Ramo Posted February 15, 2017 Share Posted February 15, 2017 Back when I first started fossil hunting, I researched all I could find for stuff around my area. I went to museums, and looked at a ton of pictures. What I found were awesome complete mosasaurs, plesiosaurs, fish, etc. I went out expecting to find something like that. What I found were scattered pieces and parts of stuff. I had no idea that most of these awesome finds I saw in museums were not dug up looking exactly how they looked on the museum wall. The fact is, was most of these things we see in museums are from individuals scattered along a big area, made up of at least some "reconstructed" parts, and often from more than one individual. Last summer my wife and I were fortunate enough to find what I call a "typical" mosasaur eroding out of a chalk wall. What it consisted of were a few scattered broken bones, and when we dug back into the bank a few articulate verts. There was some "root rot" going on, and we decided to expose the bones, pour a plaster jacket on them and extract them this way. They were way to fragile to try and remove individually. When I got them home, I decided to make a mount showing how they were found and tried to capture the excitement of the find. Here is the slab after cleaning down to the bones and plaster. Sitting loosely on the slab are some of the bones we found as float on the ground. 1 For one species to mourn the death of another is a new thing under the sun. -Aldo Leopold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramo Posted February 15, 2017 Author Share Posted February 15, 2017 Here is the slab almost completely cleaned. The chalk is very soft. All I used was a dental pick, tooth brush, water, and sponge. For one species to mourn the death of another is a new thing under the sun. -Aldo Leopold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramo Posted February 15, 2017 Author Share Posted February 15, 2017 Here is the completed mount. All the articulate verts are exactly as found. I plastered a couple of the loose ones, and a paddle bone into an area that had no fossils. I attached an actual brush and scraper used to dig it up, and a small bag with the date on it with some tiny scraps. No burlap was used in the excavation, but I used some around the plaster to make the mount look nicer. I added a frame with glass. The piece of bone next to the brush has a squalicorax shark tooth next to it, as it was found. I started this saying it was a "typical" mosasaur find. Actually it was much more than typical for me. It is actually one of the nicest pieces of mosasaur I have in my collection. Its not the quality or rarity that makes it so cool to me. My wife actually found this fossil. A great friend helped to dig it up. This mount is a reminder of a warm fall day in the badlands of western Kansas on a fossil hunting adventure with my wife and a great friend. That makes this find priceless to me. 3 For one species to mourn the death of another is a new thing under the sun. -Aldo Leopold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramo Posted February 15, 2017 Author Share Posted February 15, 2017 This shows a little more detail. 3 For one species to mourn the death of another is a new thing under the sun. -Aldo Leopold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullsnake Posted February 15, 2017 Share Posted February 15, 2017 That's sweet, Ramo! You guys' determination shows in your rewards. Wishing many more for you. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darktooth Posted February 15, 2017 Share Posted February 15, 2017 Great report and Great display! Thanks for sharing! I like Trilo-butts and I cannot lie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 Ramo, What a great idea! I love the presentation - fantastic find and wonderful display! Thanks for posting it. Regards, 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...
ynot Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 Looks real good! Thanks for sharing the adventure. 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...
PFOOLEY Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 Brilliant display! "I am glad I shall never be young without wild country to be young in. Of what avail are forty freedoms without a blank spot on the map?" ~Aldo Leopold (1887-1948) New Mexico Museum of Natural History Bulletins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDudeCO Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 I love the idea of placing some tools in there! looks fantastic! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 Well done, sir. Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 very nice... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coco Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 Hi, Nice fossil, good prep, and very good idea to put tools with it ! That gives a vague atmosphere of the first discoverers of fossils... Coco 1 ---------------------- 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...
LordTrilobite Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 Looks great! Olof Moleman AKA Lord Trilobite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doushantuo Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 If that were to be found a couple of million years from now,mosasaur paleobiology might get a weird reinterpretation A matter of taste: to me the tools look weird in there OTHERWISE: nice bit of work,kudos,hatsoff,brassband,and congressional medals are in order Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptychodus04 Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 Very cool. I like the "moment in time" thing you have going on. The only thing that would make it more real would be to add a human in the midst of a heat stroke! Regards, Kris Global Paleo Services, LLC https://globalpaleoservices.com http://instagram.com/globalpaleoservices http://instagram.com/kris.howe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 14 hours ago, Ramo said: Its not the quality or rarity that makes it so cool to me. My wife actually found this fossil. A great friend helped to dig it up. This mount is a reminder of a warm fall day in the badlands of western Kansas on a fossil hunting adventure with my wife and a great friend. That makes this find priceless to me. This is the essence of fossil collecting for me. My fossil collection may not be the biggest nor most complete--but then that is not the aim of my collection. I can walk around my house and see the few pieces I've saved from various collecting trips and recall numerous adventures out in the field hunting for something I've never found before. One day I'll get to the badlands and then I'll (hopefully) have something nice to remind me of that trip. As the specimens I keep serve as reminders of my trips, I really like your shadowbox idea of presenting your find with the tools used. Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 Very good report and to agree with FossilDudeCo, I love the way you left some tools in there. Looks like your still at the dig site. RB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xiphactinus Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 That's awesome!! Looking at it, I feel the warm Kansas sun on my back, the wind in my hair, can hear the grass rustling and smell that unique earthy smell of freshly exposed chalk. Love it!!! Makes me long for W. Kansas..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramo Posted February 16, 2017 Author Share Posted February 16, 2017 Thanks for all the feedback everyone. Over 70 here in Kansas today. I may have to venture out soon! For one species to mourn the death of another is a new thing under the sun. -Aldo Leopold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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