First Fossil Hunt at the Brazos

[Mikrogeophagus]

I've had some free time this weekend, so I decided to mix things up and try hunting the Brazos instead of the usual cretaceous formations around Austin and DFW. The Pleistocene period is something I've always been fascinated by (probably due to the Ice Age movies), so the long drive wasn't enough to dissuade me. The weather was just right which made a day by the river all the better. This being my first time at the Brazos, I was a bit unfamiliar with the geography/prime hunting locations. I settled on parking by a bridge and decided to spend my day checking out both sides of the river. Navigating my way to the water was more treacherous than I was expecting and I wound up having a close encounter with a black snake that may have been a cottonmouth.

 

The sandbars were unfortunately mostly sand. However, dotted about here and there were patches of gravel. Most of my day I saw footprints all around me so I knew I was definitely not the first person to have hit up the spot. The first 4/5 of the day was a bit slow. I found the occasional piece of bone or turtle, but nothing too exciting. Only until the final hour of daylight did I reach a distant area of the sandbar (about a mile from my car) that began yielding some cool specimens. I didn't get a chance to study them closely until I was home because things got dark very quickly! Being alone at the dark river gave off spooky vibes so I ran a good portion of the distance back (with my fossils in pocket which was a bad idea). Thankfully, I made it back without any major disasters and I've since had some time to rest and take a closer look at my finds. Below are pictures of my most interesting finds that I would like to learn more about. All in all, I'd say the trip was a unique experience and worth the time!

 

Overview of my favorite finds:

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Each item and some closeups:

 

A: Definitely a horse tooth. Parts of it are missing. It may just be wishful thinking, but I think it could be from a three-toed horse? There are Miocene and Pliocene deposits upriver so I suppose it's a possibility.

B: A couple of my favorite turtle shell fragments from the many I picked up. Unfortunately that small crack on the flat piece caused it to break in half right after I snapped my pics. Guess that happened because I ran with it in my pocket... oops.

C: Looks like an old bison tooth to me.

D: Not sure what this is. Could it be mammoth enamel?

E: I think it's a scute possibly from an alligator.

F: Looks to be a part of a tooth. Bovid would be my guess.

I: This one is the strangest of the bunch in my opinion. Looks like tooth material, but it's hard to say. In the first closeup, I notice that there are bands run across the piece in a consistent pattern. 

 

Let me know if they are any closeups you would like for me to upload! Thanks for reading.

[JamieLynn]

Very Cool Stuff!!!  I have always wanted to go fossil hunting on the Brazos! 

[Jared C]

Awesome, I also poked around the Brazos for the first time today, albeit just as a 30 minute pit stop to stretch my legs. No luck unfortunately. C is defintely Bison, that great preserved stylid, separated from the rest of the enamel by cementum is a good indicator. I'm not sure if F is bovid. Can't help with any of the others yet. Curious about T and D

 

[garyc]

A is 3 toed horse, @Shellseeker is pretty good at narrowing down the species. B are both turtle. C is bovid, possibly bison. D maybe mammoth tooth root. F maybe fragment of bovid tooth. I is another fragment of either horse or bovid tooth

[Mikrogeophagus]

@garyc Wow! Three toed horse is very exciting for me. And to think I was considering leaving the bridge before checking out the sandbar I found the tooth in. Thanks for the insights!

@Jared C What a coincidence! Thanks for the bison ID. Yeah, the Brazos seems hard to fossil hunt in since I think it requires a good deal of prior knowledge of which sandbars yield the best stuff. My spots were mostly sand. The gravel there mainly consisted of pebbles so I don't think too many larger bones could be found which is unfortunate. Good luck with your future hunts!

@JamieLynn I would recommend it! Just be careful making your way down to the water; it can be quite treacherous. Also, keep an eye out for snakes!

[Shellseeker]

14 hours ago, EPIKLULSXDDDDD said:

I've had some free time this weekend, so I decided to mix things up and try hunting the Brazos instead of the usual cretaceous formations around Austin and DFW. The Pleistocene period is something I've always been fascinated by (probably due to the Ice Age movies), so the long drive wasn't enough to dissuade me.

I lived in the Spicewood Springs area. It is definitely a long haul from Austin to the Brazos. You were well rewarded with A .  Nannippus .sp.  Be careful .  These little teeth (16.5 mm) are definitely an addiction.

Agree with B, C .  I do not feel Mammoth with D.. the enamel would show on the edge.  More likely bone or wood.  E might be Croc because it is so flat. My initial impression of F was Equus but could be either and the same for that last long fragment.

 

Nice... worth the trip...

 

[fossilus]

I'm surprised that you encountered a snake, they're usually far more common when the weather is warm.

[Brandy Cole]

Just now, fossilus said:

I'm surprised that you encountered a snake, they're usually far more common when the weather is warm.

It was pretty warm and nice out down here this weekend.  I was wondering if they were gonna start coming back out soon.

[fossillarry]

The specimen in A is from a a very a primitive merychippine grade horse. The fifth photo down in A shows the outside(ectoloph) of the tooth. The tooth tappers from top(crown) to base,(the tooth is wider at the top then at the bottem ) and is quite curved .The tooth terminology for this mesodont ,The height of the tooth is about the same as the AP length of the tooth. The protocone is not completely preserved but the plication count on the pre and postfossetts is quite high for a mesodont tooth. The tooth could be, base on size and crown pattern , the molar 1/2 of Cormohipparion goorisi. Photos C,F and unlettered are all fragments of horse teeth  The Bazos river is well known for producing Eaely Barstovian age fossils so keep on hunting on it  and you might well be rewarded withe more fatastic specimens.