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Are any of these real crabs and are they worth buying?


DessaRose

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Hi! I know I saw somewhere there was a post about if we were unsure about buying something online, that we could post it on the forum, so I hope this is the right spot. I have been practicing prepping and I actually have some cool ones Im still working on, but I happened to see these online. Are these worth buying to try my hand at prepping?? Are they real or am I wasting money?? I mean, I'm not looking to spend a lot because I am really just practicing, but I also dont want to waste money if it looks like there is nothing to dig out. If there really is something in there, are they worth the money and which one would you suggest? I would just love a more knowledgeable eyeball on these. :) Thank you guys all so much!

They are described as:

Avid Crab (Avitelmessus grapsoideus Rathbun) is from The Ripley Formation in Central Alabama This one is $20.00 post-20578-0-08908000-1462047525_thumb.jpgpost-20578-0-87789600-1462047547_thumb.jpg This one is $25.00 post-20578-0-90037600-1462047561_thumb.jpgpost-20578-0-85511000-1462047581_thumb.jpg

And this one is $10.00 post-20578-0-96258400-1462047730_thumb.jpgpost-20578-0-88669900-1462047774_thumb.jpg

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They are famous for being the most difficult-to-prep crab fossil there is. Even our most accomplished preppers break into a cold sweat just looking at them. :o

"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!

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The first two look like they have a classic crabby shape. But I can't help you beyond a general shape.

 

 

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These crabs love to shatter when attempting to prep. And often times they're poorly preserved. I really wish there was an easy way to prep these (Maybe chemically....?).

~Charlie~

"There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK
->Get your Mosasaur print
->How to spot a fake Trilobite
->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG

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Those are Avetalmesus (spelling) and are crushed. The rock is extreamly hard to prep. Ive only done one and will never do another. Good luck

RB

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I have one that I started. They demand very careful prep under a micoscope and lots of glue Yes, they just want to fall apart.

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Sounds like they aren't the ideal subjects to practice prepping on unless you enjoy jigsaw puzzles.

 

 

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Seems the consensus is to find better projects and leave these alone. :) Thanks everyone! I really appreciate the help!

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The skill you have already shown in prepping that ammonite shows you have the right stuff. In no way did I mean to imply that an avit crab would be too much for you to handle! I think they are inexpensive enough to constitute "advanced practice", and if you are aware of the challenges going in, your experience wouldn't be a bad one (no matter the results). :)

"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!

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One of the forum members (dirtdauber) has had some success prepping these. As far as I know, he is the only person who has done so. I have attempted a few and they were miserable failures. In my case, the rock was very hard, it has a tendency to shatter, and the crab bodies were crushed, had cavities and voids that were impossible to avoid penetrating, and the rock mostly refused to separate cleanly from the poorly preserved shell. Generally the claws were preserved well enough to prep. My understanding from dirtdauber (and I apologize if I have misunderstood this) is that most of the specimens sold online are concretions that have weathered out and accumulate in stream beds, where they are baked hard by years of exposure. Sometimes one can find them in situ, and some of those are not as hard and those are the ones you can sometimes prep. I also suspect that the softer ones do not survive long being tumbled around in the stream, so the stream gravels are biased towards the harder concretions.

Don

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I never had any more trouble preparing these Alabama crabs than any other pulalius

Nodules I prepare, although the crab fossil itself is generally in poor conditions and not worth the trouble

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The skill you have already shown in prepping that ammonite shows you have the right stuff. In no way did I mean to imply that an avit crab would be too much for you to handle! I think they are inexpensive enough to constitute "advanced practice", and if you are aware of the challenges going in, your experience wouldn't be a bad one (no matter the results). :)

Well thank you so much for the compliment! I had considered the smaller one for that reason alone, any experience, good or bad, is still a learning experience, :)

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As Don (Fossildawg) said, I've prepped many of these nodules with varying success. Quitting on many more than I've completed because of the generally poor preservation and 'stickiness' of the matrix on the fossil. I don't think the nodules pictured are good candidates for success and I wouldn't spend much time on them. Of course, I collect my own and have learned to be selective about those I'll collect or work on. In my opinion, the thinner and less oxidized nodules offer the best chance for successful prepping.--George

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