Shellbelle Posted June 29, 2016 Share Posted June 29, 2016 (edited) I wasn't even aware that animals could be petrified like wood. I was wondering how rare that is? I believe the snake to be either garder or a rattle snake? I have more pics but for some reason it won't let me upload anymore pics even when they are under 1 mb? Edited June 30, 2016 by Shellbelle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted June 29, 2016 Share Posted June 29, 2016 Welcome to the Forum. I'm afraid that your pictures are quite blurry. I don't see any evidence of this being petrified wood, or a snake. Where was this found, and what is the size of this? Any chance of in focus pictures? Regards, 2 Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CraigHyatt Posted June 29, 2016 Share Posted June 29, 2016 (edited) Pictures are a tad blurry. Maybe get a little farther away, take the photo outside in natural light, hold everything steady, and include a coin, pen, or ruler for scale. Also, where did you find this? If you bought it, did it come with any information? Edit: Obviously, Tim is a faster typist than I am. :-) Edited June 29, 2016 by CraigHyatt 1 1 Info: Craig Hyatt, retired software/electrical engineer Experience: Beginner, fossil hunting less than a year Location: Eagle Pass, TX USA on the border with Mexico, hot dry desert Formation: Escondido, Marine, Upper Cretaceous Materials: Sandstone, Mudstone, Shale, Chert, Chalk Typical: Thalassinoides, Sphenodiscus, Exogyra, Inoceramus Reference: http://txfossils.com/Txfossils.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted June 29, 2016 Share Posted June 29, 2016 Welcome to TFF!! The "snake" is also part of the petrified wood, it just has a different level of preservation with a suggestive shape . there is no fossil snake in this piece. Tony PS Tim may be correct about it not being wood. 1 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...
doushantuo Posted June 29, 2016 Share Posted June 29, 2016 just glad to learn that it isn't my eyesight that's going Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellbelle Posted June 30, 2016 Author Share Posted June 30, 2016 I uploaded a couple of new pics. I have more but it wont let me upload them. Even the ones under 1mb? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 I uploaded a couple of new pics. I have more but it wont let me upload them. Even the ones under 1mb? You don't have to upload new photos to your original post. They can be added to any new post by using the "More Reply Options" at the lower right of the text box. There is not a fossil snake in your photos. What part of this stone do you think resembles one? 1 The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixgill pete Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 Whatever the item is you have pictures, whether wood r not is very interesting and would make a great display piece. However, as the others have stated there is no evidence of a fossil snake. If it were parts of a snake we would see vertebrae and there are no verts in your picture. 1 Bulldozers and dirt Bulldozers and dirt behind the trailer, my desert Them red clay piles are heaven on earth I get my rocks off, bulldozers and dirt Patterson Hood; Drive-By Truckers May 2016 May 2012 Aug 2013, May 2016, Apr 2020 Oct 2022 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CraigHyatt Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 It's a very nice piece and will look nice on your shelf. This part does look like a snake head, but it's just a suggestive shape and our brains fill in the blanks automatically. :-) 1 Info: Craig Hyatt, retired software/electrical engineer Experience: Beginner, fossil hunting less than a year Location: Eagle Pass, TX USA on the border with Mexico, hot dry desert Formation: Escondido, Marine, Upper Cretaceous Materials: Sandstone, Mudstone, Shale, Chert, Chalk Typical: Thalassinoides, Sphenodiscus, Exogyra, Inoceramus Reference: http://txfossils.com/Txfossils.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 Thanks for the better pics. My vote is for geologic on this - no petrified wood, or fossil - snake or otherwise. Keep looking. Regards, 1 Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellbelle Posted June 30, 2016 Author Share Posted June 30, 2016 I know from the pic it is hard to make an accurate decision but when its righr in front of you there is no doubt what so ever that it is part of a snake. Even a child could tell me that. Everyone I have shown it to agrees. I'm gonna take it to the naturL history museum. Thanks for your input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixgill pete Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 I know from the pic it is hard to make an accurate decision but when its righr in front of you there is no doubt what so ever that it is part of a snake. Even a child could tell me that. Everyone I have shown it to agrees. I'm gonna take it to the naturL history museum. Thanks for your input. Please do take it to the San Diego Museum of Natural History. The director of paleontology is Dr. Tom Demere and he can be contacted at 619-225-0232 or e mail paleo@sdnhm.org. I retrieved this information from their website. And do please let us know what their identification is after they see it in person. 1 1 Bulldozers and dirt Bulldozers and dirt behind the trailer, my desert Them red clay piles are heaven on earth I get my rocks off, bulldozers and dirt Patterson Hood; Drive-By Truckers May 2016 May 2012 Aug 2013, May 2016, Apr 2020 Oct 2022 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 Best of luck. Please come back with the information of who you talked to, and what it was determined to be. Regards. 1 1 Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 I'm with the others, not a snake, but please take it to knowledgeable people in a museum. I would love to hear their feedback. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CraigHyatt Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 (edited) If you have time, you can take pictures from different angles. One picture from the front showing the mouth and nostrils. Pictures looking straight at the left and right sides showing the head shape, eyes, and jaws. Close ups of the skin showing scales. Anything is possible, but generally the soft parts of animals decay and only the bones get fossilized. It's very rare to find soft parts like an entire snake head preserved. When it comes to identifying stuff, "the devil is in the details". If the overall form looks like a snake, you next look for things like scales, eyes, nostrils, mouth, heat sensing pits, and so on. Almost everything I post here turns out to be a rock, but that's the only way to learn. It's very important to learn what things are *not* fossils. Don't ever be discouraged, and if you have any doubt, go ahead and post it. The forum members here are very kind and knowledgeable. Either way, I'd like to know the final verdict, because now I am really curious about what you found. :-) Edited June 30, 2016 by CraigHyatt 1 1 Info: Craig Hyatt, retired software/electrical engineer Experience: Beginner, fossil hunting less than a year Location: Eagle Pass, TX USA on the border with Mexico, hot dry desert Formation: Escondido, Marine, Upper Cretaceous Materials: Sandstone, Mudstone, Shale, Chert, Chalk Typical: Thalassinoides, Sphenodiscus, Exogyra, Inoceramus Reference: http://txfossils.com/Txfossils.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 I know from the pic it is hard to make an accurate decision but when its righr in front of you there is no doubt what so ever that it is part of a snake. Even a child could tell me that. Everyone I have shown it to agrees. I'm gonna take it to the naturL history museum. Thanks for your input. If there is "no doubt what so ever" about it, Why did You bring it here? Because You do not know fossils and wanted to find out the truth about it. You have had many fossil followers tell You the truth of the matter, yet You tell us that We can not see what a child can. What does a child know of fossils? Were any of the people that said it was a snake familiar with rocks or fossils? I seriously doubt it, however the people who have answered Your question here are very knowledgeable about rocks and fossils, many have collected for their whole life. I think You have a piece of banded agate that has been stream tumbled. If You look close at the junction of the "snake" and the rest of the rock You can see that the internal structure of the rock crosses the supposed boundary. And as others have stated, there is no fine detail to the "snake" -- the shape just has a vague resemblance to one. None of the eye or nose holes are in the correct place for a snake skull. There is a possibility that it is petrified wood, but I think the banding is too irregular for it to be wood. By all means -- do take it to the museum, and please let us know what they have to say. Tony 1 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...
fossilselachian Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 (edited) If there is "no doubt what so ever" about it, Why did You bring it here? Because You do not know fossils and wanted to find out the truth about it. You have had many fossil followers tell You the truth of the matter, yet You tell us that We can not see what a child can. What does a child know of fossils? Were any of the people that said it was a snake familiar with rocks or fossils? I seriously doubt it, however the people who have answered Your question here are very knowledgeable about rocks and fossils, many have collected for their whole life. I think You have a piece of banded agate that has been stream tumbled. If You look close at the junction of the "snake" and the rest of the rock You can see that the internal structure of the rock crosses the supposed boundary. And as others have stated, there is no fine detail to the "snake" -- the shape just has a vague resemblance to one. None of the eye or nose holes are in the correct place for a snake skull. There is a possibility that it is petrified wood, but I think the banding is too irregular for it to be wood. By all means -- do take it to the museum, and please let us know what they have to say. Tony Nicely stated! Edited June 30, 2016 by fossilselachian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CraigHyatt Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 Nicely stated! I dunno, I'd have been a little nicer about it. She's new at it, has convinced herself it's a snake, and has high hopes it's something rare and special. Not easy to accept otherwise. I took that into account when I read her post, and I tried to gently lead her toward a better conclusion. 1 Info: Craig Hyatt, retired software/electrical engineer Experience: Beginner, fossil hunting less than a year Location: Eagle Pass, TX USA on the border with Mexico, hot dry desert Formation: Escondido, Marine, Upper Cretaceous Materials: Sandstone, Mudstone, Shale, Chert, Chalk Typical: Thalassinoides, Sphenodiscus, Exogyra, Inoceramus Reference: http://txfossils.com/Txfossils.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 I think all the replies have been respectful and informative. We all usually learn as we go; hopefully, 'Shellbelle' will be able to let us know what the museum folks say. 1 The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coco Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 Hi, If a child can say if it is a snake fossil or not, I Wonder well why paleontologist's job exists ! As a child who doesn't manage to repeat a complicated word and who will tell another word which looks like it, your spirit doesn't manage to definite what is your stone but finds that it looks like a snake... Coco ---------------------- OUTIL POUR MESURER VOS FOSSILES : ici Ma bibliothèque PDF 1 (Poissons et sélaciens récents & fossiles) : ici Ma bibliothèque PDF 2 (Animaux vivants - sans poissons ni sélaciens) : ici Mâchoires sélaciennes récentes : ici Hétérodontiques et sélaciens : ici Oeufs sélaciens récents : ici Otolithes de poissons récents ! ici Un Greg... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prem Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 Weathering can certainly create suggestive shapes; however, this particular 'snake' only resembles an actual snake in only the most crude fashion. Were it an actual whole-body snake fossil, as suggested, one would expect to see a lot more detail, such as a scaly texture and true bilateral symmetry to the 'head', and probably some bony structure shaping the surface of the skin as the creature would surely have dessicated as it was being fossilized. For comparison, here are some actual fossil snakes:https://www.flickr.com/photos/thestickytongueproject/galleries/72157627167622237/---Prem 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustPlainPetrified Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 Bill Cosby had a great comedy routine years ago about snakes. "Snakes, I know you're out there." Well, they are, and in fossil form too. Keep up the good work and don't stop presenting finds to The Fossil Forum. We all learn from each other. I know I have learned a lot from this forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellbelle Posted July 1, 2016 Author Share Posted July 1, 2016 Thanks everyone for your time and opinions. I will keep you posted on what I find out. I will keep trying to take better pics in the mean time. Thanks to all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellbelle Posted July 1, 2016 Author Share Posted July 1, 2016 Here are a few more pics. Hopefully you will be able to determine that it is indeed petrified wood. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CraigHyatt Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 Here are a few more pics. Hopefully you will be able to determine that it is indeed petrified wood. Thanks Photos are too blurry. Maybe the camera is too close and/or not enough light? Info: Craig Hyatt, retired software/electrical engineer Experience: Beginner, fossil hunting less than a year Location: Eagle Pass, TX USA on the border with Mexico, hot dry desert Formation: Escondido, Marine, Upper Cretaceous Materials: Sandstone, Mudstone, Shale, Chert, Chalk Typical: Thalassinoides, Sphenodiscus, Exogyra, Inoceramus Reference: http://txfossils.com/Txfossils.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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