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I'm back! A long spring break presented me with the opportunity to go out on a few fossil trips. I just haven't gotten around to posting until now. But here we go!

 

After finding over 600 shark teeth in one day at Purse State Park, how could I not go back? With the stress of school completely absent from my mind, I went down to the park along the Potomac River for another day searching for Paleocene fossils. I arrived early, as I always try to, and I was the only one there when I arrived. Instead of heading to the left of the entrance as I did on my first trip, I decided to start by going right. After all, that was where I found my beloved Otodus tooth! This ended up being a good decision. For about the first hour, I wasn't finding teeth quite as often as my first outing, and this was a bit discouraging. However, as the sun rose higher into the sky, I started finding teeth left and right. I believe I was the only true fossil hunter at the site for the whole day; only a family or two with their children showed up for about an hour each and headed out. The one other person I did meet, however, was a man who was searching not for fossils, but for driftwood. Apparently he makes some pretty awesome sculptures with the wood he collects. He was pacing the beach with a heavy chainsaw. I originally thought he may have been after sharks teeth as well, but he assured me that "the teeth are all yours, buddy!" A matter of seconds after he said that, I picked up a small tooth that looked unlike anything I'd found at Purse before. Holding it closer to my face, I saw serrations on the blade. I knew it could only be one thing: Palaeocarcharodon! I was jumping with joy! It was a very small tooth, but very pretty. I was climbing through a big clump of fallen trees and logs when I found it. More proof that looking in obscure areas is worth it! 

 

The tide was rising. I kept further from the entrance, finding more of the usual Sand Tigers along the way. I made it to the duck hunting post, and turned around. Although the tide was reaching high up the beach, I thought going to the left would still be worth a shot. I walked a little faster than usual to reach the cliff area before it was too late to access them. I hardly found anything on my way there, and by the time I did reach the cliffs, the tide was almost completely engulfing that section of the beach. So I made my way back towards the entrance. The tide was reaching higher and higher up the beach, and I realized that I would likely have to leave soon because there would be no more beach to hunt on. So I made one last quick run to the right, because that seemed to be the side I was having much better luck with. With the palaeocarcha as my undisputed "trip maker", I would have been more than happy to have only found some more Sand Tigers on the last run. But Purse State Park was feeling extra generous that day. Searching high up onto the beach, I looked down to see a beautiful gold-colored Otodus tooth sitting right out in the open. It wasn't very large, but it was complete with both cusps and all. A true beauty. And if that wasn't enough, literally no more than 12 inches from that tooth I had just picked up was another big shark tooth! But this one wasn't an Otodus. No, it was ANOTHER Palaeocarcharodon! And this one was much bigger than my first! I couldn't believe that I found TWO of the most sought after tooth from the Paleocene Era. And with that, I left Purse State Park with a box filled to the brim with fossils.

 

Overall, this trip was amazing! Perhaps even better than my first outing to Purse. I highly recommend going to this site if you love finding sharks teeth, and lots of them! Hoppe hunting!

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The Hunt for the Hemipristine continues!

~Hoppe hunting!~

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Because of the tides, this ended up being a much shorter trip than my first. That being said, I managed some amazing finds. The total count, despite the difference in hunting time, ended up being just short of my record: 611 shark teeth! (Record: 619) The vast majority of the teeth are long and slim, either Sand Tigers or Goblins. Other than that, I found a couple Otodus and palaeocarchas. I also found a ton of ray plates as usual, and a few small gastropod molds as well. I wasn’t able to access the parts of the cliffs where I found the large molds from my first trip, but I was happy with the small ones as well. Purse State Park does not disappoint, even on a day with extremely high tides.

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The Hunt for the Hemipristine continues!

~Hoppe hunting!~

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A couple interesting things I ran into on my trip. The first is a massive catfish skeleton that must’ve washed up. My guess is that it was an invasive Blue Catfish, but I’m no expert. All I know is that it’s bigger than any that I’ve caught! The other pictures are a bunch of strange footprints I found on the beach. I thought dog at first, but now I’m not sure. Anyone have a guess? I put my hand next to them for reference.

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The Hunt for the Hemipristine continues!

~Hoppe hunting!~

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The Hop 5:

 

1. Otodus obliquus: Beautiful. This tooth is not quite as big as my largest Otodus, but it is in near perfect condition. It’s also gold in color, which looks really cool.

 

2. Palaeocarcharodon orientalis: My larger tooth of the two. Its crown is complete but worn and most of the root is missing, but it’s still an outstanding find.

 

3. Carcharias hopei: I found hundreds of Sand Tigers, so choosing the best was difficult. I ended up going with the largest one. It’s in great condition too.

 

4. Brachycarcharias lerichei: A very unique tooth. I think it looks really cool, and it’s pristine. The double cusps and shape make it stand out from other teeth.

 

5. Palaeocarcharodon orientalis: This is my first palaeocarcha of the day, and of all time. It’s much smaller than the second, but has more defined serrations.

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The Hunt for the Hemipristine continues!

~Hoppe hunting!~

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Nice report and so many teeth! 

Very pleased you found those special ones. 

Good day's work! :)

Life's Good!

Tortoise Friend.

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Glad you had a satisfying hunt! Congratulations! 

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I like Trilo-butts and I cannot lie.

 

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I would say Racoon. It was likely after something like that stinky Catfish.

 

 

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12 hours ago, HoppeHunting said:

The other pictures are a bunch of strange footprints I found on the beach. I thought dog at first, but now I’m not sure. Anyone have a guess? I put my hand next to them for reference.

 

 

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Nice finds.  It is a great day when you find two Palaeocarcharodons.  Due to their flat, thin nature, certain beach conditions make it more likely to find them.  One trip at Liverpool I found three and my son and a friend each found one.

 

A good, full print has the following features (note lots of prints are only partial or can have a hind foot print partially over the front print and can look quite different).  Canine prints have a back pad, four front pads, and evidence of nails/claws (remember dogs have dew claws).  Feline prints have a back pad, four front pads, and no evidence of claws (they retract their claws almost always when they walk).  Bears have a back pad (the back pad from the hind foot can also make a print with a front and small heel print), five front pads, and evidence of claws.  So your prints aren't canine, feline or bear.  I agree with Doren that the prints are probably from a big racoon.  Racoon prints are a single print (no separate pads) with five long fingers and then separate claw prints (however, I see lots of racoon prints that don't show the separate claw prints). Working with Dr. Weems on the Pleistocene footprints in Virginia, I see a good number of various prints.  Last time out collecting I found a print that Dr. Weems believes is from a saber cat.

 

Marco Sr.

"Any day that you can fossil hunt is a great day."

My family fossil website     Some Of My Shark, Ray, Fish And Other Micros     My Extant Shark Jaw Collection

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Wow what a great trip report. That looks like a fun place to hunt. 

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Awesome finds! I love hunting over there, I'm a little disappointed that I just accepted a job at Quantico so I will no longer have to periodically go to Indian Head; I always seemed to find a way to leave early and get some river time during the middle of the week.

 

The tracks are raccoon, pretty common to find over there. I've also seen deer, coyote, fox, and even eagle tracks.

Rob :D

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