Looking for a place to collect fossil marine seashells in Ft. Myers, Florida area

[Gregory Kruse]

Hello everyone,

 

I am traveling from Wyoming to south Florida   in the Ft. Myers area.  I am really interested in visiting one of the quarries where I can collect fossil marine seashells.  I know about Ruck’s pit but looking for something else.  Please let me know if you have any suggestions or ideas for old abandoned pits in the Ft. Myers area. Thank you thank you in advance!

[caldigger]

Scout out road construction piles?

[FossilDAWG]

18 minutes ago, caldigger said:

Scout out road construction piles?

I have been told this is an excellent way to get charged with felony trespassing in Florida these days.  Perhaps some of our Florida members can comment.

 

Don

[Gregory Kruse]

Thanks all! - I won’t bother any active sites or “fresh piles”.  Any other comments would be helpful.  I’ve found that old lots in Cape Coral are really productive. This is where the canals have been dredged.  I’ve found a few Strombus (sp?) species in these lots. No one bothers me there. 

[caldigger]

5 hours ago, Gregory Kruse said:

I've found a few Strombus (sp?) species in these lots. No one bothers me there.

Likely more different shells where they came from!

 

[Bone Daddy]

We rented a condo in Sanibel Island for a few days and the landscaping fill was fossil shells - thousands of them. I spent half the vacation picking through the flower beds looking for specimens. I took home a bag full of choice pieces. City and county governments often use them as fill for landscaping in parks and other public spaces. Just keep your eyes peeled. Fossil shells are literally everywhere down here.

 

[racevw112]

We do the same thing in Sanibel....  You can look on the causeway to and from Sanibel as well, found lots there.

[FossilDAWG]

The shell beds have been widely used as fill, so fossil shells can pop up in lots of places that are perfectly legal to hunt.  To clarify my earlier post, what I have heard is that you should avoid hunting the mounds of shells you might see at active highway construction sites.  If someone is around, I suppose there is no harm in asking permission to take a look.  Just don't assume no-one will mind if you help yourself.  It could be a vacation-ruining experience.

 

Don

[Gregory Kruse]

Thank to everyone for the suggestions and other details on how you have discovered fossils.  I wanted to keep this post going for a little while longer so I will post creative ways on where and how to find fossils in southwest Florida!

[sssfrs]

How do you know if the shells are fossil shells or just recent ones?

[Shellseeker]

3 hours ago, sssfrs said:

How do you know if the shells are fossil shells or just recent ones?

In general, recent ones are VERY colorful.  Fossil seashells are generally a monochrome white or light cream color...

 

It is easy,

 

[dalmayshun]

 a another somewhat overlooked area, are the canal banks that are lined with riprap...most of it has shell impressions...I have found some nice corals among the "stones"...again, pick an area that is isolated. The piles along old canals in Cape Coral have been productive for me as well....And the Causeway to Sanibel has many common fossil shells...occasionally even a rare one. Best of luck. Our weather has been wonderful, so enjoy. Do keep in mind, all construction sites in Fla are no trespassing, posted or not. So you have to pick and choose those wisely. Often  you will see piles graded along the edge of easements...that is where I walk and look, and no one has bothered me there. It is those sites with machinery that the police really watch, because we have so much theft in the construction industry....they dont want anyone messing with them, or hauling their equipment away. 

[Gregory Kruse]

On 2/13/2020 at 12:37 PM, FossilDAWG said:

The shell beds have been widely used as fill, so fossil shells can pop up in lots of places that are perfectly legal to hunt.  To clarify my earlier post, what I have heard is that you should avoid hunting the mounds of shells you might see at active highway construction sites.  If someone is around, I suppose there is no harm in asking permission to take a look.  Just don't assume no-one will mind if you help yourself.  It could be a vacation-ruining experience.

 

Do

[Gregory Kruse]

Thank you to everyone for your suggestions!  I have found many spots to find fossils.  One of the most productive places was at Babcock, a newly developed community and golf course. Attached some photos.