NSR - Ladonia Fossil Park

[Titan]

This last weekend I hit the NSR along with the crowds and decided to start at the Ladonia Fossil park. I got there shortly after dawn and already there were several groups of people down in the river. I don't mind walking in others footsteps and in fact quite a few of my good finds have been within feet of where others have already walked so I started off and within about an hour of slipping and sliding around on the marl I found two of the ugliest associated mosasaur verts I've yet to lay eyes on. Maybe they will clean up nicer than they look now but in my experience the preservation in the highly fossiliferous 'red-zone' is generally terrible compared to the marl above and below it.

I was able to extract the verts under the careful watch of a committee of buzzards.

 

This squalicorax sp. tooth was in the matrix around the mosasaur verts.

 

Throughout the day I found a few more things such as a bone (possibly fish - not sure) with predation marks:

I think the growth rings on bones are particularly cool:

A fish something - tooth? (again not sure the ID):

 

Very small jaw section:

 

An ammonite that I considered tossing several times over due to the weight and the fact that's broken in two places:

A small fish vert section:

 

And finally vert #1:

 

and #2:

Eventually I hope to prep these out, but it'll have to wait till I get my prep station all set up.

 

Thanks,

- James

[Fossildude19]

Unknown fish? bone - enlarged and brightened:

 

[FossilDAWG]

Most of us would consider that to be a very good day's collecting.

 

Don

[Tidgy's Dad]

"Crowds", "Groups of people" ? 

Wow! 

Things I haven' seen for nine months. 

[Titan]

@Fossildude19 Thanks Tim, they always seem brighter on my monitor before I post them!

 

@FossilDAWG Yep, it was a good day

 

@Tidgy's Dad Usually I see maybe one person or group when I go during the week, but on a weekend after a good rain there were a lot more. I counted twelve cars at the park when I left around 3:00 PM. Hopefully 2021 will treat us all better!

[Jeffrey P]

1 hour ago, Fossildude19 said:

Unknown fish? bone - enlarged and brightened:

 

That looks like an Enchodus fang

[Thecosmilia Trichitoma]

I wish I had enough fossils to contemplate whether or not to keep associated Mososaur verts and slightly broken ammos. Amazing finds!

[Titan]

7 minutes ago, Jeffrey P said:

That looks like an Enchodus fang

Thanks! I didn't think it was because it didn't have any enamel, but a quick search showed it's a Enchodus palatine jaw section.

 

@Thecosmilia Trichitoma The verts I never thought of throwing out , but I had miles to go with a heavy backpack and that ammo was making it all the heavier!

[Indagator]

1 hour ago, Jeffrey P said:

That looks like an Enchodus fang

I agree.