Aidan Campos Posted December 4, 2022 Share Posted December 4, 2022 (edited) On Wednesday, November 30th, I took yet another trip to my micromorph spot in the Graysonites wacoense Zone of the Grayson Marl Formation, Washita Group of north Texas (Lower Cenomanian, ~97mya), laterally equivalent to the Waco Pit in the Del Rio Fm. further south. This time I focused mainly on looking for shark teeth which was a massive success, and I ended up finding a few new species to add to my faunal list for this location as well. The first find of the day was this nice small lateral Cretalamna catoxodon (Otodontidae) shark tooth, the most common shark species at this site: Ex situ: My second Haimirichia amonensis (Haimirichiidae) from the site: Ex situ: Cretalamna catoxodon (Otodontidae) with a broken root: Cretalamna catoxodon (Otodontidae) with a broken crown: Ophiura graysonensis (Ophiuridae) brittlestar arm fragment: Pagurus banderensis (Paguridae) hermit crab claw, new for the site: Ex situ: Crateraster "sp. A" Blake & Reid, 1998 (Goniasteridae) starfish fragment, an unnamed species close to C. texensis, new to the site: Ex situ: One of three similar fish vertebra: Small Goniophorus scotti (Goniophoridae) urchin: Cretalamna catoxodon (Otodontidae) tooth: Ex situ: Another C. catoxodon (Otodontidae): Ex situ: Squalicorax sp. nov. (Anacoracidae) shark tooth, an unnamed species known from the Grayson/Del Rio Formation of Texas: Cretalamna catoxodon (Otodontidae) with a chipped crown: Ex situ: Goniophorus scotti (Goniophoridae) urchin: Another of the same undescribed Squalicorax (Anacoracidae): Ex situ: Graysonites wacoense (Acanthoceratidae) ammonite nucleus: Shark vertebra: A couple more Ophiura graysonensis (Ophiuridae) brittlestar arm fragments: Enchodus sp. (Enchodontidae) fish fang: Ex situ: Most common fossil at this site, a progenic dwarf Mariella bosquensis (Turrilitidae) ammonite: And finally an ex situ photo of a few Parasmilia graysonensis (Caryophyliidae) coral: Edited December 4, 2022 by Aidan Campos 3 24 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted December 4, 2022 Share Posted December 4, 2022 Really nice finds, Aidan. 1 The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denis Arcand Posted December 4, 2022 Share Posted December 4, 2022 Small but beautiful fossils, I really like them 1 One fossil a day will keep you happy all day. Welcome to the FOSSIL ART Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted December 4, 2022 Share Posted December 4, 2022 Nice variety of finds there, Aidan. Well done, sir. Thanks for posting. 1 Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jared C Posted December 4, 2022 Share Posted December 4, 2022 excellent ex situ photos as well, what's your set up? 1 “Not only is the universe stranger than we think, it is stranger than we can think” -Werner Heisenberg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted December 4, 2022 Share Posted December 4, 2022 What a lovely looking place to find fossils surface hunting. Love the in-situ imagery--thanks for taking us along with you on this fossil hunt. Cheers. -Ken 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted December 4, 2022 Share Posted December 4, 2022 Love all the before and after photos. What a super bunch of finds. Thank you for sharing. 1 Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Family Fun Posted December 4, 2022 Share Posted December 4, 2022 The entire story is great, we’ll done! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darktooth Posted December 4, 2022 Share Posted December 4, 2022 This seems like a really great micro site. Thanks for sharing these wonderful finds. Great photos! 1 I like Trilo-butts and I cannot lie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilNerd Posted December 4, 2022 Share Posted December 4, 2022 Nice finds and report. It proves that small fossils can be just as epic as their bigger counterparts! I’m intrigued by the brittle star arm fragments. Not something I see around my area. Would you mind sharing an “after” photo of them? 1 The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it. -Neil deGrasse Tyson Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don't. -Bill Nye (The Science Guy) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nimravis Posted December 4, 2022 Share Posted December 4, 2022 Great pics and finds. I really like the small pieces. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixgill pete Posted December 5, 2022 Share Posted December 5, 2022 Great pics and documentation of your trip Aidan. I really love those Goniophorus scotti. 1 Bulldozers and dirt Bulldozers and dirt behind the trailer, my desert Them red clay piles are heaven on earth I get my rocks off, bulldozers and dirt Patterson Hood; Drive-By Truckers May 2016 May 2012 Aug 2013, May 2016, Apr 2020 Oct 2022 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aidan Campos Posted December 5, 2022 Author Share Posted December 5, 2022 2 hours ago, Jared C said: excellent ex situ photos as well, what's your set up? Thanks! My setup currently is a Nikon D3500 with the Nikon 105mm f/2.8 macro lens and the Venus Laowa KX-800 twin flash with some cheap diffusers on each flash head. The expensive flash is not absolutely necessary, I do like the nice even lighting provided by the dual flash heads but a cheap overhead speedlite flash does very well too. For taking the photos I just use a matte black cloth some distance behind the subject (which can be a shirt or something like black felt) and then use flash to illuminate the subject while keeping the background dark. 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aidan Campos Posted December 5, 2022 Author Share Posted December 5, 2022 1 hour ago, FossilNerd said: I’m intrigued by the brittle star arm fragments. Not something I see around my area. Would you mind sharing an “after” photo of them? Sure! Here are some photos of the nicest O. graysonensis fragments I’ve collected from the site: 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meganeura Posted December 5, 2022 Share Posted December 5, 2022 I love all these! Those tiny urchins are so cute, and the colors on the shark teeth are amazing! Awesome finds! 1 Fossils? I dig it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilNerd Posted December 5, 2022 Share Posted December 5, 2022 (edited) 27 minutes ago, Aidan Campos said: Sure! Here are some photos of the nicest O. graysonensis fragments I’ve collected from the site: Those are really neat! Thanks for taking the time to post another picture (or three!). Edited December 5, 2022 by FossilNerd 1 The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it. -Neil deGrasse Tyson Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don't. -Bill Nye (The Science Guy) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaleoPastels Posted December 6, 2022 Share Posted December 6, 2022 Wow these are so lovely! I like to think that the little stuff is overlooked and can be the best finds. Absolutely love the sea stars, urchins, and of course the sharks. In-situ pics are always the best! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hadrosauridae Posted December 6, 2022 Share Posted December 6, 2022 Great finds, and even better photos! Curious about something in one of your last pics. What is the fragment to the 2-O'clock of the dwarf Mariella bosquensis? 1 "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...
Pagurus Posted December 6, 2022 Share Posted December 6, 2022 Excellent finds and trip report. Beautiful little specimens. I'm particularly fond of the brittle star arms, and, of course, the Pagurus claw. Thanks for posting. 1 1 Start the day with a smile and get it over with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aidan Campos Posted December 6, 2022 Author Share Posted December 6, 2022 (edited) 2 hours ago, hadrosauridae said: What is the fragment to the 2-O'clock of the dwarf Mariella bosquensis? That fossil is the interior side of a Plicatula incongrua clam valve. P. incongrua, together with Mariella bosquensis and Texigryphaea roemeri, make up most of the fossil material at the site. Edited December 6, 2022 by Aidan Campos 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsaavedra Posted December 6, 2022 Share Posted December 6, 2022 This is really cool stuff! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tales From the Shale Posted December 7, 2022 Share Posted December 7, 2022 Love the brittle star fragments! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ironhead42 Posted December 7, 2022 Share Posted December 7, 2022 Looks like a really good trip. I enjoyed the variety of specimens that you were able to share from a single site! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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