Microbiobugs Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 Hi all, this is my first post so please excuse any mistakes. I found this Specimen in the Canyon Lake area if Central Texas. I haven't tried to remove too much of the limestone until I knew more about what this might be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 5 hours ago, Microbiobugs said: I haven't tried to remove too much of the limestone until I knew more about what this might be. What exactly makes you think there is a fossil in there ? I don't see it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earendil Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 "Its webs of living gauze no more unfurl; Wrecked is the ship of pearl! And every chambered cell, Where its dim dreaming life was wont to dwell" -From The Chambered Nautilus by Oliver Wendell Holmes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 @JohnJ @BobWill @erose Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 Unfortunately, I cannot see enough detail in this image to identify any fossil material. Maybe further scrubbing with a toothbrush can show something. 1 The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erose Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 You might as well prep it further because right now I only see an oddly suggestive shape and nothing else. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Microbiobugs Posted January 5, 2021 Author Share Posted January 5, 2021 4 hours ago, Rockwood said: What exactly makes you think there is a fossil in there ? I don't see it. It has the rough outline of a tooth covered in limestone, no need to be rude. I'm learning Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earendil Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 5 hours ago, Microbiobugs said: It has the rough outline of a tooth covered in limestone, no need to be rude. I'm learning @Rockwood is not trying to be rude, he is simply trying to test whether your theory has any holes or whether his suspicions are wrong. The Scientific method: Step 1- Question. Step 2-Research. (Research means trying to develop opinions/theories and test them. Being open to all possibilities is important, even if it proves against your original thought.) Step 3-Hypothesis. Step 4-Experiment. Step 5-Observations. Step 6-Results/Conclusion. 1 "Its webs of living gauze no more unfurl; Wrecked is the ship of pearl! And every chambered cell, Where its dim dreaming life was wont to dwell" -From The Chambered Nautilus by Oliver Wendell Holmes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Microbiobugs Posted January 5, 2021 Author Share Posted January 5, 2021 As a medical professional and microbiology student I'm well aware of the scientific method. The way he worded his question was rude and I'm allowed to express that. Your interference was not warranted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPS Ammonite Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, Microbiobugs said: It has the rough outline of a tooth covered in limestone, no need to be rude. I'm learning I would have picked up the piece for further investigation. The next step is to look for textures that resemble a tooth. Do you have a hand lens to use? What do you see? The hard part is getting a photo that shows the details visible to the human eye. I like to take up close photos using a hand lens in front of my phone’s camera lens. Edited January 5, 2021 by DPS Ammonite 2 My goal is to leave no stone or fossil unturned. See my Arizona Paleontology Guide link The best single resource for Arizona paleontology anywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 1 hour ago, Microbiobugs said: no need to be rude. 1 hour ago, Microbiobugs said: Your interference was not warranted. I'm somewhere on the autistic spectrum in my understanding of such things. Would you mind explaining these statements ? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kane Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 Tone and intention do not commonly carry very well in written communication. It may be best for everyone to adopt the principle of charity in discourse, chalk this up to misunderstanding endemic to this communication milieu, and move forward. As previously stated, perhaps a bit a more gentle matrix removal (with a toothbrush) might reveal a diagnostic feature. So far, I am not seeing any enamel, but there is certainly a tooth-like shape to the object. 7 ...How to Philosophize with a Hammer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 11 minutes ago, Kane said: Tone and intention do not commonly carry very well in written communication. It may be best for everyone to adopt the principle of charity in discourse, chalk this up to misunderstanding endemic to this communication milieu, and move forward. As previously stated, perhaps a bit a more gentle matrix removal (with a toothbrush) might reveal a diagnostic feature. So far, I am not seeing any enamel, but there is certainly a tooth-like shape to the object. Indeed. 3 The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erose Posted January 5, 2021 Share Posted January 5, 2021 It does have a symmetry that is kind of suggestive. As suggested a scrub may show more. One thing to note is that teeth almost always show enamel. That can be a variety of colors but will 99% of the time be smooth and shiny. Your piece has a vague resemblance to a turtle vertebrae I have from that area. See photo with some Canyon Lake Glen Rose Formation fish teeth. PS I'm not excusing anyones behavior but the two most common "it ain't a fossil" things we see are tooth-shaped rocks and "eggs". But they are also two items that folks really want to find. For some folks it gets old and we forget how exciting it was when we just got started and also picked up everything with a suggestive shape. Now with that said ALWAYS pick up things you are not sure about, they may truly be something and this is how you/we learn. Welcome to the FF Erich 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Microbiobugs Posted January 6, 2021 Author Share Posted January 6, 2021 I will clean it a little more when I have time. I was thinking vertebra or tooth was a slight possibility when I had found it. I'm out of vinegar but I can see some faint circles, almost like what's on the crab carapace I found at that site. I might just hang on to this and give bring it to the next feild trip. It's just not photographing well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobWill Posted January 6, 2021 Share Posted January 6, 2021 When a photograph does not show whatever evidence you are seeing to suggest the presence of a fossil we need some way of conveying that too you. It is a common problem and it seems to me that saying " What exactly makes you think there is a fossil in there ? I don't see it" is a perfectly valid way of conveying that message. Sorry you took it as offensive but you may need to get used to blunt opinions from experienced people just trying to help. We are science nerds, but not usually trained in psychology Consider the possibility that the specimen is part of a burrow infill. They come in all sizes, often branch like that and are found broken apart into pieces resembling your find. If that is the case any amount of prep will not be harming an important fossil. If it is something else it will be revealed with a little careful matrix removal. If you begin to see something as you go please post pictures of what emerges. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erose Posted January 6, 2021 Share Posted January 6, 2021 11 hours ago, Microbiobugs said: I will clean it a little more when I have time. I was thinking vertebra or tooth was a slight possibility when I had found it. I'm out of vinegar but I can see some faint circles, almost like what's on the crab carapace I found at that site. I might just hang on to this and give bring it to the next feild trip. It's just not photographing well. Are you a member of PSA? Bringing it to the next field trip is a great idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abyssunder Posted January 6, 2021 Share Posted January 6, 2021 Maybe it's a fraction of a Thalassinoides trace fossil (Y or T type node). (first post) " We are not separate and independent entities, but like links in a chain, and we could not by any means be what we are without those who went before us and showed us the way. " Thomas Mann My Library Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingpenut Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 10 hours ago, BobWill said: When a photograph does not show whatever evidence you are seeing to suggest the presence of a fossil we need some way of conveying that too you. It is a common problem and it seems to me that saying " What exactly makes you think there is a fossil in there ? I don't see it" is a perfectly valid way of conveying that message. Sorry you took it as offensive but you may need to get used to blunt opinions from experienced people just trying to help. We are science nerds, but not usually trained in psychology Consider the possibility that the specimen is part of a burrow infill. They come in all sizes, often branch like that and are found broken apart into pieces resembling your find. If that is the case any amount of prep will not be harming an important fossil. If it is something else it will be revealed with a little careful matrix removal. If you begin to see something as you go please post pictures of what emerges. I’m with you Bob. My advice is to not take offense if you are not sure that there was intent. The second piece of advise is, even if there is intent then get over it. I would rather someone be direct and blunt to my face but tell the truth rather than tell me what I want to hear but laugh at me behind my back. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minnbuckeye Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 My uneducated thought when I first saw your find was that it resembled a worn sea robin skull. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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