Shark Tooth Hill (Area) - Nov Paleo Dig

[DitchDiggerDos]

Yet another successful adventure to Shark Tooth Hill Area with the Buena Vista Musuem of Natural History (BVM). I can't get enough!

Here is the link if you are interested in some middle miocene in December - http://www.sharktoothhill.org/

- James P.

Edited November 24, 2013 by DitchDiggerDos

[John Hamilton]

What a great haul! I love the color and translucence of that tiger shark tooth. That mammal tooth is pretty awesome too.

[Fallingfossils]

Great finds! Taking a trip with the BVM is at the top of my "as soon as I can gather some travel money to-do-list" for sure.

[PFOOLEY]

Beautiful teeth! It would be hard to get enough of collecting those!

[MakoMeCrazy]

Would love to visit that place some day

[DitchDiggerDos]

Look forward to seeing ya'll there one day. It is truely a Disneyland of sorts. Here is one of my larger Hastalis uppers from the same quarry earlier this year.

- James P.

[Boesse]

Nice Allodesmus tooth.

[DitchDiggerDos]

Nice Allodesmus tooth.

Thanks Boesse! That one was found by a first time digger from San Diego. Here are a couple photos of my Allodesmus teeth from the trip.

[espeton]

Nice teeth!!

[DitchDiggerDos]

I finally had a chance to clean a few from this last dig. I love the process of re-discovering your fossils after a great dig. I don't know about you, maybe its adrenaline, but I have trouble really soaking in the beauty, or value, of each specimen during the hunt.

Edited November 26, 2013 by DitchDiggerDos

[Fallingfossils]

Really great looking teeth

Shame about the big mako. Was it dinged while digging or just found that way?

[jcbshark]

Wow,very nice.

[gwbh]

nice!

[DitchDiggerDos]

Really great looking teeth

Shame about the big mako. Was it dinged while digging or just found that way?

Fortunately I do not bear the weight of doing the damage but rather found it that way. It was along the edge of a previously dug hole. I'm having trouble determining if it was feeding wear, an old break or a modern break. Here is a close up. Any idea?

[caldigger]

Jim, was there matrix solidified on the inside of the break? That could determine if it was buried with the break. Ya, I was sad for you when you showed it to me that day. Wow, that huge Hastilis has me real jealous. OK...IT IS ON! I'm going to have to beat that one. So far my biggest have been in the 2 1/4" range. I got another one of your "Pretty in Pink" Hastilis at Slow Curve last week just over the 2 1/8" scale. She's a beaut!

[DitchDiggerDos]

Doren,

There was a good amount of soil in the break but it didn't stand out to me as having been there for...oh 15 million years or so.

I think a good clean 2.25" beats a broken 2.75" any day. Post a picture of you slow curve Hastalis!

Here is a good one of yours from back in October.

[obsessed1]

Great finds. The tip break is a new one from the process of digging. The chip missing from the side of the blade is older damage. You can see when comparing the two the damage on the side has a softer almost polished look when compared to the tip.

[caldigger]

Yep, looking back at the picture, it definitely looks like a new break...hey, you can always blame the last guy in your dig spot. Ha, Ha.

"it wasn't me, it was the one armed man!" (quote from Ace Ventura)

[AeroMike]

I need to take a trip out there. I would LOVE to find a 2.5"+ Mako from there.

[Texas Fossil Hound]

Fortunately I do not bear the weight of doing the damage but rather found it that way. It was along the edge of a previously dug hole. I'm having trouble determining if it was feeding wear, an old break or a modern break. Here is a close up. Any idea?

I am going to say that the big tooth with the chipped tip is not feeding wear because there is still flaking enamel and the break looks like it is fresh - it lacks any sedimentary wear. Just my 2 cents.

Jon

[Texas Fossil Hound]

Thanks Boesse! That one was found by a first time digger from San Diego. Here are a couple photos of my Allodesmus teeth from the trip.

I would check on the bottom tooth (white one). I have one like this and have it Identified as a toothed whale tooth based on the ID guide from Robert Ernst's collection. I have enclosed the pic from his display last October. Let me know if anyone has a difference of opinion.

jon

Here is the one from Robert Ernst case.

Here is the one I found at STH.

[siteseer]

Jon,

I agree with you and the other tooth might be one as well.

Jess

I would check on the bottom tooth (white one). I have one like this and have it Identified as a toothed whale tooth based on the ID guide from Robert Ernst's collection. I have enclosed the pic from his display last October. Let me know if anyone has a difference of opinion.

jon

Here is the one from Robert Ernst case.

IMG_5051sm.jpg

Here is the one I found at STH.

IMG_0814sm.jpgIMG_0817sm.jpg

[Boesse]

Thanks Boesse! That one was found by a first time digger from San Diego. Here are a couple photos of my Allodesmus teeth from the trip.

Those actually are both odontocete teeth - Allodesmus has a turnip shaped crown with a lingual bulge, and the roots are proportionally longer with a sulcus running down the lateral and medial sides.

[AeroMike]

I am going to say that the big tooth with the chipped tip is not feeding wear because there is still flaking enamel and the break looks like it is fresh - it lacks any sedimentary wear. Just my 2 cents.

Jon

I agree 100% with Jon on this, the flaking is not feeding damage but looks like from a blow of a pick or digging tool. What a shame too as it is a nice size and beautiful color~! the only other color that would make this an awesome tooth would be if it was orange~!!!!

I need to add to me mako collection.....

How hard is it to hunt this area? how can an out of towner hunt this?

[obsessed1]

The BVMNH has digs they promote that can be attended or you can contact Rob Ernst directly. He is Quarry411 here on the forum. I have been lucky enough to have hunted it three times. It is well worth any effort required to collect there.