Mako

[Shellseeker]

I was out today. I have decided to occasionally show photos of the Peace River just to let TFF members know what it looks like and why I love it.

I was at this location today and I found a trifecta:  Meg, Hemi, and Mako all at 1.5 inches in length.

 

Great day but I am mostly interested in the Mako,  because its shape is unusual for my previous Peace River Mako finds.  Is this a Isurus Hastalis and if so, which tooth position?

 

Here are a couple of Peace River Makos from previous trips for comparisons:

 

Thanks,  Jack

[ynot]

I think it is a rear lateral upper from a Carcharodon hastalis. (white shark formerly known as Isurus.).

Nice finds!

 

Tony

[Darktooth]

Great finds! Love the pic of the river, Thanks for sharing the beauty!

[jlar7607]

Nice finds Jack dont be greedy. Hey I recognize  that spot ! Im going hunting on Monday yeehaa !!

[Monica]

Hi Shellseeker et al.!

 

I was just wondering...are their alligators anywhere along the Peace River down there in Florida?!  I live up here near Toronto, Canada where we never have to worry about anything dangerous (thank goodness!!!) and I was just curious as to whether you Floridian fossil-hunters ever have to worry about gators...

 

Thanks, and have a marvelous Monday!

 

Monica

[ynot]

I would like to see the opinions of @MarcoSr, @Al Dente, @siteseer, @sixgill pete, @Darktooth, and @caldigger.

[Darktooth]

I agree with ynot on species but I am not knowledgable enough with tooth position.

[Al Dente]

There are fossil tooth sets on the elasmo.com website. They have one for C. hastalis. You can go here-http://www.elasmo.com/genera/reconstruct/the_recon.html

and then from the pull down menu select C. hastalis. It will look like the attached image but you can click on the teeth and it will bring up enlarged photos of the tooth.

[Darktooth]

Thanks Al Dente! I completely forgot about this reference. I have gotten on this site a few times, but its been years. I really don't know why I haven't used it more.

[sixgill pete]

14 hours ago, Monica said:

Hi Shellseeker et al.!

 

I was just wondering...are their alligators anywhere along the Peace River down there in Florida?!  I live up here near Toronto, Canada where we never have to worry about anything dangerous (thank goodness!!!) and I was just curious as to whether you Floridian fossil-hunters ever have to worry about gators...

 

Thanks, and have a marvelous Monday!

 

Monica

 

Monica, alligators are pretty much everywhere in Florida. They are also common in Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, South Carolina and in some parts of North Carolina. I can speak from my experience, I have seen many but never really worry about them.

[Monica]

Just now, sixgill pete said:

 

Monica, alligators are pretty much everywhere in Florida. They are also common in Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, South Carolina and in some parts of North Carolina. I can speak from my experience, I have seen many but never really worry about them.

You don't have to worry about them?!  Really?!  I think they would scare the begeezies out of me if I were to see one while looking for fossils, especially if I'm standing in the water!!!  The only wildlife I see up here are birds, frogs, crayfish, and fish - nothing scary.  Kudos to you guys down there for being brave enough to fossil-hunt among those reptiles!

[Shellseeker]

11 hours ago, Al Dente said:

There are fossil tooth sets on the elasmo.com website. They have one for C. hastalis. You can go here-http://www.elasmo.com/genera/reconstruct/the_recon.html

and then from the pull down menu select C. hastalis. It will look like the attached image but you can click on the teeth and it will bring up enlarged photos of the tooth.

 

Al Dente, WoW!!! I am impressed and will use this link. The photos match my Mako finds. Are there equivalents for other shark dentition?  Jack  Thanks

[Shellseeker]

1 hour ago, Monica said:

You don't have to worry about them?!  Really?!  I think they would scare the begeezies out of me if I were to see one while looking for fossils, especially if I'm standing in the water!!!  The only wildlife I see up here are birds, frogs, crayfish, and fish - nothing scary.  Kudos to you guys down there for being brave enough to fossil-hunt among those reptiles!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_alligator_attacks_in_the_United_States

 

Compared to every other thing that might kill you, alligator attacks (predominately in Florida) are a minuscule risk. The only fatality in the Peace River happened in 1977.  A man decided to go swimming in deep water at dusk, which is an alligator's preferred meal time. 

I have seen a number of alligators in the Peace River, many large enough to easily kill me,  I took a photo of one who decided to investigate my splashing. I made the wise choice of laying down my shovel and retreating to the bank to take this picture.

 

I try to do smart things: Never hunt alone; stay in shallow , clear water; pay attention to your surroundings, never swim over deep pools .  The riskiness thing that I do is drive the 110 miles to the Peace River. Hundreds have been killed on those roads over the years.      Jack

 

[Monica]

7 hours ago, Shellseeker said:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_alligator_attacks_in_the_United_States

 

Compared to every other thing that might kill you, alligator attacks (predominately in Florida) are a minuscule risk. The only fatality in the Peace River happened in 1977.  A man decided to go swimming in deep water at dusk, which is an alligator's preferred meal time. 

I have seen a number of alligators in the Peace River, many large enough to easily kill me,  I took a photo of one who decided to investigate my splashing. I made the wise choice of laying down my shovel and retreating to the bank to take this picture.

 

I try to do smart things: Never hunt alone; stay in shallow , clear water; pay attention to your surroundings, never swim over deep pools .  The riskiness thing that I do is drive the 110 miles to the Peace River. Hundreds have been killed on those roads over the years.      Jack

 

Thanks for responding, Jack, and thanks for the picture of the alligator you encountered while fossil-hunting.  I still think you guys hunting in the southern states have a lot of guts to do so in waterways where alligators can be found - I'm not so sure I'd be brave enough to do so!

[digit]

As Jack mentioned above, there are many things you can do to minimize (or maximize ) your risk while hunting in the Peace River. Many trips I see no signs at all of gators on the Peace but most trips I'm lucky to spot one or two smaller ones lying out on the banks soaking up some solar radiation. One trip must have been just the right combination of temperature and sunlight where I counted 12 gators on the 8.5 mile trip downstream. I've seen the occasional gator swim by crossing the river ahead of me while in the canoe. There are a few deep "gator holes" upstream where I occasionally hunt with a friend where we know to steer clear of while paddling. At a favorite spot of mine I had a small (four foot) gator hanging in the vegetation in the water near the edge of the river while I shoveled and sifted. It was a small individual but worth watching. It seemed a bit curious as to what we were doing digging and splashing when we dumped the searched gravel out of our sifters. I watched it submerge and pop-up at different locations around us but never strayed too near. Most gators are quite wary of humans (unless they have stupidly been fed) and keep their distance. Just like diving with sharks (which I often find myself doing) you just need to be aware and understand their behavior. If sharks were to make territorial gestures or gators get too curious the wise retreat to a safe location. Both gators and sharks are beautiful and remarkable top-level predators an a bit of knowledge and common sense will do much to minimize the risk. As Jack said, the most dangerous part is usually the drive to/from the Peace River.

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[Monica]

8 hours ago, digit said:

As Jack mentioned above, there are many things you can do to minimize (or maximize ) your risk while hunting in the Peace River. Many trips I see no signs at all of gators on the Peace but most trips I'm lucky to spot one or two smaller ones lying out on the banks soaking up some solar radiation. One trip must have been just the right combination of temperature and sunlight where I counted 12 gators on the 8.5 mile trip downstream. I've seen the occasional gator swim by crossing the river ahead of me while in the canoe. There are a few deep "gator holes" upstream where I occasionally hunt with a friend where we know to steer clear of while paddling. At a favorite spot of mine I had a small (four foot) gator hanging in the vegetation in the water near the edge of the river while I shoveled and sifted. It was a small individual but worth watching. It seemed a bit curious as to what we were doing digging and splashing when we dumped the searched gravel out of our sifters. I watched it submerge and pop-up at different locations around us but never strayed too near. Most gators are quite wary of humans (unless they have stupidly been fed) and keep their distance. Just like diving with sharks (which I often find myself doing) you just need to be aware and understand their behavior. If sharks were to make territorial gestures or gators get too curious the wise retreat to a safe location. Both gators and sharks are beautiful and remarkable top-level predators an a bit of knowledge and common sense will do much to minimize the risk. As Jack said, the most dangerous part is usually the drive to/from the Peace River.

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

Okay, I guess gators are not something to be too worried of, but I'm still not so sure that I'd do what you guys do - I guess I'm lucky living here in (relatively) safe southern Ontario where the most "dangerous" thing I encounter is very cold creek/river water 

[Kane]

Our geese can be quite territorial. Maybe not as dangerous as a croc or alligator, but one has to know how to deal with an alpha goose to avoid getting bit!

[Monica]

Just now, Kane said:

Our geese can be quite territorial. Maybe not as dangerous as a croc or alligator, but one has to know how to deal with an alpha goose to avoid getting bit!

Hi Kane!

 

Too true!!!  Canada geese are VERY defensive when they have eggs/goslings in a nest - I've been hissed at many a time, but I've never been bitten.  Where I usually look for fossils I typically encounter mallards, and they're nothing to worry about.

 

Thanks for chiming in, and making me feel as though I'm not too much of a wimp since I know how to handle myself around such dangerous animals as Canada geese 

 

Monica

[Kane]

Always look the goose in the eye (I tell my students this). Stare the alpha down. I always wear steel-toed boots so am ready to give a swift kick if he gets uppity. It never has come to that for me, but my campus is also a nesting ground for geese, so they are splayed out over our high traffic pedestrian areas (my uni has a river that runs through it). 

 

Mallards are nice and friendly, in my experience

[Shellseeker]

35 minutes ago, Monica said:

Hi Kane!

 

Too true!!!  Canada geese are VERY defensive when they have eggs/goslings in a nest - I've been hissed at many a time, but I've never been bitten.  Where I usually look for fossils I typically encounter mallards, and they're nothing to worry about.

 

Thanks for chiming in, and making me feel as though I'm not too much of a wimp since I know how to handle myself around such dangerous animals as Canada geese 

 

Monica

Monica,

I think that you Canadians are very brave just to take a walk in the woods.  I hear that there are Grizzly and Kodiac bears and even more dangerous MOOSE !!!!  I have great respect.

[Monica]

40 minutes ago, Shellseeker said:

Monica,

I think that you Canadians are very brave just to take a walk in the woods.  I hear that there are Grizzly and Kodiac bears and even more dangerous MOOSE !!!!  I have great respect.

 

Well, I wish I could let you continue to think that us Ontarians are tough, but...

 

I have to tell you - we don't have grizzlies here.  There are black bears if you go further north, but they're smaller so probably not as dangerous as grizzlies.  Don't get me wrong - I wouldn't want to encounter a black bear, either, but they're probably not as scary as a grizzly.  As for moose - again, they are here in Ontario, but further north.  But you're right about them - I wouldn't want to see one, particularly while driving on a dark road - they're huge so they can do some serious damage.  Raccoons can be kind of scary - I used to volunteer at a wildlife rehabilitation centre and I didn't really enjoy tending to them - I'll admit that I was scared - their teeth are really sharp-looking!  And now I'm actually reminded of being bitten by a red squirrel when I volunteered there, so I guess we DO have dangerous creatures up here - Canada geese and red squirrels! 

[ynot]

6 minutes ago, Monica said:

 There are black bears if you go further north, but they're smaller so probably not as dangerous as grizzlies.

Just so You know...

Black bears are responsible for more attacks on humans than any other wild animals.

[Monica]

1 hour ago, ynot said:

Just so You know...

Black bears are responsible for more attacks on humans than any other wild animals.

I can believe that - if you're into camping they can be a real problem.  They also frequent the garbage dumps up north so I imagine that many may not be fearful of humans, and if there's food available, then they'd probably do whatever necessary to get it, even if it means a close encounter with a human.  I imagine that they're responsible for more attacks on people because they've adapted to live fairly well near human habitations, unlike other bears.  So, like I said in my previous post - I've never had a close-up encounter with any bear, and I'd prefer to keep it that way 

[ynot]

7 minutes ago, Monica said:

I can believe that - if you're into camping they can be a real problem.  They also frequent the garbage dumps up north so I imagine that many may not be fearful of humans, and if there's food available, then they'd probably do whatever necessary to get it, even if it means a close encounter with a human.  I imagine that they're responsible for more attacks on people because they've adapted to live fairly well near human habitations, unlike other bears.  So, like I said in my previous post - I've never had a close-up encounter with any bear, and I'd prefer to keep it that way 

In 1990 I had a very close encounter (less than 3 feet from Me) with a large one in a small town near Me. Not a fun experience, but I was lucky and had no injuries. Only 3% of people that have a close encounter with a black bear escape unscathed.

 

I think one of the reasons they have so many incidents is stupid tourist trying to feed them or get a selfie with one.

[Monica]

7 hours ago, ynot said:

In 1990 I had a very close encounter (less than 3 feet from Me) with a large one in a small town near Me. Not a fun experience, but I was lucky and had no injuries. Only 3% of people that have a close encounter with a black bear escape unscathed.

 

I think one of the reasons they have so many incidents is stupid tourist trying to feed them or get a selfie with one.

Less than 3 feet between you and a black bear?!  Yikes!!!!!  To be honest, I don't know if I'd want to be 3 feet away from any wild animal, regardless of size or species, but a bear...wow...I'm sure that wasn't a fun experience.  Luckily you got away!  (How did you get away?  Did you slowly back off, and it decided not to follow?  I've heard that you should never turn your back and run - just wondering the best action to take if ever I have such an unlucky encounter...)