Birthday weekend along the Calvert Cliffs

[bthemoose]

I celebrated my birthday recently with three days of shark tooth hunting along Maryland's Calvert Cliffs (Miocene exposures) and had a blast, despite the hot and muggy weather. I still haven’t found that elusive Meg, but I added some great new finds to my growing (since January) collection!

 

Day 1: Matoaka

 

For the first day, I went to Matoaka. Low tide was in the early morning and I wanted to beat both the heat (as much as possible) and crowds, so I got up bright and early, arriving just after sunrise. I’m pretty sure I was the first one on the beach as I didn’t see any footprints in the sand and didn’t see anyone else until I doubled back later in the day.

 

 

I didn’t find any particularly large teeth but I did find several firsts: my first “cookie” (cetacean epiphysis); first barracuda tooth; first thresher shark (Alopias sp.) tooth, I think; and first Miocene croc tooth (a bit worse for wear).

 

 

 

I also found a root worn Carchardon hastalis (above on the far right) and a few dozen other teeth (Hemipristis serra, Physogaleus contortus, Galeocerdo aduncus, Carcharhinus sp., and Negaprion eurybathrodono) in various conditions, shown below.

 

[bthemoose]

Day 2: Calvert Cliffs State Park

 

The next day I headed to Calvert Cliffs State Park, again getting there bright and early. I was through the entry gate just after sunrise, though a bit later than that at the beach since it’s a 1.8-mile hike. Along the way, I encountered the snake below hanging out on the trail. I didn’t recognize it at the time, but it appears to have been a venomous Eastern Copperhead! This walkway isn’t super wide but I gave it as much space as I could. It didn't move an inch. (The photo below is cropped and looks like I was closer than I was!)

 

 

As with Matoaka the day before, I was first to arrive at the beach. Within five minutes of beach combing, I found my largest tooth to date—a Carchardon hastalis tooth measuring 1.6 inches (even with the root wear)!

 

 

I found a couple of dozen other teeth, mostly small and/or broken ones. Of course, after the hastalis tooth everything else was just a bonus. 

 

 

 

I also found my first Miocene shark vert (just over a half inch in diameter) and a non-fossil rock that looks like Pac-Man (or maybe a fish).

 

[Andy B]

That's a beautiful copperhead. Thanks for the pics.

[Tidgy's Dad]

Lovely finds.

Like the snake, too. 

And the way you photograph and present your finds is marvelous.

Oh, and       

[bthemoose]

Day 3 (Actually 4): Matoaka

 

After a day away from fossil hunting, I then headed back out to Matoaka for my birthday itself. I went out early again but a bit later in the morning to account for a later low tide and my need for sleep.  There were one or two sets of footprints on the beach already, though the owners were nowhere to be seen and I had the beach mostly to myself the whole time I was there.

 

 

My first tooth find of the day was a small Carcharhinus sp.

 

 

For the next few hours, I found shark teeth here and there but nothing incredible. To the extent I found a tooth in good condition, it was frequently a Physogaleus contortus tooth, which tends to be my experience at Matoaka (not sure if this is just my luck or experienced by others). I also found some more small thresher shark teeth and other species. 

 

 

The best tooth I found that morning wasn’t from a shark at all but from a dolphin. I saw it tumbling in a wave and it’s missing the root but the enamel side is in great condition with a nice point. When I first picked it up, I thought it might be a croc tooth due to a divot on the bottom though the color and texture didn’t look right. One of the few other people I encountered fossil hunting helped properly ID it for me (perhaps a TFF member?). It's about 0.6 inches long.

 

 

I found a lot of fossil bones and likely turtle shell pieces throughout the day. Most of these were random fragments, although I think I found a couple of rib pieces. I also found an interesting vertebra—if anyone knows what animal this is from (whale/dolphin?), please let me know!

 

 

After a lengthy hunt, I was heading back, a couple of hundred yards from the trail that leaves the beach, and ready to call it a day when I saw a couple of tooth crowns poking out of the sand at the water line. I knew it was a cow shark tooth but was surprised when I picked it up to discover that it wasn’t just a partial—it was the full thing (with some root wear)! I found a broken lower Notorynchus cepedianus tooth (three cusps of it) at Westmoreland earlier this summer, but this is my first complete one and it totally made my day. It’s about 0.8 inches wide. Then, only about 10 yards away, I bent down to pick up a small Carcharhinus sp. tooth and when I turned around a 1.4-inch Carchardon hastalis tooth was there waiting for me, just washed up by the last wave. I had been hoping to find a hastalis tooth all day and between that one and the cow shark tooth, Matoaka sent me home with some last great birthday presents!

 

 

And while I didn't find my Meg, my wife gave me this replica of a 6-inch tooth as a gift when I got home.

 

[bthemoose]

9 minutes ago, Andy B said:

That's a beautiful copperhead. Thanks for the pics.

Indeed, s/he was quite the looker!

 

6 minutes ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

Lovely finds.

Like the snake, too. 

And the way you photograph and present your finds is marvelous.

Oh, and       

Thanks! It was a wonderful way to spend an extended birthday.

[Miocene_Mason]

Nice teeth! All your threshers appear to be Alopias latidens (which is all but indistinguishable from Alopias vulpinus). 

[grandpa]

A very happy belated birthday indeed. 

Looks like you really had a fine celebration and walked away with a great experience and memories, along with some nice treasures and a beautiful reproduction to hold that place on your display shelf till you someday find one of your own.

[PrehistoricWonders]

Happy birthday, and great finds!!! If you want too find a meg/angustidens I’d recommend going too palmetto fossil excursions in Summerville, SC, we went, and your as good as guaranteed too find fossils if you do there creek tour, but you won’t find as big fossils, if you do a dig tour, it’s a higher risk, but you’re more likely to find bigger stuff than if you went on a the creek tour. 

[Praefectus]

Nice finds and happy birthday!

[Searcher78]

Awesome finds. I like the threshers and cow.

[Darktooth]

Congratulations on a nice trip, and Happy Birthday!

[bthemoose]

2 hours ago, WhodamanHD said:

Nice teeth! All your threshers appear to be Alopias latidens (which is all but indistinguishable from Alopias vulpinus). 

Awesome, thanks for the ID! I thought they might be but hadn't yet read up on them.

 

2 hours ago, Familyroadtrip said:

Happy birthday, and great finds!!! If you want too find a meg/angustidens I’d recommend going too palmetto fossil excursions in Summerville, SC, we went, and your as good as guaranteed too find fossils if you do there creek tour, but you won’t find as big fossils, if you do a dig tour, it’s a higher risk, but you’re more likely to find bigger stuff than if you went on a the creek tour. 

Absolutely--I added them to my list after reading your post and seeing your great finds! The Carolinas and Florida are on my list.

 

45 minutes ago, Searcher78 said:

Awesome finds. I like the threshers and cow.

Thanks! I was happiest about the cow but really pleased to find the threshers too!

 

2 hours ago, grandpa said:

A very happy belated birthday indeed. 

Looks like you really had a fine celebration and walked away with a great experience and memories, along with some nice treasures and a beautiful reproduction to hold that place on your display shelf till you someday find one of your own.

 

2 hours ago, Praefectus said:

Nice finds and happy birthday!

 

37 minutes ago, Darktooth said:

Congratulations on a nice trip, and Happy Birthday!

Thank you!

[Miocene_Mason]

2 hours ago, bthemoose said:

Awesome, thanks for the ID! I thought they might be but hadn't yet read up on them.

No problem. I don’t know how I forgot to type this, but Happy Birthday!!!!

[Nimravis]

Great finds and report- love the snake.

[ShoreThing]

Happy Birthday! Great finds, especially for as high as the tide is right now. Hopefully this is the start to a great year of fossil hunting for you!

[Monica]

Three days of fossil hunting to celebrate a birthday?  Sign me up!!! 

 

It looks like you had a wonderful birthday - happy belated from me! 

 

Great finds - I especially love your cow shark tooth - it looks great!

[old bones]

Belated Happy Birthday! Looks like you had a good one. Your photos are terrific. You will always recognize a copperhead instantly now.

[bthemoose]

9 hours ago, Nimravis said:

Great finds and report- love the snake.

 

7 hours ago, ShoreThing said:

Happy Birthday! Great finds, especially for as high as the tide is right now. Hopefully this is the start to a great year of fossil hunting for you!

 

4 hours ago, Monica said:

Three days of fossil hunting to celebrate a birthday?  Sign me up!!! 

 

It looks like you had a wonderful birthday - happy belated from me! 

 

Great finds - I especially love your cow shark tooth - it looks great!

 

3 hours ago, old bones said:

Belated Happy Birthday! Looks like you had a good one. Your photos are terrific. You will always recognize a copperhead instantly now.

 

Thanks all! And yes, I'll definitely recognize future copperheads and give them that much extra space--hard not admire their beauty of course!

[HemiHunter]

Happy birthday and congrats on the great finds!  It's very lucky you were able to photograph the copperhead as they are shy.  Gorgeous markings on that snake.

[ToothNoob]

Sounds like a lovely birthday trip! Loved the recap and seeing your finds ☺️

[bthemoose]

5 hours ago, ToothNoob said:

Sounds like a lovely birthday trip! Loved the recap and seeing your finds ☺️

Thanks! I hope you have a successful visit this week as well!

[butchndad]

Happy Birthday but i'm jealous (both for the weekend at Calvert and because you're probably a lot younger than me LOL)

[Bobby Rico]

Happy birthday     

 

you found  yourself some nice fossil too. I do like your birthday gift very thoughtful.

 

all the best Bobby 

[bthemoose]

57 minutes ago, butchndad said:

Happy Birthday but i'm jealous (both for the weekend at Calvert and because you're probably a lot younger than me LOL)

Thanks! I'm not sure whether I'm younger or not, but I'm old enough to be jealous of the many TFF youth members who have both beaten me to fossil hunting and already know a lot more than I do. But the only thing to do is to get out there and make up for lost time! 

 

Just now, Bobby Rico said:

Happy birthday     

 

you found  yourself some nice fossil too. I do like your birthday gift very thoughtful.

 

all the best Bobby 

Thank you!