Malcolmt Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 (edited) Having found some Euryterids this past Friday made me think which would I rather hunt and find, a complete trilobite or a complete Eurypterid. You know at the end of the day for me it is actually quite a simple decision. Definately I enjoy looking for trilobites more and I would rather find a complete trilobite. I would also rather prep a complete trilobite any day. My reasoning. Eurypterids are in pretty baren matrix so if you are not finding one you are not finding anything Eurypterids are rare so you can spend the day and find nothing Getting Eurypterids out of the rock is very hard work The location you find Eurypterids around me is very boring. The surrounding locations I hunt for trilobites at are much more pleasant to be in (woods, rivers, cliffs) I think a prepped trilo is almost a work of art You are always finding something when you are looking for trilos even if it is not a complete one. They are associated with neat stuff Within driving distance of me I probably have the ability to have a reasonable expectation of finding about 75 different trilobite species Within driving distance of me I can maybe find 3 to 4 species of Eurypterids (yes I know there are more but I would never find one) Trilos are small you can display a lot in a small space Euryptids take up too much space to display Prepping trilos is a challenge Prepping Eurypterids is mostly luck , how the rock splits , what condition the thin film that is the fossil is actually in I am partial to the Devonian, but I guess upper Silurian is close. So what would you rather find ........... Edited April 2, 2012 by Malcolmt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 I am well content to enjoy whatever you find "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 both! Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolmt Posted April 2, 2012 Author Share Posted April 2, 2012 Thats a bit greedy!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caleb Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 I'm a trilo guy through and through, though the occasional surprise of another nice fossil is always very welcome. Caleb Midwestpaleo.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 (edited) I think it's a good problem to have, ... such a variety of choices. I would like to find trilos, but I think an occasional outing for Eurypterids would be a nice change of pace. Good to experience "the agony of defeat" - keeps us humble. Like Dan always says.... "To the Motivated go the Spoils." I am torn in my area between fish and plants. I love both, so,... it often boils down to time restraints. Plants are closer (about 7 minutes away), and a little less work physically (no digging) . My fish are more "showy", but are farther away, (25 minutes) and more work physically (digging, and hauling shale out to car - a bit of a hike which seems like forever with 80 + #'s of shale on your back) . I feel I am lucky to be able to collect different things. There are areas that have no fossils whatsoever! Heaven forbid. Thanks for posting your recent great finds, Malcolm! Regards, Edited April 2, 2012 by Fossildude19 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...
Malcolmt Posted April 2, 2012 Author Share Posted April 2, 2012 (edited) Tim, you are lucky to have close spots, the nearest productive sites to us of any kind is 1 1/2 hours drive with no traffic going a wee bit over the limit. Until Friday I had never found a plant of any kind other than algae. I think I found one of those sperm like plants from the upper siluran of the Bertie. It is still wrapped up in tin foil. When I get to it I will probably post a picture to get everyones thoughts. I love my 18 inch layer fish but they were bought unprepped from Ulrich's 20 years ago and I still have 3 more left to prep. No fish around here that I know of other than a few placederm bits and shark bits in some of the devonian and an area near Ottawa which is a 6 hour drive. Edited April 2, 2012 by Malcolmt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolmt Posted April 2, 2012 Author Share Posted April 2, 2012 Caleb, if I was finding the trilos that you have as of late I would not be looking for anything else............... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boneman007 Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Why choose? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolmt Posted April 2, 2012 Author Share Posted April 2, 2012 I always hear people talking of how great Eurypterids are and how they would like to find one, but when I think about it I would rather have a nice trilobite...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vordigern Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Mosasaur skull....that was an option right Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 malcomt- I see you are in Missisauga... where there actually are eurypterids. I think if you lived in an area with triobites and no eurypt's you'd feel the opposite. I would LOVE to find a eurypterid. At thispoint, I'm feeling a bit the same about dinosaurs and whales... I have lots of dinosaur fossils, but I'm really excited to just have collected my first whale fossils in the past few months. We have no whales here, I had to go to CA for them. OK, I'll also admit I love the exoticness of stuff from somewhere other than where I am. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMNH Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 Wel I'd be happy with either, however, nver having found a eurypterid before, I would probably go with that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 Eurypterids, hands down. A complete Ameura, laid out flat, is tops on my wish list, but the thought of finding even a partial eurypterid really gets the blood flowing. Oh, and.... Euryptids take up too much space to display I would be thrilled to have an eurypterid that takes up too much space to display.... Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Sharks Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 All things being equal, I'd rather find eurypterids, but things aren't equal. I find at least one complete trilobite/trip average without a lot of trying. If I was splitting rock looking for trilos as you need to do to find the Eurypterids, that number would be a lot higher. Trilobites have a nice 3D look, but eurypterids, flat though they are, are great looking fossils. The odds of finding one complete, from appendages to telson, are just so remote. Trilobites are so much more common, and there's a very wide variety locally, that they have become my main focus, but if eurypterids were anywhere near as easy, I'd be at Fort Erie a lot more There's no limit to what you can accomplish when you're supposed to be doing something else Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 (edited) Malcolm, I guess you mean "what would you rather look for" as opposed to "what would you rather find". Two different questions. Of course you'd rather look for the easy stuff, but if you happened to find something rare thing like a eurypterid I bet you'd be over the moon! For me, the best finds don't come as a result of looking for them, they come from just looking for fossils in general without any expectations. (Of course different sites produce different things) I know what you mean about smaller display specimens, I'm running out of space myself, but I know the big stuff is what impresses people. I had a friend over and he was casually looking at the stuff on top of my cabinets, and what catches his eye? The big dino bone. Nothing else seemed to register. Edited April 5, 2012 by Wrangellian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squalicorax Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 trilobites 3d My Flickr Page of My Collection: http://www.flickr.com/photos/79424101@N00/sets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blastoid Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 I think eurypterids are much, much rarer, also bigger, and cooler. Living fifteen minutes from Arkona, and I don't really care if I find another enrolled phacops. Not that I've found that many, they're still nice to find, but I get a bigger charge from finding a little piece of a eurypterid than another phacops. The kick of the eury trips is that it really is more like winning the lottery, cos finding anything at all is so unusual... especially since you only get one day a week to take your chances. Also there you've got the chance of finding ancient plants, which I really, really like, they are totally cool and beautiful. Lastly, being a mainly mineral collecting guy, I LOVE splitting tons of rock, all day long. If I could find a place that I could tear into 7 days a week, I'd be there like a bat outta hell. B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolmt Posted April 5, 2012 Author Share Posted April 5, 2012 If I lived 15 minutes from Arkona , I would be there all the time. Unfortunately without traffic and a wee bit over the speed limit it is 2 1/2 hours each way. Still looking to find a complete greenops at Arkona!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 Having found some Euryterids this past Friday made me think which would I rather hunt and find, a complete trilobite or a complete Eurypterid... All-in-all, this is kind of a nice problem to have... "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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