SailingAlongToo Posted August 27, 2017 Share Posted August 27, 2017 With the wind/wave forecast for eastern VA this weekend showing NE 10-15 knots, Mrs.SA2 and I decided to forgo boating on our fossil hunting expedition. Fortunately, one of our buddies has access to a really nice spot where you can walk in, so we went with him on Saturday. Turned out to be a very nice day and a great 5 hour walk along the beach. We really need to hunt/collect with him more often. When we got to the parking area there was already 1 car parked and the person was well ahead of us. Normally, we would be concerned but since we arrived 3 hours before low tide, we figured we would be OK and made our way to the beach and started our trek upstream. Wasn't long and we ran into the guy who had beaten us to the beach heading back to the car. He must of come out at the crack of dawn to already be done this far before low tide. After about 10 mins of walking, Mrs.SA2 started on a roll and was finding some beautifully colored hastalis. Here are a few in situ shots of some of her finds. Not to be out done, I lucked out as the tide was waning and found this beauty. She's on the small-ish side and has feeding damage to the tip, but finders can't be greedy and it was the biggest tooth found on the day. By the time we made the turn and started back towards the cars, we realized there were several groups of people between us and the starting point. This meant some competition for the fossils heading back. Here are photos of most of the teeth, the cetacean ear bones and the fish / shark verts we found. I'll post photos of our other finds a little later. Time to take Mrs.SA2 for a paddle in the kayaks on the reservoir for some exercise. Hopefully, we can spot the breeding pair of bald eagles that are now making the reservoir and our neighborhood home these days. Don't know much about history Don't know much biology Don't know much about science books......... Sam Cooke - (What A) Wonderful World Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossil-Hound Posted August 27, 2017 Share Posted August 27, 2017 @SailingAlongToo wow those are some nice Makos and congratulations on that beautiful Chubutensis. Very nice finds. I need to visit the east coast one of these days with you and Mrs. SA2. Do or do not. There is no try. - Yoda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted August 27, 2017 Share Posted August 27, 2017 Good report and finds! Thanks for posting. 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...
sixgill pete Posted August 28, 2017 Share Posted August 28, 2017 Very nice Jack. Those hastalis are amazing. 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...
mossyfern9564 Posted August 28, 2017 Share Posted August 28, 2017 Wow! Nice haul! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hemi123 Posted August 28, 2017 Share Posted August 28, 2017 Very nice finds!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailingAlongToo Posted August 28, 2017 Author Share Posted August 28, 2017 More Photos of Our Finds from Saturday's Trek Along the River Here are photos of the fish "ballast stones" (left) and dolphin vertebra and whale epiphysis (right) we found on our stroll. Mrs.SA2 was on a roll with cetacean ear bones and found both a small bulla and a small periotic bone, with both being in pretty good condition. Cute little things. Maybe @Boesse will have some ideas on ID's. My first thought was maybe / possibly Xiphiacetus. (These could have come from any of the Miocene strata including Calvert - middle to upper, Choptank, St. Mary's or Eastover, as there were plenty of cliff sloughs with all of these layers exposed to tidal erosion.) Here is my favorite find of the day. These are 4 photos of what appears to be a terrestrial mammal long bone. Anybody got ideas? Very close to where the bone above was found, I found the 2 bones below. 1 appears to be a mammal toe bone and the other appears to be some type of mammal finger bone. Again, ideas? And, last but not least, here are 2 photos of an Ecphora in cementitious matrix with external casts of Chesapecten nefrens surrounding it. The C. nefrens indicate that this big concretion came from the Choptank Formation as does the orange-ish / rust color. @Fossil-Hound, this is 1 Ecphora that Mrs.SA2 had to leave on the beach as we didn't have our mauls and chisels with us on this trip. Not sure what it would have looked like, even if we were able to "rescue" it. Here's an extra photo for @sixgill pete showing one of Mrs.SA2's Hemipristis serra scores. It's just lying there on the beach waiting for her to pick it up so I can make it a "STAR" in photographs on TFF!! Cheers, SA2 & Mrs.SA2 Don't know much about history Don't know much biology Don't know much about science books......... Sam Cooke - (What A) Wonderful World Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailingAlongToo Posted August 28, 2017 Author Share Posted August 28, 2017 17 hours ago, sixgill pete said: Very nice Jack. Those hastalis are amazing. Here are top and bottom photos of Mrs.SA2's nicer hastalis on the day. Some interesting colors and mottling. Don't know much about history Don't know much biology Don't know much about science books......... Sam Cooke - (What A) Wonderful World Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aerogrower Posted August 28, 2017 Share Posted August 28, 2017 You and Mrs SA2 have some awesome hunting ability. Every time I think Ive seen it all, you go and start finding bones and all!! Awesome finds, congratulations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossil-Hound Posted August 28, 2017 Share Posted August 28, 2017 @Fossil-Hound not sure what condition that Ecphora is in but it looks gorgeous! Reminds of the one I discovered at Bayfront. It was the size of a softball but too fragile for extraction nor did I have the time to extract. Gorgeous looking specimen though. Very nice Hemi. That's a big tooth. Do or do not. There is no try. - Yoda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boesse Posted August 29, 2017 Share Posted August 29, 2017 Hey all, That periotic resembles Atocetus - a genus known mostly from Europe, California, and Peru - and two isolated periotics are reported from Lee Creek. This would be, to my knowledge, the first known from the Calvert Formation. Cheers, Bobby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailingAlongToo Posted August 30, 2017 Author Share Posted August 30, 2017 1 hour ago, Boesse said: Hey all, That periotic resembles Atocetus - a genus known mostly from Europe, California, and Peru - and two isolated periotics are reported from Lee Creek. This would be, to my knowledge, the first known from the Calvert Formation. Cheers, Bobby @aerogrower So, not only might the periotic ear bone in the photo above be a 1st for VA/MD Miocene strata, it's definitely a 1st for the "blaze orange" scale cube appearing in a photo!! Notice how I worked that in. I need to try it in the field in sunlight this coming weekend. I bet it's great. Ray, you do amazing work. How about "safety yellow or green" next like the t-shirts or vests? Don't know much about history Don't know much biology Don't know much about science books......... Sam Cooke - (What A) Wonderful World Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aerogrower Posted August 30, 2017 Share Posted August 30, 2017 Have to work on a safety yellow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailingAlongToo Posted August 30, 2017 Author Share Posted August 30, 2017 @aerogrower Green looks nice! We can work with that. Rock on my favorite farmer, rock on! Don't know much about history Don't know much biology Don't know much about science books......... Sam Cooke - (What A) Wonderful World Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCW3D Posted August 30, 2017 Share Posted August 30, 2017 You cleaned up! I'm hoping to get back out after the water goes back down, I have a good view of the river from my cube and it was extremely high and ugly looking today...hopefully it stirs some stuff up! Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailingAlongToo Posted August 31, 2017 Author Share Posted August 31, 2017 On 8/29/2017 at 7:24 PM, Boesse said: Hey all, That periotic resembles Atocetus - a genus known mostly from Europe, California, and Peru - and two isolated periotics are reported from Lee Creek. This would be, to my knowledge, the first known from the Calvert Formation. Cheers, Bobby Due to Bobby's comment above and the behind the scenes communications we have had on the subject, the periotic in question will be taking a trip in cardboard box (a well padded cardboard box) down to Bobby in Charleston in the next day or so. Hopefully, the definitive ID is the same as his initial thoughts. If it does turn out to be of Atocetus origin, the specimen will be donated to either Calvert Marine Museum or to Bobby's museum at CofC. Here are better photos of it. @Shellseeker @TNCollector I've tagged you because of your other ongoing discussion about cetacean periotics. 1 Don't know much about history Don't know much biology Don't know much about science books......... Sam Cooke - (What A) Wonderful World Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellseeker Posted August 31, 2017 Share Posted August 31, 2017 36 minutes ago, SailingAlongToo said: Due to Bobby's comment above and the behind the scenes communications we have had on the subject, the periotic in question will be taking a trip in cardboard box (a well padded cardboard box) down to Bobby in Charleston in the next day or so. Hopefully, the definitive ID is the same as his initial thoughts. If it does turn out to be of Atocetus origin, the specimen will be donated to either Calvert Marine Museum or to Bobby's museum at CofC. Here are better photos of it. @Shellseeker @TNCollector I've tagged you because of your other ongoing discussion about cetacean periotics. Jack, Thanks !! I am collecting these odd periotics (and Bobby's comments) to try and get smarter on identifying these. As a thank you, check out this thread for identification of your long bone above... The White Queen ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailingAlongToo Posted August 31, 2017 Author Share Posted August 31, 2017 4 minutes ago, Shellseeker said: Jack, Thanks !! I am collecting these odd periotics (and Bobby's comments) to try and get smarter on identifying these. As a thank you, check out this thread for identification of your long bone above... Just read your thread from Nov. 2013. Now, I'm really intrigued and interested in getting an ID on that bone too. Don't know much about history Don't know much biology Don't know much about science books......... Sam Cooke - (What A) Wonderful World Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellseeker Posted August 31, 2017 Share Posted August 31, 2017 1 hour ago, SailingAlongToo said: Just read your thread from Nov. 2013. Now, I'm really intrigued and interested in getting an ID on that bone too. I should have pointed you to this thread where @Harry Pristis provides lots of details and photos on how to identify east coast calcaneum. http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/158-identification-challenge-for-bone-collectors/ The White Queen ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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