Teeth, Ammonites, and Crabs: A Day in the Upper Britton of North Texas

[Aidan Campos]

On Wednesday, October 12th, I took another trip to a nearby favorite spot of mine that I found a few years ago which exposes the Sciponoceras gracile Zone, Camp Wisdom Member, Upper Britton Formation of the Eagle Ford Group here in Texas (Late Cenomanian-Early Turonian, 92-95mya), and had probably my best hunt from this site, including several different ammonites, a few shark teeth, my first Enchodus, and 26 Ferroranina dichrous crabs! 
 

First find was this very nice Yezoites delicatulus (Scaphitidae) ammonite 

 
A very worn Ptychodus sp. (Ptychodontidae) shark tooth: 
 

Sciponoceras gracile (Baculitidae) ammonite, namesake of the zone: 

 

Dead modern Procambarus steigmani — this crayfish is endemic to northeast/north central Texas: 

 

Legs of a Linuparus sp. likely L. grimmeri (Palinuridae) spiny lobster:

 

Metoicoceras geslinianum (Acanthoceratidae) ammonite:

 

Pair of Inoceramus capulus (Inoceramidae) bivalves: 

 

Some of the 26 total Ferroranina dichrous (Palaeocorystidae) crabs found during the day: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Selenite crystals: 

 

Opuntia macrorhiza (Cactaceae), as a botanist this genus is one of my focus groups: 

 

Cameleolopha bellaplicata subsp. bellaplicata (Ostreidae) oyster occurring here as overwash from the younger Turonian Arcadia Park Formation (89-91mya) which is otherwise long since eroded away in this area: 

 

Next into some things I decided to take nice camera photos of (and consequently some of the best finds of the day)

 

A nice tiny Cretalamna appendiculata s.l. (Otodontidae) shark tooth: 

 

 

 

My first Enchodus (Enchodontidae) fish tooth, I’m not sure which species are known from the Britton: 

 

 

cf. Margarites sp. (Margaritidae) gastropod, the first of this family I’ve seen in the Britton: 

 

A very beautiful Ptychodus anonymus (Ptychodontidae) shark tooth, found while crawling on the ground beneath a slope: 

 

 

Worthoceras vermiculus (Scaphitidae) ammonite, the nicest one I’ve collected:

 

Natica sp. (Naticidae) gastropod, this species is  extremely common in much of the Britton:

 

Ferroranina dichrous (Palaeocorystidae) crab: 

 

My first Nannometoicoceras acceleratum (Acanthoceratidae) ammonite, fittingly tiny: 

 

 

 

Another Inoceramus capulus (Inoceramidae) bivalve: 

 

Hesperotettix speciosus (Acrididae) grasshopper: 

 

Really interesting preservation on this Ferroranina dichrous (Palaeocorystidae) crab that I had never seen before, these are almost always found in orange to dark red concretions: 

 

The total Ferroranina dichrous haul: 

 

The Nannometoicoceras acceleratum after some cleanup showing the distinctive tiny, conical umbilicus and tubercle arrangement: 

 

Edited October 15, 2022 by Aidan Campos

[Tidgy's Dad]

Beautiful photographs of nature and the splendid fossils. 

[FossilDAWG]

Excellent report.  That's quite an impressive array of fossils!

 

Don

[JohnJ]

We'll done, Sir!

 

@Lone Hunter

[deutscheben]

Outstanding stuff! It’s interesting to see some different types of Cretaceous fossils from Texas.

[Mart1980]

Very cool finds, nice report of the day .

[Ironhead42]

Really amazing finds!! Great location you have there!!

[jpc]

Those crabs are stupendous.  26 of 'em!!!

 

 

[bockryan]

Fantastic stuff!