masonboro37 Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 Wow, I am speechless at the moment! Splendid find. As others have said be careful and keep it safe. Process of identification "mistakes create wisdom". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave pom Allen Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 what can i say i think its all been covered..WOW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamieLynn Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 agreed....wow!!!! Love that skull! www.fossil-quest.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePrehistoricMaster Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 Amazing, hope you find the rest of the body! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ash Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 Is this more of the skull, or verts going back? As everyone else has said - Very nice find! Take good care getting it out. When in doubt, call out! (for help). Hopefully its in a site no one can get to. I look forward to seeing this thread progress. "Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe" - Saint Augustine"Those who can not see past their own nose deserve our pity more than anything else." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herb Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 Wonderful find. "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"_ Carl Sagen No trees were killed in this posting......however, many innocent electrons were diverted from where they originally intended to go. " I think, therefore I collect fossils." _ Me "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."__S. Holmes "can't we all just get along?" Jack Nicholson from Mars Attacks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krazy Rick Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 I know if it were me, I would seek out help to deal with it; for sure. - If, in fact the entire specimen is there; it would be a real challenge for one person Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donckey Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 CONGRATS! Great find, I hope you will get offered some (professional) help getting it out A awesome skull like you found deserves that. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 What a great find and Plano is the last place I would have expected. I have never heard of one from there so maybe yours is the first! Congratulations on that beauty! Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 I don't know if anyone has mentioned this yet, but WOW.. Excellent find. I agree with many others, this needs a plaster jacket. If you don;t know how to do it, best get some experts involved. Keep in mind that many a good fossil have been ruined by not jacketing. Don't mean to scare y u, but just want to do what's best for the fossil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ActionJ Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 Definitely looks like it could be very important. You should definitely contact SMU. They have paleontologists there and affiliates who are very knowledgeable about mosasaurs and could tell you if the specimen is scientifically important. How terrible would it be if it ended up being a new species or something that provided valuable information about the evolution of mosasaurs and we never knew! Given the locality, there is a good chance this could be significant. I would be very cautious removing it and don't recommend prepping it, if you took it to SMU, they could CT scan it and might valuable information on the internal anatomy of the skull that would be lost in preparation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldigger Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 Hey, I recognize that spot, its right next to the area behind those rocks that have a close approximation the that other location. I can only hope that your find remains a secret until it can be professionally excavated by proper experts. Man, you may even get a wing in the museum named after you. "Oh, you would like to see the Mosasaur?, well step this way to the John S. fossil room". How freaken cool is that?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrehistoricFlorida Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 Very nice find! www.PrehistoricFlorida.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wfrr Posted November 26, 2013 Share Posted November 26, 2013 nice!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trilobiteruss Posted November 26, 2013 Share Posted November 26, 2013 Excellent find, as many others have already said this needs careful excavation, and it looks to me like more than skull may be there.. Good luck... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted November 26, 2013 Share Posted November 26, 2013 So, we are having a bit of a discussion here in my office... what are the legalities of collecting a mosasaur skull in a riverbed in TX? I know that lots of folks collect the North Sulfur River and pick up loose teeth and verts and stuff, but what are the rules about excavating vertebrates? Just want to know. Out here in Wyoming we are very conscious of exactly whose land we collect on, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xiphactinus Posted November 26, 2013 Share Posted November 26, 2013 So, we are having a bit of a discussion here in my office... what are the legalities of collecting a mosasaur skull in a riverbed in TX? I know that lots of folks collect the North Sulfur River and pick up loose teeth and verts and stuff, but what are the rules about excavating vertebrates? Just want to know. Out here in Wyoming we are very conscious of exactly whose land we collect on, etc.jpc - in most places, river beds (the space between the high water marks) is public property and collecting is ok. It becomes an issue when you start digging into a bank. If you are digging in the bed, (within reason -- don't bring a backhoe) I think you are OK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted November 26, 2013 Share Posted November 26, 2013 wow... OK to collect verts on public land.. now there's a cool concept. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old dead things Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 Wow think of all the fossil fish you could collect on the Green River which of course runs through the Green River Formation. However, as JP says that is strictly forbidden. The has been an on going feud here between the Game and Fish and landowners on the North Platte River over high water marks and access to the river. When the river is full, fishermen are trespassing because they are outside the high water mark. So it okay to collect vertebrates as well as invertebrates? So let's say for argument sake this newly found skull is connected to 30 feet of vertebrae, can it be legally collected? Jim Old Dead Things Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PFOOLEY Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 wow... OK to collect verts on public land.. now there's a cool concept. That is a very cool concept! Could you imagine?... "I am glad I shall never be young without wild country to be young in. Of what avail are forty freedoms without a blank spot on the map?" ~Aldo Leopold (1887-1948) New Mexico Museum of Natural History Bulletins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cole Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 I'm sure there are many that would scrutinize the legality of fossil collecting, by amateurs running amuck and taking everything they please for their own personal benefit. However, I'm sure you'd be hard pressed to find someone who is going to start pushing laws at you when you find something this significant, and using professionals for removal/documentation and with the intention on donating to a museum in state for all the residents to enjoy. Maybe its just me but reading about the legality of collecting fossils in this thread is making me nervous and taking away some of the enjoyment...I can only imagine how the OP feels. Kudos to an amazing find. Its like hitting the powerball for fossil enthusiasts to find such an amazing specimen. Cole~ Knowledge has three degrees-opinion, science, illumination. The means or instrument of the first is sense; of the second, dialectic; of the third, intuition. Plotinus 204 or 205 C.E., Egyptian Philosopher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TyrannosaurusRex Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 All I have to say is...THAT IS AWESOME!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 there are many things like this that you can pursue legally in texas. that said, i'd still suggest a low key human presence to prevent problems. Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old dead things Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 there are many things like this that you can pursue legally in texas. that said, i'd still suggest a low key human presence to prevent problems. I would agree very much with this quiet assessment. I too found a mosasuar and it was six months before the public was aware of my find. There are many hurdles to clear. It is still an awesome find and that is why it is going to get more attention. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erose Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 In this, or that, part of Texas there isn't a whole lot of BLM or other federal land to be concerned with. Here it's private ownership and the use of firearms that one should be taking into consideration. And high water marks are always contestable. These days when we are seeing "hundred year" events about every 9 months things will get even more confusing. But it sure isn't that simple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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