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Hello everyone!

 

Saturday, I went hunting again at the Zandmotor. Even though it is only 25 min away by car from my house, I don't get to hunt there often. 

First off, a small introduction to the Zandmotor:

The Zandmotor is a big beach extension between Kijkduin and Ter Heijde, and it is made by man. The fossils found there are mainly seashells (clams and cockles), which fill the beach, and also mammal bones, which most people search for (most just ignore the seashells, which leaves more for a seashell-lover like me :P). Sometimes great white shark teeth are found too, but they are the only species of shark found at the Zandmotor (from what I heard); it's a mystery as to how the shark teeth got there. All the fossils date from the Pleistocene to the Holocene periods (so they are relatively young). The reason that fossils can be found there is because the fossils got dredged up from the North Sea, which is very rich in fossils; the case is similar for the Maasvlakte 2 and the Hoek van Holland, two other locations on the Dutch coast. The Zandmotor actually just looks like any other normal sandy beach, and many people just use it as such. In fact many people that regularly go on the Zandmotor ignore that fossils can be found! The Zandmotor is also a popular place for taking your dog out for a walk.

 

Now my trip report:

When we arrived, it was still rather cloudy, but at least it wasn't raining and there was little wind. We did put on our fat coats and were well prepared to face the cold. The small crash of the waves and the squawk of the seagulls filled the air. In the background, the harbor could be seen.

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Lucky for us, the weather quickly cleared up and gave way to a nice blue sky.

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Max Derème

 

"I feel an echo of the lightning each time I find a fossil. [...] That is why I am a hunter: to feel that bolt of lightning every day."

   - Mary Anning >< Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

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Many people were having fun kite-surfing.

 

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Max Derème

 

"I feel an echo of the lightning each time I find a fossil. [...] That is why I am a hunter: to feel that bolt of lightning every day."

   - Mary Anning >< Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

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A wild ferocious creature of the species Canis idioticus but-still-cutemus joined us, looking more stupid than ever. And he was the only dog on the beach not enjoying the walk. Yes, you guessed it, my dog is a lazy one! :P

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And he didn't find a single fossil for me... :ank:

By the way, if you look closely at the picture of my dog, you can see that there are many fossil clams and cockles at his feet.

 

Max Derème

 

"I feel an echo of the lightning each time I find a fossil. [...] That is why I am a hunter: to feel that bolt of lightning every day."

   - Mary Anning >< Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

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Maybe your pooch is allergic to fossilized seafood? :P

 

That's a lot of kite-surfers out there! Looks like they might collide in overseas air congestion!

...How to Philosophize with a Hammer

 

 

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I picked up occasionally a clam or a cockle if they were complete and of good size, though most of the time I didn't bother picking them up at all. After that we started finding some bits n pieces of bone from big mammals, and I also found a nice oyster. Then I quickly found the real jewel: a nearly complete woolly rhino lower molar (Coelodonta antiquatis)!!! Later we also found two decent fish verts and a couple heart shells. 

Stupidly, we forgot about the rising tides... And at some point, there's some kind of river separating two halves of the beach. At first we crossed in two easy steps, but on our way back, the river was suddenly way bigger! And deeper too... Therefore I had to take off my boots and socks and cross the freezing waters barefooted. It wasn't fun, and I think that you can see my struggle from the picture, where I look really ridiculous! :rofl:

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Luckily I warmed up quickly afterwards with a well-deserved hot chocolate! 

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And thus our hunt ended, after a successful day of hunting and adventure. Memories that I will cherish forever!

Max Derème

 

"I feel an echo of the lightning each time I find a fossil. [...] That is why I am a hunter: to feel that bolt of lightning every day."

   - Mary Anning >< Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

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8 minutes ago, Kane said:

Maybe your pooch is allergic to fossilized seafood? :P

 

That's a lot of kite-surfers out there! Looks like they might collide in overseas air congestion!

Would surprise me, because at some point I showed him a fossil shell so that he could find one himself, but all he did was sniff it, give it a lick and walk away... And if my dog would be allergic to anything, it'd give him a reason to eat it!!! A very silly dog, is all I can say. :D

 

About the kite-surfers, they are actually surfing on a kind of big lake in the beach, so there is no movement. And they are all very experienced, plus there are life-guards that monitor the whole thing. Of course, accidents happen regularly! 

Max Derème

 

"I feel an echo of the lightning each time I find a fossil. [...] That is why I am a hunter: to feel that bolt of lightning every day."

   - Mary Anning >< Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

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Here is the total haul:

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I also found several non-fossil seashells of species that I didn't have yet, which are not shown in this photo. This photo only shows the fossils found (as well as two modern bones).

Max Derème

 

"I feel an echo of the lightning each time I find a fossil. [...] That is why I am a hunter: to feel that bolt of lightning every day."

   - Mary Anning >< Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

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Some closeups of the finds:

 

1) Clams, Mactra plistoneerlandica, extremely common finds here. (please check the Trades thread, I need to send some of those away!)

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2) Balthic clams, Macoma balthica, quite common.

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Max Derème

 

"I feel an echo of the lightning each time I find a fossil. [...] That is why I am a hunter: to feel that bolt of lightning every day."

   - Mary Anning >< Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

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That rhino molar was a real trip-maker. Great finds and a trip with a happy, chocolatey ending :D

 

...How to Philosophize with a Hammer

 

 

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3) Common cockles, Cerastoderma edule, very common.

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4) Lagoon cockles, Cerastoderma glaucum, a bit less common.

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Max Derème

 

"I feel an echo of the lightning each time I find a fossil. [...] That is why I am a hunter: to feel that bolt of lightning every day."

   - Mary Anning >< Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

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1 minute ago, Kane said:

That rhino molar was a real trip-maker. Great finds and a trip with a happy, chocolatey ending :D

 

Indeed! Rhino molar pic coming soon ;)

Max Derème

 

"I feel an echo of the lightning each time I find a fossil. [...] That is why I am a hunter: to feel that bolt of lightning every day."

   - Mary Anning >< Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

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5) Heart shells, Acanthocardia tuberculata, common. The smaller one is the smallest complete one in my collection!

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Max Derème

 

"I feel an echo of the lightning each time I find a fossil. [...] That is why I am a hunter: to feel that bolt of lightning every day."

   - Mary Anning >< Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

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6) Oyster, Ostrea edulis, common, though this one is of good size.

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7) Scallop, Mimachlamys varia, uncommon here, I'm very happy with this one, it's my best one so far!

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Max Derème

 

"I feel an echo of the lightning each time I find a fossil. [...] That is why I am a hunter: to feel that bolt of lightning every day."

   - Mary Anning >< Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

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8) bone pieces of mammals, eg horse, bison, woolly rhino, mammoth, cave lion, cave hyena, cave bear, dire wolf, etc...

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9) 2 fish verts, quite common.

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Max Derème

 

"I feel an echo of the lightning each time I find a fossil. [...] That is why I am a hunter: to feel that bolt of lightning every day."

   - Mary Anning >< Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

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10) And finally, the masterpiece: a woolly rhino lower molar!!! Coelodonta antiquatis, uncommon find with which I'm extremely happy! This is by far my best find so far from the Zandmotor, and it obviously holds a very special place in my collection!

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That was it for the trip report, I hope you enjoyed seeing all my finds!

Thanks for reading!

 

Warm regards,

 

Max

Max Derème

 

"I feel an echo of the lightning each time I find a fossil. [...] That is why I am a hunter: to feel that bolt of lightning every day."

   - Mary Anning >< Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

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Great trip and nice finds :D Congrats :fistbump:

Many greetings from Germany ! Have a great time with many fossils :)

Regards Sebastian

Belo.gif

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Just now, belemniten said:

Great trip and nice finds :D Congrats :fistbump:

Thanks Sebastian! ^_^

Max Derème

 

"I feel an echo of the lightning each time I find a fossil. [...] That is why I am a hunter: to feel that bolt of lightning every day."

   - Mary Anning >< Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

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3 minutes ago, Angie said:

Great finds and a very nice report! Thanks for sharing :)

Thank you!

Max Derème

 

"I feel an echo of the lightning each time I find a fossil. [...] That is why I am a hunter: to feel that bolt of lightning every day."

   - Mary Anning >< Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

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A very good trip report Max! I am glad you had such a great hunt!

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I like Trilo-butts and I cannot lie.

 

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1 hour ago, Vieira said:

Amazing tooth and a fantastic addition to your collection :dinothumb:

 

Thank you for the nice report :D

 

1 hour ago, Darktooth said:

A very good trip report Max! I am glad you had such a great hunt!

Thanks so much Filipe and Dave! :ighappy:

Max Derème

 

"I feel an echo of the lightning each time I find a fossil. [...] That is why I am a hunter: to feel that bolt of lightning every day."

   - Mary Anning >< Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

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One of the best trip reports I've read.

Thanks for taking the time to bring us along.

It's hard to remember why you drained the swamp when your surrounded by alligators.

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2 hours ago, squali said:

One of the best trip reports I've read.

Thanks for taking the time to bring us along.

Wow, thank you! 

Max Derème

 

"I feel an echo of the lightning each time I find a fossil. [...] That is why I am a hunter: to feel that bolt of lightning every day."

   - Mary Anning >< Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

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