SailingAlongToo Posted February 26, 2018 Share Posted February 26, 2018 26 minutes ago, Kimi64 said: Great finds & a great story. The part that I can't get over is the crayfish. Even the worst of the Maryland invasive crayfish species don't usually get past 4.5-5 inches in length, so if it really was the length of your hand?? Anything else you can share arout finding that critter? They taste good steamed! 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...
HoppeHunting Posted February 26, 2018 Author Share Posted February 26, 2018 2 hours ago, Kimi64 said: The part that I can't get over is the crayfish. Even the worst of the Maryland invasive crayfish species don't usually get past 4.5-5 inches in length, so if it really was the length of your hand?? Anything else you can share arout finding that critter? It may not have been quite the length of my hand. I kind of wish I had taken a photo of a side by side comparison with something for scale. 4.5 or 5 sounds about right, but I really do think it was bigger than that. My guess? 7 inches. Its size was the reason I thought it was a lobster. I did take about a 30 second video of it crawling in the surf. If you’d like, I could PM the video to you. I too would like to know more about the lil guy. The only other things I can share is that I found it in the “flats”, about an inch of water a few hundred feet from any water that would even submerge your feet. Hope this helps! The Hunt for the Hemipristine continues! ~Hoppe hunting!~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miocene_Mason Posted February 26, 2018 Share Posted February 26, 2018 3 hours ago, Kimi64 said: Maryland invasive crayfish species don't usually get past 4.5-5 inches I’ve seen some native ones reach 6, however it’s usually one sighting every year or so. @HoppeFossilHunting If you put it on Inaturalist they will identify it for you (the neural net could even pick it up, cool bit of tech). 2 “...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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted February 27, 2018 Share Posted February 27, 2018 9 hours ago, SailingAlongToo said: They taste good steamed! I prefer them fried in butter (without the shell). 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...
Kimi64 Posted February 27, 2018 Share Posted February 27, 2018 Yes, I would love to see what Inaturalist thinks of that specimen. There are invasive crayfish in Maryland, so the more data the better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyC Posted February 27, 2018 Share Posted February 27, 2018 So when at this area are you simply looking or sifting? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoppeHunting Posted February 27, 2018 Author Share Posted February 27, 2018 36 minutes ago, TonyC said: So when at this area are you simply looking or sifting? Good question. When I first started fossil hunting, I was mostly sifting. You can get some great finds this way, don't get me wrong, but I've since found surface collecting to be better. It allows you to cover more ground, even if you're not searching quite as thoroughly. I still do a bit of sifting at Brownie's, but the vast majority of my time spent there is beach combing. When it comes to sifting vs. combing, I say to each his own. People find great stuff with both methods. And of course you have to take into account the location. Some sites are much better for sifting than surface collecting, and some are vice versa. It's really just trial and error. Hoppe hunting! 2 The Hunt for the Hemipristine continues! ~Hoppe hunting!~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixgill pete Posted March 1, 2018 Share Posted March 1, 2018 On 2/23/2018 at 10:22 PM, cowsharks said: I think the tooth you are referring to as a croc tooth is actually the crown to a dolphin tooth. How big is it? I am inclined to agree with Darryl on this tooth. Can you post a picture of the root end straight on? That should settle the ID. 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...
HoppeHunting Posted March 1, 2018 Author Share Posted March 1, 2018 @sixgill pete @cowsharks It is almost entirely hollow. Couldn't get a great picture. Thoughts? The Hunt for the Hemipristine continues! ~Hoppe hunting!~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoppeHunting Posted March 16, 2018 Author Share Posted March 16, 2018 @WhodamanHD @Kimi64 After posting some pictures on iNaturalist and doing some research myself, I believe the crayfish is Orconectes virilis, the Virile Crayfish/Northern Crayfish. It is certainly still up for debate because I don't have any solid evidence, but of the species that live in the Bay area, my critter best fits the pictures and descriptions of this particular one. It is an invasive species, like many in the area, and is among the larger of the known crayfish. What I find strange is that I've seen it mentioned from numerous online sources that finding a crayfish in the brackish/saltwater of the Bay is extremely uncommon. Here's an excerpt from Life in the Chesapeake Bay by Alice Jane Lippson and Robert L. Lippson: "Crayfish are little known along the shores of the Chesapeake and when one is captured it becomes an object of great interest; some people wonder where the lobster came from, and others, while properly identifying the beast, are certain that no crayfish occur naturally in the Bay" Could this be a significant find? It seems possible. What are your takes on the matter? (Here are a few additional pictures of the lil guy) The Hunt for the Hemipristine continues! ~Hoppe hunting!~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miocene_Mason Posted March 16, 2018 Share Posted March 16, 2018 @HoppeHunting that’s what I was guessing, those are the type we get up here (mostly). Can get to that size, probably strayed out of brownies river. 1 “...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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoppeHunting Posted March 16, 2018 Author Share Posted March 16, 2018 2 hours ago, WhodamanHD said: @HoppeHunting that’s what I was guessing, those are the type we get up here (mostly). Can get to that size, probably strayed out of brownies river. I thought of that possibility. You're probably right, but it just surprised me how far he was from the bridge and river. He was all the way in the cove. Made quite the journey I guess. The Hunt for the Hemipristine continues! ~Hoppe hunting!~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pemphix Posted March 16, 2018 Share Posted March 16, 2018 A crayfish out of freshwater seems indeed very uncommon - only a very small amount of them are known for being able to live in brackish water. Therefore, I would lean toward the theory of being strayed out of the river... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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