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Am i spoiled?


Peace river rat

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I live in Arcadia Fl and have much time to dig in the peace river. I have a pretty extensive collection of great fossils. My favorites are mammal teeth and large verts. Still after that giant meg.

 

As a Fl resident (and native) I find it hard to get excited about marine fossils, every roadbed is loaded with them, literally made of them. I suppose if I lived in Nebraska, I would feel differently.

 

Any other FL members, feel this way?  I am sure I am selling myself short and missing some fascinating paleontology, cant help it, the peace river is 8 blocks away.

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Sometimes, we have to want what we have available to us, instead of having what we want available to us. ;) 

I think everyone feels that way about certain fossils.

For instance, I am not a huge fan of bones, or corals, or petrified wood. 

I can appreciate one of these as a decent fossil when a great specimen is posted, but they don't excite me as much as fish and trilobites. 

 

If I lived where these things were all I could find, I suppose I would feel differently. :) 

 

EDIT: But to answer your question, ... Yes. You are spoiled living near such a great locality. :P 

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I think once you hunt somewhere a certain number of times, you inevitably grow numb to  some fossils which used to amaze you (for me this would include chesapectans and crinoid segment hashes , although I still love them I’m not as excited to find them). I live two hours away from some of the better marine fossil hunting places in the world, so I only get there every other week which I think is enough time for my interest to recharge. I’m still looking for any size or condition meg there!

“...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin

Happy hunting,

Mason

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Well, with me it's quite different...

 

On the Zandmotor, fossil seashells (from the Eemian of the Pleistocene; 120'000 years old) are extremely common. That is for some of the species (Mactra plistoneerlandica, Cerastoderma edule, Macoma balthica, Ostrea edulis, etc). So I usually don't pick them up, unless they are of exceptional size. But, the sands of the Zandmotor are the same as that used for constructions in the city. of course, there's a lot less sand in the city, and the concentration of fossils isn't as important, but the fossils found there are the same as on the Zandmotor. Yet I am still quite happy finding a nice complete Cerastoderma lying there in the sand when I'm walking on my way home. I guess the same applies to you guys in FL with bull/dusky shark teeth? 

But what's different is that since I've been collecting on the Zandmotor, my love for fossil seashells has grown a lot. Beforehand I didn't really care about them. Now they are my favorite group of fossils, even though they are so commonly found in my area. I have a lot more appreciation for bivalves than trilobites, for example, even though I have never collected trilobites in my life and am dying to go on a trilobite hunt one day. I guess that when you start finding a certain kind of fossils frequently, you start gaining interest in them, and are eager to learn more about them, so you do more research and become even more attached. 

This is also why I love seeing fossil seashells from other places; it gives me a better insight on them, and just adds to my "knowledge goals".

 

And for my trip to Florida this Xmas, I am actually slightly more looking forward to finding cool seashells than shark teeth! (Well, obviously I rather find a giant complete meg than a little meaningless bivalve, but that's just like any other person obviously.)

 

This is my experience. People can have different opinions and things and view the things around them differently, and react differently to them too.

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, Max-fossils said:

meaningless bivalve

No such thing!:P

“...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin

Happy hunting,

Mason

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2 hours ago, Fossildude19 said:

Sometimes, we have to want what we have available to us, instead of having what we want available to us. ;) 

I think everyone feels that way about certain fossils.

For instance, I am not a huge fan of bones, or corals, or petrified wood. 

I can appreciate one of these as a decent fossil when a great specimen is posted, but they don't excite me as much as fish and trilobites. 

 

If I lived where these things were all I could find, I suppose I would feel differently. :) 

 

EDIT: But to answer your question, ... Yes. You are spoiled living near such a great locality. :P 

Whit me, it seems a matter of wanting what I cant have (sometimes :) ) When started, I would keep every little stingray pavement tooth, every little broken or tiny sharks tooth and random bone hunk, now I routinely toss that stuff back. How many coffee cans of that stuff, do I need?

 

There are common fossil shells in limerock roads here, not sure what they are called but they sorta look like small conchs that weigh right around 3 ounces, I remember a TFF member being mortified to hear I use them for sling bullets! They leave the pouch point first at 100mph and rifle like a football and I can lob them 150 yards on a 45 degree angle :) But hey! I can walk a 100 yard stretch of limerock road and pick up a 100 or better!

thAOOYO965.jpg

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I should start micro fossiling, no telling how much that 1/4 screen, lets pass! Maybe just take a gallon bag home and see what turns up!

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37 minutes ago, Peace river rat said:

Whit me, it seems a matter of wanting what I cant have (sometimes :) ) When started, I would keep every little stingray pavement tooth, every little broken or tiny sharks tooth and random bone hunk, now I routinely toss that stuff back. How many coffee cans of that stuff, do I need?

 

There are common fossil shells in limerock roads here, not sure what they are called but they sorta look like small conchs that weigh right around 3 ounces, I remember a TFF member being mortified to hear I use them for sling bullets! They leave the pouch point first at 100mph and rifle like a football and I can lob them 150 yards on a 45 degree angle :) But hey! I can walk a 100 yard stretch of limerock road and pick up a 100 or better!

thAOOYO965.jpg

If it is an Ecphora of which you speak, then I may cry.

“...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin

Happy hunting,

Mason

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Just now, WhodamanHD said:

If it is an Ecphora of which you speak, then I may cry.

Not sure, but if you wanted to reimburse the cost of shipping, I would send you some. Can you post a pic of one?

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17 minutes ago, Peace river rat said:

Not sure, but if you wanted to reimburse the cost of shipping, I would send you some. Can you post a pic of one?

I would definitely take you up on that if they are them, but they are rare in Florida I have heard, picture from online, I have yet to find one:

3F7CCAAA-8F25-4FA5-B75C-3427935E9FE1.gif

“...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin

Happy hunting,

Mason

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It takes a very special oyster, bivalve, hash plate, hunk of pet wood, or Eopachydiscus ammonite to come home with me at this point. After the thrill of discovery wears off shortly after the find, I try to weigh coolness factor vs. specimen size and weight In the field.  If I’ll honestly never display it, and don’t feel like lugging it out just to clean it up and give it away, I leave it for some young, motivated strongback to haul out.

Grüße,

Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas

"To the motivated go the spoils."

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21 minutes ago, WhodamanHD said:

I would definitely take you up on that if they are them, but they are rare in Florida I have heard, picture from online, I have yet to find one:

3F7CCAAA-8F25-4FA5-B75C-3427935E9FE1.gif

No, not it, they are larger and smooth and solid white, the shell is pretty thick, I will look for a photo.

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1 hour ago, WhodamanHD said:

If it is an Ecphora of which you speak, then I may cry.

I could not easily find a pic as I don't know what it is called, so I walked right down the road for one! They are bueatiful in flight! Very common on every lime road!

WIN_20171029_12_47_39_Pro.jpg

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3 hours ago, WhodamanHD said:

No such thing!:P

I agree; but once another Zandmotor hunter called one like that! :o

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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2 hours ago, Uncle Siphuncle said:

It takes a very special oyster, bivalve, hash plate, hunk of pet wood, or Eopachydiscus ammonite to come home with me at this point. After the thrill of discovery wears off shortly after the find, I try to weigh coolness factor vs. specimen size and weight In the field.  If I’ll honestly never display it, and don’t feel like lugging it out just to clean it up and give it away, I leave it for some young, motivated strongback to haul out.

I only display a small portion of my fossils; only the "show-off" pieces. Most of my fossils are stored in my cupboard.

But display shouldn't be the sole criteria for bringing/not bringing a fossil home; because this just means that you're after the aesthetic value of the fossil, and not the scientific value of it. I have many fossils that are actually pretty rare/valuable/awesome but just don't look incredibly impressive, so I don't display them on my top shelf, but I still care a lot for them. 

 

But, if you leave fossils behind like that, I might begin following you like a stalker picking up every thing you don't pick up yourself! :P

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 hour ago, Peace river rat said:

I could not easily find a pic as I don't know what it is called, so I walked right down the road for one! They are bueatiful in flight! Very common on every lime road!

WIN_20171029_12_47_39_Pro.jpg

That's a cool one! I have no clue what species it is though; it has some ressemblances with the Persian conch Conomurex persicus, but this species isn't found anywhere in the US. But this may be helpful for further ID; it's probably a shell within the Strombidae family.

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 hour ago, Max-fossils said:

That's a cool one! I have no clue what species it is though; it has some ressemblances with the Persian conch Conomurex persicus, but this species isn't found anywhere in the US. But this may be helpful for further ID; it's probably a shell within the Strombidae family.

Not sure, but they sure do make a great sling bullet, they fly point first and would shame an NFL QB!  They are still extant, as far as I have seen.

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Just now, Peace river rat said:

Not sure, but they sure do make a great sling bullet, they fly point first and would shame an NFL QB!  They are still extant, as far as I have seen.

:rofl: I've never looked at a seashell like that!!!

Yeah, I assumed at first that this one is extant; from the picture it seems to still have some of that orange/yellow shiny thing in the inside... Is it fossil?

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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19 minutes ago, Max-fossils said:

:rofl: I've never looked at a seashell like that!!!

Yeah, I assumed at first that this one is extant; from the picture it seems to still have some of that orange/yellow shiny thing in the inside... Is it fossil?

Not sure how old it would have to be, but is does seem to be. They mine limerock for fill dirt for roads, pretty sure it has not seen the sea, in ages.

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7 hours ago, Max-fossils said:

I only display a small portion of my fossils; only the "show-off" pieces. Most of my fossils are stored in my cupboard.

But display shouldn't be the sole criteria for bringing/not bringing a fossil home; because this just means that you're after the aesthetic value of the fossil, and not the scientific value of it. I have many fossils that are actually pretty rare/valuable/awesome but just don't look incredibly impressive, so I don't display them on my top shelf, but I still care a lot for them. 

 

But, if you leave fossils behind like that, I might begin following you like a stalker picking up every thing you don't pick up yourself! :P

Display space is a problem for me, at times a tug-o-war with the rest of the family.  Also, I’m at an age where it makes sense to take care of my back and joints, so I don’t kill myself on heavy stuff already well represented in my collection.  I think most of us, with time and experience, take home less for a variety of reasons.

Grüße,

Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas

"To the motivated go the spoils."

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15 hours ago, Uncle Siphuncle said:

Display space is a problem for me, at times a tug-o-war with the rest of the family.  Also, I’m at an age where it makes sense to take care of my back and joints, so I don’t kill myself on heavy stuff already well represented in my collection.  I think most of us, with time and experience, take home less for a variety of reasons.

That's surely true. I guess I'm lucky to have my own room in which to store all my treasures. 

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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30 minutes ago, Max-fossils said:

That's surely true. I guess I'm lucky to have my own room in which to store all my treasures. 

I kinda have the whole house, and that isn’t enough.  Wifey wants me to take down some Green River fish so she can put up some paintings.  Compromises must be made.  Good thing I have unused wall space and vaulted ceilings.

Grüße,

Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas

"To the motivated go the spoils."

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23 hours ago, Uncle Siphuncle said:

I kinda have the whole house, and that isn’t enough.  Wifey wants me to take down some Green River fish so she can put up some paintings.  Compromises must be made.  Good thing I have unused wall space and vaulted ceilings.

Haha, you must have a big collection :D

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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On 10/29/2017 at 10:46 AM, ynot said:

If You can't collect the one You love, love the one You can collect.

sounds like a CSN song...

 

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