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Hi everyone! I recently uploaded a pair of expedition videos to YouTube from my September trip to some late Triassic beds in northern Arizona. If you're an old school Walking With Dinosaurs fan, you may be interested to know that this spot is quite close geographically to the famed Placerias Quarry whose fossils were hugely influential in the making of Episode 1, "New Blood". I, and I suspect many of you as well, found WWD and its spinoffs to be easily the most captivating natural history documentaries of their time, and I credit its opening act taking place in my home state as playing an influential role in why I ended up in this field of study. I spend more of my time these days working in Cretaceous rocks than anything else, so coming back to the Triassic is something of a homecoming for me. Fossils at this locality are abundant but frequently in rough shape, since they begin to erode and fragment while still several inches below the surface. Teeth, like the phytosaur crown above, hold up better and are usually among the best finds of each trip. I also collected some fragments of metoposaur skull or clavicle (watch the second video in particular if you're interested in these guys!) but I will hold off until I've finished gluing the pieces together before sharing here. 😉 While large stretches of Chinle beds in northern Arizona are now federally protected under Petrified Forest National Park, these protected areas do not extend over the entirety of Arizona's late Triassic province. A short walk away from where I collected fossils is this massive excavated pit that has cut down through the fossil-bearing layers. This burial site of over 200 million years will soon become a landfill for human waste. I think this is an important reminder of why we collect fossils in the first place: 'everything not saved will be lost'.

Found these today. At first I thought it was a cone shell because of the overall shape. But when I cleaned it off I thought it was Strombus floridanis but the the heavy lines on the body and fine lines on the top threw me. The coral is interesting but unknown to me. Any feed back is appreciated.

The one on the right I found about 2 years ago and put it aside thinking it was just an oddball worn shell. BUT THEN, I was digging in the same area today and the one on the left appeared. Although a bit worn it is the same as the one I found a few years back. Could it be 2 oddball very worn shells or something else?

Anadara aequalitas has extra ridges on the outer lip. Is that common? Also looks like someone made a permanent home inside. Barnacle I’m assuming.

This shell is very unusual on the exterior. Ridges going vertical and horizontal. Interior has ridges deep inside. Welk family

Dug these this afternoon. First photo Vermetus carolinensis (I believe) and Hindsiclava antealesidota. Second and third photos left Melongena penningtonorum (a guess!) and shell on the right I cannot find one that matches. Third, fourth and fifth I have no clue! Any help will be appreciated.

found this on a dig today. Checked a number of different sights on bivalves but nothing that comes close. Any help is much appreciated!

These barnacles seem to be attracted to Hystrivasum (possibly Olssoni)

Was doing usual digging behind my commercial building when I turned this over. Just some well placed barnacles! Little spooky

I usually don’t keep a lot of bivalves. But this one was different in its overall look. Closest I can find is Mercenaria campechiensis. But I am not convinced. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Found in landfill behind my building. Can’t seem to find pictures or info. Any help (as always) well appreciated