Prospecting the San Juan Basin

[FossilDAWG]

Seems like a pretty perfect day to me.

 

Don

[Fossildude19]

Congratulations on that Ptychodus association, Mike! 
Amazing day for you guys!

[PFOOLEY]

29 minutes ago, FossilDAWG said:

Seems like a pretty perfect day to me.

 

Don

 

Days in the field don't get much better...great weather, beautiful scenery, excellent company and scientific contribution...sign me up. 

[PFOOLEY]

27 minutes ago, Fossildude19 said:

Congratulations on that Ptychodus association...

 

Hey, thank you! I'm pretty stoked and eager to see how they fit together...

 

 

...such a wild pavement of teeth!

 

[digit]

Spectacular! Lovely imagery as we've come to expect and a wondrous Scientifically Important Specimen. Nothing like bringing your A game on plan B. 

 

Ptychodus teeth (and blastoids) are probably my two favorite types of fossils--likely due to the fact that they are absent from the Florida fossil record. We always desire what we cannot easily obtain. Finding a set like that would probably make me burst out into song and dance (and that would not be a pretty site).

 

Please keep us informed as you work to reassemble a these associated teeth into a configuration close to what it might have been in life. Any plans on returning to search the area again for any straggler teeth after the next rain?

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[PFOOLEY]

@digit, thank you. I was just thinking about how I need to get back out there with a sift...spend more time at the site looking for tidbits and stragglers.

 

I have done an initial clean and sort...

 

 

...there are 65 complete teeth and 15 partial teeth. This is new to me...looking forward to the puzzle.

 

Time to learn about Ptychodus dentitions and tooth placement.

[old bones]

This is so cool, Mike!

[Jared C]

You don't have to guess my opinion on this find - I'm obviously in awe!!! I have had dreams (yes, not an exaggeration) about finding associated Ptychodus materiel. This is a find of a lifetime! 

 

@LSCHNELLE check this out!

[digit]

[JohnJ]

 

 

When words won't do....

[PFOOLEY]

1 hour ago, old bones said:

This is so cool, Mike!

 

Thank you, Julianna! It is a pretty neat find. I have a lot of reading/understanding ahead of me on this one.

 

[PFOOLEY]

@Jared C, I knew you would like this.

 

I sit back and watch you find all sorts of swell Ptychodus teeth...thought of you right away (made myself laugh, thinking about doing an homage video with my shirt off...lol...nah, I'll leave that to you.)

[PFOOLEY]

Thank you, @JohnJ...the New Mexico desert never ceases to amaze me. 

 

You should come check it out.

[Troodon]

Super trip, love the associated set of Ptychodus teeth,  pretty rare, congratulations.

Thanks for posting

[PFOOLEY]

15 minutes ago, Troodon said:

Super trip, love the associated set of Ptychodus teeth,  pretty rare, congratulations.

Thanks for posting

 

Thanks, Frank...it's good to be posting again. The more I look, the more I see how uncommon a tooth set is. I want to see some dentitions in person...that would really help in wrapping my head around how these teeth fit together.

[LSCHNELLE]

Quote

 

holy smokes! I knew what I was finding was important and patiently plucked each Ptychodus tooth from the shale. I sat back grinning...

 

 

 

....as I had scored an associated tooth set from Ptychodus mortoni. I later chatted with Dr. Spencer Lucas about the find...lucky and unusual is how he described it. We also discussed that after reassembled it would represent the first associated Ptychodus tooth set from New Mexico...pretty darn cool."

 

 

JUST AN AMAZING FIND. CONGRATS! @PFOOLEY

[Nimravis]

Mike, great pics and finds, can’t wait to see if you pick up more teeth after sifting. Congrats.

[PFOOLEY]

@LSCHNELLE, thank you. I found one, what I believe to be, upper medial tooth...

 

 

...so have been playing with an upper pavement orientation.

 

@Nimravis, I am anxious to get back out there and sift that shale. After my initial attempts to place the teeth in a plausible order...

 

 

...there are many gaps to fill. Even if this is all that remains of that Ptychodus, still a pretty rad find.

[LSCHNELLE]

Quote

@LSCHNELLE, thank you. I found one, what I believe to be, upper medial tooth

 

 

Your right! Looks like a match with Page 86 upper left of page on NMMNH Bulletin 81.

[PFOOLEY]

50 minutes ago, LSCHNELLE said:

"...Page 86 upper left of page on NMMNH Bulletin 81.

 

[Jeffrey P]

That Ptychodus association is a spectacular find Mike! Big congratulations and thanks for sharing it.

[PFOOLEY]

Right on, @Jeffrey P ..thank you! 

[PFOOLEY]

 

[PFOOLEY]

 

[PFOOLEY]

 

 

Figure 7 from: Shimada (2012), Dentition of Late Cretaceous Shark, Ptychodus mortoni (Elasmobranchii, Ptychodontidae)