TyrannosaurusRex Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 It has been a while since I posted last. School has been hectic, and I have been out of the country as well. I was blessed with the opportunity a few months ago to go to some of the best hunting areas in Texas, all of them places I had wished to visit for years. My mother was a real sport crawling down to the rivers, avoiding the snakes and leeches... We arrived in Ladonia, and drove by the river to get an idea of what the hunting would be like. We skipped on going to the park, knowing it would be well picked over, particularly since the last month it had been flooded, shifting everything. So I got a map and found a different overpass, and we got out to look. (Just so you know, if you ever plan to go here take LOTS of bug spray, sun screen and water. There are chiggers and mosquitoes and lots of spiders. And it is hot. Very, very hot.) It was a very steep climb down to the river bed it's self, so I would advise taking good boots and a walking stick. It started pretty slow, but we managed to find several giant oysters (Name seems to escape me at the moment!) Stumbled over a small creek that flowed into the main river, and headed down it. The goal was to find some mosasaur related material, but we were not having any luck. And just after we headed back to the car, I looked down to see a huge vertebrae! Not going to lie. I was ecstatic! (And yes, it was a lucky coincidence that I happened to be wearing a Jurassic Park T-shirt, haha) I cleaned it up a bit, and this photo was taken back at our bed and breakfast that we were staying at. Good explanation for the terrible lighting. It was a good start to the trip! The next morning we were up and at it again, early. Got out on the river probably by 8. Found some bits and pieces of a Xiphactinus bone, but no more mosasaur for the rest of the trip. There were some nice ammonites and baculites, and then took the afternoon one of the days to head up to Sherman and get teeth. The teeth are of course abundant, and it was so much fun finding them! We ended up with 70+ teeth before heading back to the car. If you have not been there, it has a steep incline if you choose to go to the small bridge rather than the highway. I filled up a five gallon bucket to take home and sort through. About 60 lbs! It was interesting getting it up the incline. We got back to Ladonia, and searched for fossils again, (My goal was to get a Mosasaur tooth) but were unsuccessful, so turned in for the night. We then headed out the next morning again, and saw several water snakes, They are completely harmless though, but a good reminder of the Cottonmouths that inhabit the same waters. And, the leech was an added but unnecessary bonus haha! And no, I didn't kill it. It wasn't doing anything so i just...took it really far off and put it back in the water. The mosy vert was nice, but I decided to split some of the shale because there are ammonites in it. They are just very fragile. Took a while, but I was picking up a large slab, and it split perfectly, all by itself when I lifted it out of the water. I need to prep it, but since this is a very delicate job I am considering hiring someone who has more experience. The special thing about this fossil is the fact the ammonites beak is preserved. I fell in love with it immediately. (Unfortunately I had my camera in a checked bag going to Africa, and it...doesn't work now. So I had to take these with a phone.) I am going to try to see about getting some better ones, because in these photos it is hard to tell what you are looking at. Continued in next post.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TyrannosaurusRex Posted September 16, 2016 Author Share Posted September 16, 2016 Mineral Wells haul: Crinoids, Bryozoans Bivalves, Crinoid Spines etc. Some more stuff from NSR: Petrified wood, baculites, Xiphactinus bone, gastropods, ammonites, some modern shells and mystery items. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TyrannosaurusRex Posted September 16, 2016 Author Share Posted September 16, 2016 My favorite Post Oak find: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fruitbat Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 Looks like you had FUN! Thanks for the report! -Joe Oh...by the way...I think that your 'banded water snake' is actually a 'diamondback water snake' (Nerodia rhombifer). Just FYI. 2 Illigitimati non carborundum Fruitbat's PDF Library Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TyrannosaurusRex Posted September 16, 2016 Author Share Posted September 16, 2016 Just now, Fruitbat said: Looks like you had FUN! Thanks for the report! -Joe Oh...by the way...I think that your 'banded water snake' is actually a 'diamondback water snake' (Nerodia rhombifer). Just FYI. Interesting... I will change it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnBrewer Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 What a haul! That mossy vert John Map of UK fossil sites Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanNREMTP Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 Looked like someone had a great time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TyrannosaurusRex Posted September 17, 2016 Author Share Posted September 17, 2016 2 hours ago, RyanNREMTP said: Looked like someone had a great time. I did! 2 hours ago, JohnBrewer said: What a haul! That mossy vert Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darktooth Posted September 17, 2016 Share Posted September 17, 2016 Wow you guys did really well! Congratulations! I like Trilo-butts and I cannot lie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twinlukers Posted September 17, 2016 Share Posted September 17, 2016 Nice finds!!!! We didn't see any teeth at the ladonia area. When we left their was about three other groups coming down the stairs. But it our reward was a nice vertibrea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TyrannosaurusRex Posted September 17, 2016 Author Share Posted September 17, 2016 44 minutes ago, Twinlukers said: Nice finds!!!! We didn't see any teeth at the ladonia area. When we left their was about three other groups coming down the stairs. But it our reward was a nice vertibrea. The teeth are few and far between. There's a member on here (I think it is BarefootGirl) found a 3+" down there. It was incredible! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DinoMike Posted September 17, 2016 Share Posted September 17, 2016 T. rex, could we get some more pics of that vertebra? From that angle, it looks a little odd compared to most mos verts that I've seen. In particular, I'm interested in seeing views of both ends of the vert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TyrannosaurusRex Posted September 17, 2016 Author Share Posted September 17, 2016 13 hours ago, DinoMike said: T. rex, could we get some more pics of that vertebra? From that angle, it looks a little odd compared to most mos verts that I've seen. In particular, I'm interested in seeing views of both ends of the vert. Sure! It's hard to tell from the photos, but it is absolutely huge. And it is pretty heavy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DinoMike Posted September 17, 2016 Share Posted September 17, 2016 OK, from those angles, yep, is mossie. At first I was thinking you might have had a plesiosaur vert instead, but they're concave on both ends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted September 17, 2016 Share Posted September 17, 2016 Rebekah, can you post additional views of the large vertebra? This is something other than mosasaur. The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TyrannosaurusRex Posted September 17, 2016 Author Share Posted September 17, 2016 5 minutes ago, JohnJ said: Rebekah, can you post additional views of the large vertebra? This is something other than mosasaur. Sure! I trust you all, as I don't know what else it could be. Comparison size to my sigilmassasaurus vert: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TyrannosaurusRex Posted September 17, 2016 Author Share Posted September 17, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted September 17, 2016 Share Posted September 17, 2016 This is some type of mammal bone. Any more views of the grooved area? @Harry Pristis @Al Dente @Foshunter The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TyrannosaurusRex Posted September 17, 2016 Author Share Posted September 17, 2016 11 minutes ago, JohnJ said: This is some type of mammal bone. @Harry Pristis @Al Dente @Foshunter How is that possible? It is so large, and I firmly believe it isn't mammoth. I'm not doubting what you say, I am just very curious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted September 17, 2016 Share Posted September 17, 2016 Your photos show cancellous bone which is typical of mammals. Mosasaur or plesiosaur bone from the NSR is highly mineralized with calcite filling most cavities in the bone. 4 The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TyrannosaurusRex Posted September 17, 2016 Author Share Posted September 17, 2016 Never knew the difference. That is very interesting. I showed the photos to Dinosaur George in San Antonio, and he thought it was Tylosaurus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JarrodB Posted September 18, 2016 Share Posted September 18, 2016 I agree with John. It's not Mosasaur. It looks Pleistocene age. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSRhunter Posted September 18, 2016 Share Posted September 18, 2016 Yup it's definitely pleistocene bone, probably big mammoth or sloth or something Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twinlukers Posted September 18, 2016 Share Posted September 18, 2016 All of the monasuras verts I've seen are also darker in tone and your lighter color one. We found three and they all had the darker tones and heavy as well. But no the less very nice find.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TyrannosaurusRex Posted September 18, 2016 Author Share Posted September 18, 2016 As much as I like mammoths, that's...a big blow. Oh well. Dreams seem to elude my grasp. Is mammoth less common than mosasaur down there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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