist at this beach after all (still very rare).

Made two back-to-back trips to the beach, the first trip had too much surf, the second too high a tide. We had a wind storm from the north and I expected stuff on the beach (but a quick glance at the tide lines left on the beach revealed nothing but shells.) First day didn't find much, surf was strong and I lost three in the crashing waves. It was warm out, and i tired of chasing the little teeth. Today was better results-wise. Much cooler and a manageable dropping tide. Walked up and down the beach picking up the occasional tooth (always amazes me that you can find teeth every pass, must be uncovered in the wash, which wasn't moving them today). Good day for makos-- three, one inch long and one or two smaller ones. The shell line in the wash was much thinner than usual, maybe made the teeth easier to see? The shrimp coprolites were deeper in the water than the teeth.

Had some windy days and had high hopes of finding nice stuff on the beach. had recent back and hip issues, but figured the exercise of bending over to check would help, just made me sore! Two recent trips were similar. Early morning trip was cold, with a crashing surf. Water high and dirty, found nothing much (a box turtle carapace and part of its plastron, but recent. Picked up lots of curious wood and rocks). Returned yesterday, much warmer, and water lower, and the same crashing surf. Found nothing much in the first two hours, but enjoyed walking and checking stuff on the beach. Ospreys and terns were plentiful. The wind died and the first five feet or so along the shoreline became visible, and I suddenly started finding stuff! Two shrimp coprolite burrows, and two others that may be conceretions; will be more clear when completely dry. A one and a half inch mako (not broad or narrow?) with a reddish cast around the edges and a midget mako. A few other skate and usual small beach teeth. I saw two points in the sand and initially thought cow shark, but when I picked it up it was what I believe is a seal tooth (one IDed here years ago). Three roots (two perpendicular to the tooth) and a small cusp/ blade (not sure if intact?) Good trip, finally!

Even though the tide sucks and it was difficult to get up early with dark cloudy skies, it is WARM (though the water lags behind), so I had to get out. The tide lines of shells had been spread out more evenly on the beach and I hoped to find stuff there. But first I walked the incoming tide with surprisingly little to show for it (three sand shark, one decent tiger shark and three shrimp coprolite burrows (still drying). Lots of small "whale bone" pieces. Also a flat piece with scales(?) almost painted with enamel, that is flaking off?? (I default always to turtle.) Walking the beaches I was disappointed; possibly the lack of sunshine and the black bits of leaves and wood just overwhelmed my teeth spotting abilities (i'm half blind). I decided to root around where I had found my half of a megalodon a few days ago, wishful thinking, and while no meg I found a nice 2" mako lying out in the open . Don't think it was there a few days ago. Hunted the rough stuff high on the beach hard but nothing else interesting. But the nice weather and mako and shrimp coprolites turned it into a decent two hour trip trip.

After a couple of trips with four or five small teeth and nothing much else, I returned to the beach at low tide after a NW wind storm and found several of these callianassid "burrows". They tend to be cylindrical with a flattened end, solid and heavy for their size, and stay with the last line of shells in the water. heavier I guess. Unlike the shark teeth, which can be almost anywhere on the beach but usually are most obvious in the wash. The burrows (brown, dark gray or black in the water) tend to be darker (mass of coprolites?) on one (bottom?) side. I found the longest (3 1/2") this trip, and although none are "beautiful" the rod-shaped coprolites become more and more obvious as they dry. Need a good north wind on this beach on the south side of the Rapp for these things to show in abundance (teeth often seem to be covered under the same conditions). Tried another beach and my eyes were overwhelmed with small (1-3") rusted pot metal pieces (not many shells) which make it difficult to find anything really interesting; will try again.