Collecting At The Desmostylus Site

[PRK]

Well In case you haven't noticed yet, I'm slowly moving north thru calif, fossil wise. Ive started with the LA area, probably becuase i lived there so long, and gradually am moving north.

I have one more interesting fossil to share before leaving Califfornia. its from central calif, my limit of fossil collecting at that time was the southern half of calif

I spent approx 32days digging DESMOSTYLUS, although not all at the same time, many trips, with no problems. And over 2 years preparing the material we collected.

Back then ranchers were not concerned about some diggings by hand. BUT, when these "kind acts" are abused, -----trash, gates left open, insurance, inconsiderate dirt bikers,etc.---- it Erks the rancher. We all just need to be more considerate. He doesn't have to let people onto HIS property, so when this privelage is abused, he simply shuts his property down for everyone. this is the problem with many sites I'm showing lately. especially in calif. It seems when I "haven't" been to a site for a while, when I do return, someone has ##### off the rancher, he no longer allows anyone on his property, and shuts down the area to off limits for everyone. So another great site down! This seems to be happening more and more ferquently. I can understand his dilema, Fossils aren't the reason he is there anyway.

This is one of those sites. The last time I was there, the rancher had the entire area fenced off and posted " NO TRESSPASSING", and he can see this area from his ranch house kitchen window. I was friends with him but he passed. Now his son strictly enforces this decision. More abuse would REALLY ###### him off. So BE SURE TO at least ask permission, when you enter ANY private property.

Here are just a couple of my favorites. Again the rest went to a large museum.

Desmostylus hesperus

These are the smallest complete juveniles that I found and to this day have never seen anything like them. probably nursing teeth. And probably lower and upper.

Edited January 23, 2013 by PRK

[PRK]

Ill be posting random pics of other fossils from S. Calif from time to time

Desmostylus Hesperus. 2 teeth Upper and lower. My other two faves

Edited December 27, 2012 by PRK

[Uncle Siphuncle]

cool i have one STH desmo tooth, a magnanimous gift from forum member john a.k.a. "FossilsForKids" when he visited texas and collected with me 4-5 years ago.

i feel your pain regarding doors closed to collecting. after i've spent the time and expense to cultivate solid landowner contacts, i make sure those that i invite demonstrate unequivocal landowner courtesy with every move.

i've found it helpful to figure out maximum landowner tolerance to our presence in terms of headcount, frequency and duration of stay, then come in a margin below that threshold.

in addition i like to bring something for the landowner every time, quite often something not available in his area....(you guys didn't really

think i kept all those ammonites, did you?)

furthermore, i enjoy chatting with these nice folks at length as they often like to, esp if they live in remote areas. i esp enjoy hearing the perspective of the old timers, and i don't worry about that cutting into collecting time.

landowner relations are vital to our pursuit. my notes above are just a starting point; morph them to suit your needs, but keep in mind that respect never goes out of style.

[TMNH]

Nice desmos, especially the juveniles! Desmostylus has such strange looking teeth, you have to love them!

[PrimitivePast]

I am a huge fan of Desmostylus as well. I was able to purchase a collection from Fresno County years ago at the Tucson show and every desmo tooth was unique in size, shape, wear pattern and color. This is a little specimen from the group.

[PRK]

I collected this locale for many years before moving to the PNW, and just ran across some photos of DESMOSTYLUS teeth I collected that were given to a museum, and are no longer in my possession. I only have the photos left, and thought I would share.

Since these teeth were for research, they preferred the black/white photos. BUT, I'm sorry NOW, that I didn't take color pics of these wonderful teeth. The shiny black enamel with the contrasting orange roots/dentine, along with the shear numbers, were a grand site!

Teeth weren't the only fossils we found at this locale, there were also pinnipeds, sharkteeth, paleoparadoxia teeth, even an occasional terrestrial mammal tooth. But like I mentioned earlier, the area is now closed off

Due to some careless fossil collectors

Edited August 17, 2014 by PRK

[Auspex]

Quite a mouthful, and look at the tusk!

[siteseer]

PRK.

Recently, I was told that the owner agreed to a land swap with the BLM. I don't know when that was. The BLM wanted the acres to protect a threatened animal species and the family acquired some nice land near the coast in exchange.

Before he passed away in 2007, Bob Ernst told me the easiest productive dig area was cleaned out. Someone would have to dig out tons of overburden to get to the layer now.

You found some great stuff. In later digs it was tough digging out teeth with the roots intact.

Jess

Well In case you haven't noticed yet, I'm slowly moving north thru calif, fossil wise. Ive started with the LA area, probably becuase i lived there so long, and gradually am moving north.
I have one more interesting fossil to share before leaving Califfornia. its from central calif, my limit of fossil collecting at that time was the southern half of calif
I spent approx 32days digging DESMOSTYLUS, although not all at the same time, many trips, with no problems. And over 2 years preparing the material we collected.
Back then ranchers were not concerned about some diggings by hand. BUT, when these "kind acts" are abused, -----trash, gates left open, insurance, inconsiderate dirt bikers,etc.---- it Erks the rancher. We all just need to be more considerate. He doesn't have to let people onto HIS property, so when this privelage is abused, he simply shuts his property down for everyone. this is the problem with many sites I'm showing lately. especially in calif. It seems when I "haven't" been to a site for a while, when I do return, someone has ##### off the rancher, he no longer allows anyone on his property, and shuts down the area to off limits for everyone. So another great site down! This seems to be happening more and more ferquently. I can understand his dilema, Fossils aren't the reason he is there anyway.
This is one of those sites. The last time I was there, the rancher had the entire area fenced off and posted " NO TRESSPASSING", and he can see this area from his ranch house kitchen window. I was friends with him but he passed. Now his son strictly enforces this decision. More abuse would REALLY ###### him off. So BE SURE TO at least ask permission, when you enter ANY private property.

Here are just a couple of my favorites. Again the rest went to a large museum.
Desmostylus hesperus
These are the smallest complete juveniles that I found and to this day have never seen anything like them. probably nursing teeth. And probably lower and upper.

[siteseer]

PRK,

Years ago, Bill Hawes told me he found a "dog" tooth at the site. I wondered if that meant one of the early dogs or perhaps a "bear-dog," as in an amphicyonid. He donated it to a museum.

A friend once gave me a mako he found there back in the 80's. Shark teeth were rare and tended to be missing the roots. I have seen a few nice Palaeoparadoxia teeth from there. Bob Ernst once collected a block that had two teeth in it. It was on display at the Buena Vista Museum in Bakersfield.

Years ago, I found a Palaeoparadoxia for sale among a group of Desmostylus teeth at the Denver show.

Jess

I collected this locale for many years before moving to the PNW, and just ran across some photos of DESMOSTYLUS teeth I collected that were given to a museum, and are no longer in my possession. I only have the photos left, and thought I would share.
Since these teeth were for research, they preferred the black/white photos. BUT, I'm sorry NOW, that I didn't take color pics of these wonderful teeth. The shiny black enamel with the contrasting orange roots/dentine, along with the shear numbers, were a grand site!
Teeth weren't the only fossils we found at this locale, there were also pinnipeds, sharkteeth, paleoparadoxia teeth, even an occasional terrestrial mammal tooth. But like I mentioned earlier, the area is now closed off
Due to some careless fossil collectors

[PRK]

I have seen/been to the desmo collecting area since '07, and digging is still quite possible. Just a matter of landowner permission. I'm sort of out of the loop up here, but I haven't heard of the landswap. but many fine fossils ive seen were quite damaged due to improper collecting, also. Most material i saw/ found there was intact unless improperly collected and /or prepared

PS: thanks siteseer, those roots are not easy to expose. Thanks for noticing!

Paleoparadoxia to LACMNH

Edited April 14, 2013 by PRK

[siteseer]

You must've done a lot of digging to find that many "palaeos."

Yeah, I don't really know the word on that area. Someone else just told me the land swap never happened and the landowner doesn't let anyone collect there.

Another thing that Bob told me was that someone used dynamite without the landowner's permission and that was one of the incidents that led to the shutdown of collecting on the property.

Yeah, I usually see teeth without roots or with poorly repaired roots. You did some nice work.

Jess

I have seen/been to the desmo collecting area since '07, and digging is still quite possible. I'm sort of out of the loop up here, but I haven't heard of the landswap. but many fine fossils ive seen were quite damaged due to improper collecting, also. Most material i saw/ found was intact unless improperly collected and /or prepared
PS: thanks siteseer, those roots are not easy to expose. Thanks for noticing!

Paleoparadoxia to LACMNH

[PRK]

Yes siteseer- that dynamite story is why I made my way back there. Simply not true. Beware of passing on hearsay stories!

And yes it is much easier, simpler, and just quicker to not bother with collecting the roots, as they are quite time consuming to salvage, ESP for commercial purposes.

As with all my digs I've learned, It doesn't take "a lot" of digging to collect properly, just a little care. These roots of those desmostylians were the reason the museum was so interested.

PS: bill and I are buds, say hi to him for me eh! Thanks STSR

Edited October 11, 2013 by PRK

[siteseer]

Thanks for commenting on that story. I apologize for forwarding it since you seem to know the background firsthand.

I met Bill Hawes on my first trip to Tucson in '89. I had bought a couple of Albertosaurus teeth and he showed me they had been painted but were still nice underneath. It was nice of him to help a stranger like that.

You might also know that he collected one of the largest known megalodon teeth from the Sharktooth Hill Bonebed. I was told it was 6 1/4 inches.

In another thread you mentioned knowing Shelton Applegate and Ed Mitchell. In case you don't know Applegate passed away a few years ago but Mitchell was still doing some work. Late last year, Joe Arndt told me Joe Cocke was working on another book. A volume honoring Dave Whistler was published in 2008.

Jess

Yes siteseer- that dynamite story is why I made my way back there. Simply not true. Bewhere of passing on hearsay stories!
And yes it is much easier, simpler, and just quicker to not bother with collecting the roots, as they are quite time consuming to salvage, ESP for commercial purposes.
As with all my digs I've learned, It doesn't take "a lot" of digging to collect properly, just a little care. These roots of those desmostylians were the reason the museum was so interested.
PS: bill and I are buds, say hi to him for me eh! Thanks STSR

[PRK]

Hi Jess - bill never mentioned he had found that " largest" tooth to me, although I do know for a fact he, along with his brother, i was with them and saw first hand, when they did collect a couple beauties. It is not ,however, written in stone that I am the final word, as I try to keep my posts to " first hand knowledge". Which is why I try and back my posts with pics

There are many pics of Shelly and I, working on the gray whale(ie: posts # 115 in the gray whale thread )and several others. It was a grand time. And for the next few years i worked with the entire VP gang at LACM , including among the previously mentioned, joe c, Dave w, Ed Wilson( curator IP), bob lavenberg, and kam swift(both curators in paleoichthyology etc). And to this day am in contact with most of them

Edited April 1, 2013 by PRK

[PRK]

Now and then, while digging for complete Desmostylus teeth, we would find individual cusps from teeth that had fallen apart. Even though these were just tooth "fragments" I gathered them also. I realized even the fragments were nice fossils in and of themselves. But what else could they be good for?

Being into polishing stones for jewelry, as an experiment I ground one of the desmo tooth cusps to reveal it as a cross section. Exposing the orange dentine and black enamel. Yes, that looked pretty cool. But when polished I could see very lovely natural chatoyant patterns in the dentine and even the interesting growth ring patterning in the enamel

And yes, due to some careless parties this site is now officially closed.

Edited August 28, 2013 by PRK

[Auspex]

They yielded a fascinating, almost mesmerizing, lovely balance of pattern and hue.

I bet they are the only such in the world!

[Plantguy]

Hey Paul that's some amazing teeth. Just getting into vert collecting down here and a lot of material is derived from sink hole deposits..anything unusual about how these deposits were created and for the concentration of demo teeth there? Regards, Chris