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Back from exile: archaeocete whale discovery in South Carolina


Boesse

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Hey all! Between an ill-timed conference, election month, the pandemic, online teaching, and a few other issues, I was way too stressed out and busy to be on here regularly since October. Also, in mid November we began digging up a small basilosaurid whale in Harleyville, SC - very likely to be the most completely known specimen of the dwarf basilosaurid Chrysocetus, and perhaps the most important basilosaurid discovery in North America of my lifetime.

 

I did manage to write a blog post about our fieldwork, so as an apology for being AWOL and only getting back to identifying cetacean stuff a few months later, I offer this writeup as penance!

 

It feels good to be back in the saddle again. Cheers, Bobby

PXL_20201119_160810962.jpg

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Absolutely AMAZING.  Look at those teeth!!! Where/when would it likely be displayed.  I could reach Mace Museum in 10 hours or so.

I guess I am really asking about Prep time and likely eventual home...

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The White Queen  ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast"

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Welcome back, that’s an incredible fossil look forward to finding out more about it in the future.

 

cheers Bobby 

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Thanks y'all! Unfortunately the biggest block (which contains the mandible) weighs about 500 lbs and we've got a laundry list of other specimens waiting in front of it. It's going to be at least another year before it's opened up. However, we'll be excavating the other mandible in a few days, in a block that is much smaller and will likely be opened up first.

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Congratulations Bobby!  You've had opportunities to collect and study whales from various points in their history and now you get to be involved with the collection and study of one of the oldest whales in North America and what sounds like it might be more than a couple of jaw sections of an individual.  Who knows if even more of it lies unseen in the blocks and what else you'll find with it.

 

Jess

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  • 2 months later...

Hey all - I just posted a new blog post to update this - last weekend I gave a guest lecture for the quarterly meeting of the North Carolina Fossil Club, and was complimented about the blog writeup on the first part of the excavation - reminding me that I really need to post more regularly! So, here is part two - which covers why the early stages of the excavation were pretty anxiety inducing for me as being in charge of a surprisingly big excavation for such a small institution.

 

https://coastalpaleo.blogspot.com/2021/03/winter-whale-excavation-part-2-day-2.html

 

And, since I apparently did not post the original blog link, here it is: https://coastalpaleo.blogspot.com/2021/01/winter-whale-excavation-part-1.html

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Awesome find and thanks for sharing! Good job rising to the challenge - you and your institution will both look back on it and be proud. Congrats!

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7 hours ago, Boesse said:

Hey all - I just posted a new blog post to update this

 

Fascinating and informative at the same time. There's definitely more to come, right? :popcorn:

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Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger

http://www.steinkern.de/

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I will be keeping everyone updated as the jackets get prepped out!

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8 hours ago, Boesse said:

I will be keeping everyone updated as the jackets get prepped out!

Got my 2nd Moderna shot Monday Evening and around 4 pm yesterday, started 5 hours of chills followed by 3-4 hours of fever. Just the body no longer willing to put up with that vaccine.

Woke up at 4 am, feeling fantastic... I just read both both blogs and then did a cut&paste to get them on my laptop. (This is not too bad, I copy photo separately.  Is there another way?) After all,  I may find one of those teeth (if I travel to SC) and would have to recognize it.

For a second, I wondered what the face guards of the workers in the 2nd blog was for,, but then it occurred to me).

Quote

Chrysocetus healeyorum, one of the smallest basilosaurids ever discovered.

What is your definition of "smallest"?

Excellent Read,  Thanks for taking me along... I am waiting for a clearer photo of the periotic.

:popcorn:

The White Queen  ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast"

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Well... Chrysocetus healeyorum IS smaller than all the other named basilosaurids, based on skull/tooth/mandible size. The more recently named Chrysocetus fouadassii is even smaller, and is the smallest named basilosaurid, but is much more fragmentary.

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Your blog is an exstreamly good read.  and lots of good pictures too.  When you get too old to do this anymore your gunna have lots of really good memories and story's to tell.   Oh, and a really cool fossil too.  Will be very interesting to see some updates.

 

RB

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Thanks for the report, Bobby!

 Always great to see what you are working on! :) 

    Tim    -  VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

   MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png      PaleoPartner.png.30c01982e09b0cc0b7d9d6a7a21f56c6.png.a600039856933851eeea617ca3f2d15f.png     Postmaster1.jpg.900efa599049929531fa81981f028e24.jpg    VFOTM.png.f1b09c78bf88298b009b0da14ef44cf0.png  VFOTM  --- APRIL - 2015  

__________________________________________________
"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."

John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~   ><))))( *>  About Me      

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  • 2 weeks later...

@Boesse, Great read. Can't wait to see it prepped!

 

Question, what blade were you using on the Sawzall? Might need to pick up a few. Have a boulder up here to cut to try and recover some fern leaves.

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@sjfriend We had two different blades on them - one was, I think, just a regular blade for wood with large teeth and another was a masonry blade. Likely because of how soft the limestone was, the bigger teeth seemed to cut way faster.

 

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On 4/12/2021 at 2:05 PM, Boesse said:

@sjfriend We had two different blades on them - one was, I think, just a regular blade for wood with large teeth and another was a masonry blade. Likely because of how soft the limestone was, the bigger teeth seemed to cut way faster.

 

Thank you. Will give that a try this summer.

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Really cool project, thanks for posting.  
 

Bummer that some of your volunteers got distracted so easily.  I’d be happy to volunteer for any future excavations if you need the help (I’m about 1.5 hours away).

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