Ellis County creek, September 14th

[BudB]

Tuesday morning, I made a trip back to the Ellis County creek where I've found so many teeth. I had been making a short hike across the pastures of two land owners to get to this creek, but the last time I asked permission, one of the land owners refused me, saying he had made a deal to give exclusive rights to another fossil hunting family. I can still get to the creek, but now it's a very long hike for me. So, I waited until the hottest part of summer was gone to try that long hike.

 

When I reached the small section of the creek where I'd been finding most of the teeth, this is what I saw.
 

[BudB]

There was about a 35 foot long stretch where the matrix had been dug into rubble like this. I've always made it a practice to not chisel out more matrix than what I can thoroughly go through right then, or take home in my backpack. Obviously, that's not the techique of the fossil hunters I share the creek with. I didn't see how this much matrix could have been looked at thoroughly even in a couple of days, so I just started the day by looking at what they had dug up, and wondering if they left anything. I had my answer pretty quickly, when I spotted this.
 

[BudB]

Those two teeth were sizeable enough I knew that if they hadn't been spotted by the previous hunters, there would be plenty to be found in the rubble, and whatever I left would all be washed away in the next major rain, so I spent much of my time in the creek going through the rubble. But this was the lowest I'd ever seen the water level in the creek. There was no flow at all. So, I left myself a couple of hours to explore the gravel bars, and check further down the creek than I'd been before. It wasn't the kind of easy pickings I'd had in the creek in previous trips, but I still found plenty to keep me entertained. It took me a couple of days to get through all the matrix I brought home, and as always with this creek, I was amazed at the number of small Ptychodus teeth I found in matrix that I brought home for other reasons. Here are the teeth I brought home. Most were retrieved from matrix.
 

[BudB]

The matrix from this creek is usually very hard. Some of it has to be soaked in vinegar to manage to pick anything out of it. There are micro teeth to be found among the other teeth, but they are almost always broken, and very hard to remove from this matrix at all. I brought this matrix home for the tooth you can see on the right, but notice the two micro teeth on the left.
 

[BudB]

Here are some individual photos of some of the teeth. This first one looks like a mosasaur tooth to me.
 

[BudB]

Here are some of the nicer Ptychodus teeth. Most Ptychodus teeth I find in this creek are pretty small, but this first one is pretty nice sized.
 

[BudB]

Other teeth.
 

[BudB]

And finally, these bone bits. It's funny how often I find bits in this same general, peculiar shape. I always think they're teeth, but on closer exam, they look like bone bits, and they don't usually come out of this hard matrix in one piece, since they aren't as hard as shark teeth. Anyone recognize this?

Edited September 17, 2021 by BudB

[historianmichael]

Awesome finds! It is a shame that the other fossil collector left the site in such a state. Rewards are in the details and you certainly showed that with all of the teeth you found that the other collector missed.

 

My guess is that your bone bits are Enchodus jaw fragments.

[Tidgy's Dad]

Nice finds! 

Thank you for sharing. 

[Al Dente]

1 hour ago, historianmichael said:

My guess is that your bone bits are Enchodus jaw fragments.

I agree. These are Enchodus, part of the palatine.

[Ludwigia]

Nice harvest!

[Trevor]

On 9/17/2021 at 3:20 PM, BudB said:

And finally, these bone bits. It's funny how often I find bits in this same general, peculiar shape. I always think they're teeth, but on closer exam, they look like bone bits, and they don't usually come out of this hard matrix in one piece, since they aren't as hard as shark teeth. Anyone recognize this?

 

 

The odd bones fragments are the jawbones of Enchodus fish see: http://www.fossilsofnj.com/skates_rays/enchodus_combined.htm

[Uncle Siphuncle]

Great finds, and experiences like yours illustrate that at most sites, Ma Nature refuses to give up the goods at a pace that keeps up with increasing human demand.  Most sites are good for one guy every once in a while.  This is why I’m not too cavalier with my better site info.  Too much work to find a good site; even harder to find a replacement.  Anymore, I tend not to mention anything more specific than “Gulf of Mexico watershed” for provenance.

[NSRhunter]

Nice finds! So is the site a public or private one? Make sure you aren't trespassing on the guy's land who didn't give you permission, would not be good to upset him sounds like  

[flyingpenut]

On 9/17/2021 at 2:17 PM, BudB said:

Those two teeth were sizeable enough I knew that if they hadn't been spotted by the previous hunters, there would be plenty to be found in the rubble, and whatever I left would all be washed away in the next major rain, so I spent much of my time in the creek going through the rubble. But this was the lowest I'd ever seen the water level in the creek. There was no flow at all. So, I left myself a couple of hours to explore the gravel bars, and check further down the creek than I'd been before. It wasn't the kind of easy pickings I'd had in the creek in previous trips, but I still found plenty to keep me entertained. It took me a couple of days to get through all the matrix I brought home, and as always with this creek, I was amazed at the number of small Ptychodus teeth I found in matrix that I brought home for other reasons. Here are the teeth I brought home. Most were retrieved from matrix.
 

 

I love all the small/micro ptychodus you find there. I have found many ptychodus at POC but I have never found any small ones. I even have an entire bucket of microfossil matrix and have found a several hundred small/micro shark teeth but no ptychodus. Great finds.

[Jared C]

What a great spot - I gotta say, the nature of the fossils and matrix you're finding here strongly remind me of a spot I have in Travis county. Is this creek Eagle Ford by chance? The spot I have that seems so similar is Turonian in age, to be specific. Some of your Ptychodus even remind me of the "new" Ptychodus that will be described next year.

[BudB]

On 10/9/2021 at 9:39 PM, Jared C said:

What a great spot - I gotta say, the nature of the fossils and matrix you're finding here strongly remind me of a spot I have in Travis county. Is this creek Eagle Ford by chance? The spot I have that seems so similar is Turonian in age, to be specific. Some of your Ptychodus even remind me of the "new" Ptychodus that will be described next year.

Yes, it's Eagle Ford.