Troodon Posted October 5, 2021 Share Posted October 5, 2021 Just returned from my fall collecting trip to South Dakota. Will focus on my finds and I've attached a couple of prior trips to see more of the area, fauna, finds and collecting gear. Spring 2021 http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/115998-spring-dinosaur-dig-in-south-dakota/ Fall 2020 http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/109554-collecting-trip-hell-creek-formation/#comments Before I get into my new finds here are some prepped items from my last two trips that I have yet to share A possible Troodontid metatarsal A very weird bone, showed Pete Larsen and he's leaning to a pathologic Digit III Edmontosaurus toe bone. Very odd bone. Good size An nice size Edmontosaurus cervical vertebra about 7.8" High and 13.5" wide Edmontosaurus, a big Chevron, 14.5" long Edmontosaurus, Metacarpal III - 10" Long I was cleaning this Edmontosaurus Digit IV -1 toe bone and a surprise hole popped up became more interesting as I continued clearing it. It has the outer shape and interior profile/curvature of a tyrannosaurid tooth. Is it predation ? I went to show it to Pete Larsen but he was at the Denver show.. Will see him at Tucson. There was no predation marks on the opposite side so not sure. The preservation is pretty solid. Edmontosaurus - Left Dentary about 23 inches long. 5 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted October 5, 2021 Author Share Posted October 5, 2021 All these bones are from the Hadrosaur Edmontosaurus annectens My favorite find a juvie foot ungual A Radius - about 24" Long A Carpal A short Rib 1 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted October 5, 2021 Author Share Posted October 5, 2021 A slightly smaller second radius - 22 inches long A juvie maxilla with teeth - 11 inches long A nice size Humerus A Fibula 27 3/4 inches long A caudal Vertebra 2 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted October 5, 2021 Author Share Posted October 5, 2021 Metatarsal. digit II Had no clue for quite a while what it was....turned out to be a very difficult extraction because how it was sitting. It was upright with the thin fan proximal end on the bottom. All the weight was on the top at an angle. Came out perfectly after about 3 hours. Small carpal A big dorsal spine Cervical Spine - Caudals Some teeth Sorry just took some quick photos - big one are over 1 inch Tyrannosaurid teeth - largest 1.5 inches Nanotyrannus on left Interesting T rex tooth.. its all natural ...must have interesting story how it arrived in this condition Nanotyrannus and an Acheroraptor 2 20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pemphix Posted October 5, 2021 Share Posted October 5, 2021 As always very cool finds and informative reports ! Thank you ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted October 5, 2021 Author Share Posted October 5, 2021 Big centrum Another centrum I've said may times that an adult Edmontosaurus was the largest dinosaur in the Hell Creek. Here is a center toe bone that was found. The proximal end was 7 1/4 inches wide. Largest anyone of us ever have seen 1 16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon Posted October 5, 2021 Share Posted October 5, 2021 Awesome report! Just unimaginable, the amount of dinosaur material you've again found on one trip! I can only dream of finding so much vertebrate material on one excursion! Thanks for sharing! Very educational! 1 1 'There's nothing like millions of years of really frustrating trial and error to give a species moral fibre and, in some cases, backbone' -- Terry Pratchett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caterpillar Posted October 6, 2021 Share Posted October 6, 2021 Fantastic. You are lucky to have such rich land. Thanks for sharing 1 http://www.paleotheque.fr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Praefectus Posted October 6, 2021 Share Posted October 6, 2021 Wow! Great finds! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tombk Posted October 6, 2021 Share Posted October 6, 2021 Very cool dinosaur bones! Thanks for sharing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nimravis Posted October 6, 2021 Share Posted October 6, 2021 Cool finds Frank, this is my favorite. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilhunter21 Posted October 6, 2021 Share Posted October 6, 2021 Wow! Those are some amazing finds! Thanks for sharing! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neanderthal Shaman Posted October 6, 2021 Share Posted October 6, 2021 (edited) Wow! I've been meaning to ask, are you a professional paleontologist, or do you just so happen to know some amazing spots? I can personally only dream of finding dinosaur bones, but you seem to rake them in. You're clearly extremely knowledgeable. Edited October 6, 2021 by Neanderthal Shaman Grammar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted October 6, 2021 Author Share Posted October 6, 2021 12 minutes ago, Neanderthal Shaman said: Wow! I've been meaning to ask, are you a professional paleontologist, or do you just so happen to know some amazing spots? I can personally only dream of finding dinosaur bones, but you seem to rake them in. You're clearly extremely knowledgeable. Thanks, Just a crazy fanatical dino collector that has been blessed and very lucky to have an opportunity to collect in very cool locations. My experience is all self taught over 25 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted October 6, 2021 Author Share Posted October 6, 2021 2 hours ago, Nimravis said: Cool finds Frank, this is my favorite. Thanks, These cervicals are special, we find very few that are complete. Most are just isolated centrums or spines. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phevo Posted October 7, 2021 Share Posted October 7, 2021 Thank you for the detailed trip report, it's very nice seeing the extraction process On a side note, are you following a specific horizon or do you find specimens throughout the layers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted October 7, 2021 Author Share Posted October 7, 2021 1 hour ago, Phevo said: Thank you for the detailed trip report, it's very nice seeing the extraction process On a side note, are you following a specific horizon or do you find specimens throughout the layers? The material collected in this trip comes from an Edmontosaurus bonebed deposited in one event. The layer is around 30 -36 inches. Material is found through the deposit at all levels. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted November 23, 2021 Author Share Posted November 23, 2021 A couple of items cleaned up from this trip. Left: Foot Ungual Right: Hand Ungual 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hadrosauridae Posted November 23, 2021 Share Posted November 23, 2021 Wow. I missed this post. Super jealous of this incredible site you have to work. On your possible predation mark, I tend towards it being pathological or or other injury. I cant work out how a single Rex tooth would impact the bone so severely without any other marks from surrounding teeth. I'm curious what time frame you are calling you "fall" hunts. Ive seen a lot terrible weather with snow, ice and ferocious winds up there in the fall months. Just curious how late you push that weather envelope gamble. "There is no shortage of fossils. There is only a shortage of paleontologists to study them." - Larry Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted November 23, 2021 Author Share Posted November 23, 2021 15 minutes ago, hadrosauridae said: Wow. I missed this post. Super jealous of this incredible site you have to work. On your possible predation mark, I tend towards it being pathological or or other injury. I cant work out how a single Rex tooth would impact the bone so severely without any other marks from surrounding teeth. I'm curious what time frame you are calling you "fall" hunts. Ive seen a lot terrible weather with snow, ice and ferocious winds up there in the fall months. Just curious how late you push that weather envelope gamble. I do plan on showing that bone to Pete Larsen at the Tucson show to get his opinion. I make two trips a year to this site. Spring: late May or early June. Can be hot and wet. This year was dry but very very hot and very windy. Fall, mid September. Weather is usually fantastic as was the case this year. Cool in the AM and 70-80 by afternoon. Ideal collecting weather. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shortbus4x4 Posted November 24, 2021 Share Posted November 24, 2021 Gorgeous vertebrate!! Looks like you had a very GOOD trip. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sjfriend Posted November 24, 2021 Share Posted November 24, 2021 @Troodon Your work is incredible! And your knowledge is a great example of what we can do as non pros! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted November 28, 2021 Author Share Posted November 28, 2021 Updated a photo from above and added another completed item a juvie metatarsal 2 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted November 30, 2021 Author Share Posted November 30, 2021 A very large adult center metatarsal. An example of how large this hadrosaur can get. Not the largest from the site that was around 18". 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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