Blue Springs, MS

[ced0015]

My wife and I made a brief trip this weekend out to Blue Springs, MS to poke around the Coon Creek Formation. We only walked around for ~1.5 hours, but we didn't get skunked. There was quite a bit of material to be found after the recent heavy rains, but the best finds of the trip were my first crab, and a particularly nice Squalicorax tooth! I've gathered a decent collection of similar teeth from the nearby Frankstown fossil park, but this one easily beats them all. As the temperature increased, we were even greeted by a rather well behaved Dekay's brown snake. 

 

Enjoy the pics,

Caleb

 

 

 

[Fossildude19]

Nice finds and Visitor.  

That crab and Squalicorax are very nice. 

Thanks for posting. 

[Tidgy's Dad]

The sneak seems to be very interested in fossils. Which is good, Tidgy is, it must be a reptiles thing. 

Nice finds, I love the crab. 

[Jeffrey P]

That Squalicorax tooth is much larger than the ones I usually find in New Jersey. The crab carapace is excellent too. Congratulations. Any shells? Also, that Dekay's snake is much larger than the ones I usually see. A couple years ago I found one just inside the entrance of the office building where I work. I picked it up and placed it outside in the ornamental garden. I'm sure it would be happier there and most of the employees where I work would be happier if it were there also. 

[Fruitbat]

Looks like you and the spouse had a nice trip.  I don't thinks that's a DeKay's snake (Storeria dekayi) though...looks more like a young water snake (Nerodia sp.) to me.

 

-Joe

[Al Dente]

4 minutes ago, Fruitbat said:

Looks like you and the spouse had a nice trip.  I don't thinks that's a DeKay's snake (Storeria dekayi) though...looks more like a young water snake (Nerodia sp.) to me.

 

-Joe

I agree with Joe. Here's a Dekays Brown Snake from my front yard.

[sixgill pete]

Great finds, especially the crab. Also a very nice Squalicorax. 

[ced0015]

17 minutes ago, Jeffrey P said:

That Squalicorax tooth is much larger than the ones I usually find in New Jersey. The crab carapace is excellent too. Congratulations. Any shells? Also, that Dekay's snake is much larger than the ones I usually see. A couple years ago I found one just inside the entrance of the office building where I work. I picked it up and placed it outside in the ornamental garden. I'm sure it would be happier there and most of the employees where I work would be happier if it were there also. 

Thanks! There were many shells (mostly fragments), but I have very little experience with bivalve identification and left them for those who will appreciate them more. The squalicorax tooth is the largest in my collection now, I am pumped!

[ced0015]

@Fruitbat, @Al Dente Thanks, we enjoyed the time outside! This picture may be a little deceiving, the snake has flattened its head as a response to me picking him/her up. The dorsal markings are also particularly well defined and dark with this individual. Both of those attributes results in a resemblance to Nerodia spp. (especially N. Rhombifer). The dark marking (barely visible in the photo) behind the snake's eye usually appears on S. dekayi as well. I was initially confident in the ID, but now you fellas have me thinking twice. 

[Fruitbat]

ced0015...

 

Pretty much all of the DeKay's snakes that we encounter down here in Texas look like this:

 

 

Of course...it is a different subspecies (Storeria dekayi texana) than the ones you get in Mississippi.  Anyway...nice fossils!

 

-Joe

[ced0015]

Joe,

Individuals can vary remarkably. Here is another darkly colored example:

But, I could be wrong. I will send it to a herpetologist friend of mine(or a herp forum :]) for ID . Thanks for the interest!

 

Caleb 

[Herb]

nice finds, looks like a water snake to me also.

 

[DevonianDigger]

Definitely a DeKays, back of the jaw is too narrow for a water snake, plus I think "well behaved" water snake would be a contradiction in terms. (Former herp. and water snake owner.)

[Al Dente]

13 minutes ago, DevonianDigger said:

I think "well behaved" water snake would be a contradiction in terms.

I can agree with this statement. Every young water snake I’ve caught puts on quite a defense display.

[DevonianDigger]

1 minute ago, Al Dente said:

I can agree with this statement. Every young water snake I’ve caught puts on quite a defense display.

They flatten themselves out to look more like a venomous snake and musk like mad.

[HoppeHunting]

Awesome Squalicorax! I didn't know much about this shark, but I just looked it up and it apparently highly resembled the modern Great White and lived in waters roamed by giant mosasaurs! Really, really cool. Love the snake too; what a nice encounter. I love running into the local wildlife when fossil hunting (given they're in a good mood!). Great report. Thanks for sharing!

[Peat Burns]

Nice finds.  Love the  S. dekayi

[jpc]

I know nothing about eastern snakes so i will not enter that discussion... ice find.  And excellent crab, too.  

[ced0015]

Thanks, folks!

[Jakuzi]

Have you been to the Frankstown Fossil Park in the last week?  Is the water down if so?

[ced0015]

@Jakuzi I haven't been since January. Water levels are still pretty high in west MS, though. So there is a good chance that twenty-mile creek is also high.

[TNCollector]

Nice squali! I have one almost the same size from a site close to there.

[ced0015]

1 hour ago, TNCollector said:

Nice squali! I have one almost the same size from a site close to there.

Thanks! 

[Jakuzi]

22 hours ago, ced0015 said:

@Jakuzi I haven't been since January. Water levels are still pretty high in west MS, though. So there is a good chance that twenty-mile creek is also high.

Thanks.  I went out today to a different part of 20mile(not Frankstown). Water was high but I climbed down anyway and found 4 or 5 complete teeth.  I also got down into another promising looking creek and found a killer arrowhead along with some chunks of bone that looked marine reptilish.

[Darktooth]

3 minutes ago, Jakuzi said:

Thanks.  I went out today to a different part of 20mile(not Frankstown). Water was high but I climbed down anyway and found 4 or 5 complete teeth.  I also got down into another promising looking creek and found a killer arrowhead along with some chunks of bone that looked marine reptilish.

We want pics!