ynot Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 Hey Ken, Here is a photo of the coockiecutter tooth that I found yesterday.... And a couple of fish teeth (?).... See next post.... Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys." Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough." My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection My favorite thread on TFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 And I don't want to guess on this thing.... (fish jaw?) Good luck with the hunt. Tony Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys." Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough." My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection My favorite thread on TFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted July 30, 2015 Author Share Posted July 30, 2015 Yup. A nice Isistius tooth with a reasonably complete root. You can see the overlapping "notch" on either side where the adjacent tooth overlapped. There is one of these on either side of the tooth so it is a "regular" (non-symphyseal) tooth. Now you have to keep looking and see if you can get to the next level of rarity with a symphyseal (Isistius teeth are already several rungs up the shark tooth rarity ladder). The rounded teeth in the left photo look to be the rounded "button" teeth that I generically lump into a category I call "drum fish teeth". They look to be pharyngeal teeth that likely come from several species in the Sciaenidae family. The profile of the tooth in the right photo is approximately right for the thin "barracuda" type teeth but is obviously much to thick for that. The fact that you can stand it up on its base and take a photo from the top pretty well disqualifies that as an ID. To me it looks much more like a really small gator tooth. Gator teeth can be stubby cones like this or more elongated "sharp pointy teeth" and can always be distinguished from similar crocodile teeth because they only have 2 ridges where crocs have several. Someone with more experience may have other ideas but I'm going to guess it's likely a small gator. Looking forward to seeing more. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted July 30, 2015 Author Share Posted July 30, 2015 And I don't want to guess on this thing.... cookiecutter z-0004.jpg (fish jaw?) No fair--you guessed! I'd concur. I find several of these fragments of fish jaws. Again based on the round peg-like teeth sockets I'm going to guess it is a fragment of some sort of Sciaenidae (drum/croaker). If you do a google image search for "drum fish teeth" you will see plenty of images of the jaws of these interesting fishes populated with the pharyngeal teeth looking like some piscine version of a Chinese checker board. If you consider the (likely more sturdily built) outer edge of the jaw I think that is likely a good fit for what you (and I) are finding in the micro-matrix. For reference: http://www.sciencebuzz.org/museum/object/2003_04_pharyngeal_teeth_from_freshwater_drum_aplodinotus_grunniens Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Dente Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 And I don't want to guess on this thing.... cookiecutter z-0004.jpg (fish jaw?) Good luck with the hunt. Tony I think this is a piece of crab claw. The bumps on crab claws are heavily mineralized with calcite and acidic water can sometimes dissolve the bumps making them look like sockets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old bones Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 And I don't want to guess on this thing.... cookiecutter z-0004.jpg (fish jaw?) Good luck with the hunt. Tony Crab claw says I. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted July 31, 2015 Author Share Posted July 31, 2015 That would explain the rather hollow interior as it would just be part of the crab's exoskeleton. I've found a few bits of crab claw with the full curved tip intact that were more obvious. Here is a good illustration of a crab claw and I can imagine the above pictured fragment coming from something like this: http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/47108-claw-horn-tooth-ne-florida-river-surface-find/?p=508543 Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted July 31, 2015 Author Share Posted July 31, 2015 Hopefully everybody had a chance to hunt for the Cookiecutter Shark (Isistius) tooth in the photo back in post #43 of this topic. Here is a little animation for those who may have looked but not spotted the tooth hiding in the pile of micro-matrix. Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted August 3, 2015 Share Posted August 3, 2015 Hey-hi Ken, I liked seeing Your search pile, it is a window into a cool little world! Thought You might like to see a search pile from the other side of the country. So here is one I looked through last night, from Sharktooth Hill... enjoy... Tony Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys." Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough." My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection My favorite thread on TFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted August 3, 2015 Author Share Posted August 3, 2015 What kind of micro-matrix pile is that? It's nothing but a pile of shark teeth and ray plates. Man, I gotta bump Shark Tooth Hill up a few slots on my fossil bucket list. What an incredibly rich site for micros--great color too. Found a few other interesting bits while doing some sorting over the weekend while the torrential rains provided ample excuse to keep me from doing much needed yard work. Will post some images as soon as I have time to pull out the Celestron and attempt some micro photos. Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted August 3, 2015 Share Posted August 3, 2015 What kind of micro-matrix pile is that? It's nothing but a pile of shark teeth and ray plates. Man, I gotta bump Shark Tooth Hill up a few slots on my fossil bucket list. What an incredibly rich site for micros--great color too. Cheers. -Ken Hey Ken, That is what I call a "very good dump" Actually it is the product of 1 and 1/2 gallon bags of searching.( And My demented sense of humor.) But it is a very rich site with wonderful colors!! Hope You can make the trip soon. Tony Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys." Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough." My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection My favorite thread on TFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted August 3, 2015 Author Share Posted August 3, 2015 Actually, not a bad haul if this is from 1.5 gallons of matrix. Next time we visit my brother-in-law's family out in San Mateo I'll have to have him fly us down to Bakersfield (he has a private jet). Would make for a fun side-trip (especially as he lets me fly--except for take-offs and landings). STH is still hovering near the top of my fossil bucket list and the pictures of all the great finds there are keeping it in the top 5 spots. So many places to go and things to do--and so little time.... Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted August 3, 2015 Share Posted August 3, 2015 I suggest that You make the trip late fall through early spring... the summers can be brutal (no shade and temps in the 100s) and the pay to dig site is closed during July and August. Flying in to look for teeth at STH sounds like a great way to start a trip.. Good luck on the hunt! Tony Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys." Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough." My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection My favorite thread on TFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted August 4, 2015 Author Share Posted August 4, 2015 Here are a few new finds from some micro-matrix sorting over the weekend. Some of my favorite tiny finds are the little crushing teeth from Dasyatis stingrays. It is always fun to find these with the two little roots on the bottom. For some reason these little teeth always remind me of the aliens in the 1978 arcade video game Space Invaders which, I must confess, was the recipient of many rolls of quarters when I was a kid. Fossil Dasyatis sp. stingray crushing tooth: Antique (but not yet fossilized) display from the common ancestor of all arcade video games: -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted August 4, 2015 Author Share Posted August 4, 2015 Earlier I pondered why Nurse Sharks (Ginglymostoma cirratum) should be one of the more common sharks on today's reefs while their teeth seem to be so rare when sifting or sorting for fossils in the Peace River. After many hours of sorting through micro-matrix I had found precisely two river-worn examples from this species. Over last weekend I doubled my collection of these teeth with two additional teeth, though small, broken and river-worn. It seems that though they appear to be rather rare that the more I search through micro-matrix the more I find (a trend I'd like to see continue). My goal (it's good to have goals) would be one nice complete tooth with sharp cusps. Also came across a fish incisor likely from the drum/croaker family (Sciaenidae) probably a Sheepshead which is known for having human-like incisors. Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khyssa Posted August 5, 2015 Share Posted August 5, 2015 Thank you for posting the picture of the nurse shark teeth! I've been sorting through some of my matrix from Rattlesnake creek and found three of these tiny teeth in one cup of material. I was wondering what shark they were from! I'll try to get some pictures of them to share. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted August 5, 2015 Author Share Posted August 5, 2015 Given their relative rarity it seems quite lucky to come across 3 Nurse Shark teeth in such a small amount of micro-matrix. If you are finding lots of these little teeth then you may beat me to my quest for a nice complete tooth without worn down cusps. Please post some photos of your finds when you have a chance. Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khyssa Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 (edited) Here are the three teeth that I found. One is badly worn but the other two are in good condition and the pictures do not show just how pretty the colors are. The last one looks pretty complete without any damage that I can see. But these are the first of these teeth that I've seen. Edited August 6, 2015 by Khyssa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old bones Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 Here are the three teeth that I found. One is badly worn but the other two are in good condition and the pictures do not show just how pretty the colors are. The last one looks pretty complete without any damage that I can see. But these are the first of these teeth that I've seen. Those are very nice, Khyssa. The only ones in my collection to be in that good a condition are also from Rattlesnake Creek. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted August 6, 2015 Author Share Posted August 6, 2015 That settles it! I need to get to Rattlesnake Creek! Just as it is rather futile to be searching for Cookiecutter Shark teeth if you are not searching through the micro-matrix from Jeff's magical little creek, I guess I shall have to head to Rattlesnake Creek if I ever want to see a Nurse Shark tooth that isn't worn down to near the point of being unidentifiable. Those teeth are gorgeous and the colors spectacular! I guess I'll have to contact John and have him let me know next time he goes to this creek to collect micro-matrix. Stunning! Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khyssa Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 Rattlesnake creek is great! The teeth that come out of there tend to not only be in great condition but the color range is fantastic! The creek stays shallow year round, the water level only raises during heavy rain and then drops shortly after it stops raining. Maybe we could could get together as a group to go there one day, it'd be fun to meet you guy's in person. I live about an hour and half drive south of Gainesville. Here's one of the teeth I found last time I was up there. I wish I hadn't taken this picture against the colored back ground as the tooth is much prettier then the picture shows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 Here are the three teeth that I found. One is badly worn but the other two are in good condition and the pictures do not show just how pretty the colors are. The last one looks pretty complete without any damage that I can see. But these are the first of these teeth that I've seen. Nice finds! I really like the odd looking teeth! Tony Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys." Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough." My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection My favorite thread on TFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted August 6, 2015 Author Share Posted August 6, 2015 It's a date. If the creek is huntable all year round (with short exceptions after pulses of rain) then we won't have to wait till winter. I'll have to see how my schedule plays out over the next couple of months. I've got a contract with The Nature Conservancy to do some baseline coral reef surveys in areas of interest throughout the Caribbean. I'm off on what should be an interesting trip to Haiti in a couple of weeks and possibly over to the Grenadines immediately following that trip. When I know my schedule a bit more clearly and can plan out a couple of weeks in advance I'll put the word out and maybe we can gather some TFF members for a meet-up in Gainesville. I've been meaning to visit with Dr. Hulbert and have a peek at my Leptarctus ancipidens mandible from the collection now that it is all prepped. I'm always at my happiest when I have a trip planned for the future--thanks for making my morning. Cheers. -Ken P.S.: Lovely Physogaleus contortus tooth (looks even better with a little white balancing). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khyssa Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 Sounds like you've got a pretty busy and fun schedule ahead of you! And thanks for cleaning up the picture of that tooth, the colors are a much better match to real life now. I work full time so I'm only free on weekends to go hunting. A group meet-up sounds fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted August 12, 2015 Author Share Posted August 12, 2015 Pretty cool--I like mini micros. Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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