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Hello Everyone! Seems to be a good bit of interest in this topic, so I thought I’d make a little summary on what types of crocodilians you may find along the Calvert cliffs. Most of this information is gleaned from Dr. Robert Weems’ “Crocodilians of the Calvert Cliffs” in Geology and Vertebrate Paleontology of Calvert Cliffs, Maryland, USA, available freely by clicking the underlined portion. I encourage you to read that for more detail. If you have anything to add or you notice any mistakes, please let me know! Thecachampsa This genus is the only described genus along the cliffs, of which two species are described in this area. Among extant (living) creatures, it is most closely related to the false gharial. All large non-shark coprolites along the cliffs are assumed to be produced by Thecachampsa. Their vertebrae, like all reptile vertebrae, have a convex side and a concave side, making their vertebrae look like they have a ball and a socket. Their osteoderms are distinctive, with thick, blunt sections between the pits. Osteoderm associated with T. sericodon, from “Geology and Vertebrate Paleontology of Calvert Cliffs, Maryland, USA”

I have been asked this question many times. The non avian Dinosaurs died out the the end of the Mesozoic but many other animal groups survived. Among them were the Crocodilians. And people ask me all the time how they survived while the Dinosaurs didn't. So this has inspired me to make my first video on my dedicated Paleontology channel, Paleo Analysis. I am making these videos for the purpose of education so feel free to share this video as well as future videos! https://youtu.be/Gan8Vu4oM0w

Hey all, yesterday my wife (CCNHM collections manager Sarah Boessenecker) and I wrote about some of our recent finds from Folly Beach, SC. Collecting fossils there is quite easy, and if you're there for non-shark teeth, there's essentially no competition since that's all anyone ever looks for there. The fossils of Folly Beach have never been written up, and I'm getting more and more curious about them - particularly fossil marine mammals. If anyone finds marine mammal earbones out there, I'm dying to take a look! We've already gotten a nice donation from Ashby Gale, Edisto SP ranger, of a pygmy sperm whale periotic. Here's the blog post with some images of our recent finds - including my first giant armadillo scute (Holmesina), an Alligator osteoderm, various shark and mammal teeth, and a snake vertebra. I've made a plan to go out to Folly once a week this entire semester, since it's only a 15-20 minute drive from College of Charleston (a very nice escape from campus and teaching) http://blogs.cofc.edu/macebrownmuseum/2017/02/03/friday-fossil-feature-it-would-be-folly-to-pass-this-site-up/