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Hi, I found these while hunting on private land outside of Big Bend park near Terlingua, TX. I found them on the surface near a collapsing hillside in a creek bed. The two that look like bone I found within feet of each other. Any info that you could give me on these would be greatly appreciated. Are they even fossils?
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Since 1979 I have been going out to Big Bend National Park (and surrounding areas) in the Spring (for Spring Break during school and then whenever I could manage to get away. didn't make it every year, but almost!) so when March rolls around I get itchy to get out there. It's been a few years since I have been able to go - life gets in the way! But this year it was my 50th birthday March 1st, so instead of the original trip to Disney World (thanks stupid Covid) I got to go spend a week in another of my most favorite places! Of course that meant I got to do a little fossil hunting too! I had never done much fossil hunting out in the Terlingua area so I contacted a friend who hooked me up with another friend who was going to take us to some fossil spots. Sadly, he ghosted me and I didn't end up having a guide. So I tried to find some likely spots (geo maps and such) but didn't really find much of anything except one lovely Ram's Horn oyster (Illymatogyra arietina) and a lot of Inoceramus clams. I found the local Rock Shop (Many Rocks) and dropped some "hints' that I was looking for fossil spots, but no luck! But he did sell me a lovely glom of broken ammonites with irridescent nacre (doesn't show up in the pic, sadly) for a whopping $5! I asked if they were found locally and he said yes, so I will believe him. hahaah! In the "Gift Shop" of the Easter Egg Valley where we stayed: My one "good find" in Terlingua: Illymatogyra arietina A clump of irridescent ammonite chunks Big Bend Park was amazing as always. It felt so good to be back out there. Being the first week of March, there were relatively few people which was great. Of course we stopped by the new Dinosaur Exhibit and it is truly amazing. My father is a Geographer and developed a Nature and Heritage Tourism minor at Texas State University and is a consultant for local, national and international groups about interpretive geography and he said it was one of the best examples he's seen. I hadn't stopped by the dino exhibit since the late 80s - when it was practically a shed with a glass case of fossils - to see this amazing new structure with interactive exhibits and beautifully done (albeit replicas) displays of the creatures found out there was a surprise. If you squint and use your imagination, you can see the T-Rex I found in Tuff Canyon..... The New Dino Exhibit (opened a few years ago) We stayed the last night in Marathon - a funky little town which has both changed a lot over the years (more tourism, bars etc) but also stayed the same...... funky desert town where anything goes.... But fortunately, I knew of a good fossil spot there so at least I got some REAL fossil hunting done! A little outcrop of Pennsylvanian Era yielded some good stuff! Two Corals that I have been hoping to find and a couple of other nice things. Not sure if this is a Gastropod or a Goniatite. 1 1/2 inch My next favorite find - I think it is a clump of Zaphrentis coral Size 1 1/2 inch I've been looking for one of these at a variety of Pennsylvanian spots....my mom found it in Marathon! Palaeacis sp. Size 1 1/4 inch Another nice rugose coral Size 1 inch a Stratiapora coral Size 2 inches and finally, I'm not sure what this is....if anyone knows, I'd appreciate an ID! 1 inch top bottom Some Critters Cottontails who live in Easter Egg Valley...appropriate. A Raven A Coyote having lunch A Roadrunner asking for some lunch and some random shots
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Hello, I found the stone in the attached image among loose rocks on the ground on a ranch near the Chisos and Christmas Mountains between Study Butte and Terlingua, Texas near Big Bend National Park. When I found it, about 3/4 of the darker area, which appears to be some type of fossil, was exposed, which gave it the appearance of a small worm. But as a scraped it with a flat-head screwdriver, it turned out to be a closed structure with a depressed region in the center. I thought it might be a trilobite due to the shape, but having seen the trilobite fossils on this site and others, it doesn’t really look like one. The only other thing I can compare it to is a molar (tooth) about twice the length of a human’s, but smaller than s horse’s. The rock seems to be some kind of sandstone or limestone, which is consistent with formations in that area. The darker area is significantly harder than the surrounding rock. I have removed around 1/16” around and above the darker area, but figured I would consult the experts before continuing, as I’m not sure if it’s anything of interest and don’t want to waste time if it’s not, and if it is, I don’t want to damage it, as I would imagine that attacking it with a screwdriver isn’t the proper method of extraction. Any ideas and/or suggestions are greatly appreciated!
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- big bend
- far west texas
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