Lepisosteidae Sp. Scales (Garfish) Pliocene of the Caloosahatchee Formation, Glades Co. FL

[alej9582]

Some examples of what swam in the murky waters of Glades Co., FL in the Pliocene.

[Tidgy's Dad]

Very nice finds! 

[digit]

Nice garfish specimens. Not used to seeing fossils from Glades County in Florida (just west of Lake Okeechobee) as I usually see fossils of this type from the Peace River a bit further west in DeSoto County (around Arcadia). I'm assuming these are creek/river finds. What other items are you finding in this area?

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[alej9582]

2 minutes ago, digit said:

Nice garfish specimens. Not used to seeing fossils from Glades County in Florida (just west of Lake Okeechobee) as I usually see fossils of this type from the Peace River a bit further west in DeSoto County (around Arcadia). I'm assuming these are creek/river finds. What other items are you finding in this area?

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

Ken @digit it is slightly north of More Haven. I am also finding a great deal of amphibian bones, scarce shark teeth, a pleistocene whitetail deer pelvis section, bone fragments, fish spines (catfish) and about 50 of this scales.

 

Cheers!

Alex

[digit]

Nice! Good to know that there are more places than just the usual spots where nice fossils are turning up.

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[Dan 1000]

Nice specimens! Are these scales quite common from the site you collected from?
 

[alej9582]

40 minutes ago, DanKurek said:

Nice specimens! Are these scales quite common from the site you collected from?
 

To give you a rough estimate about 1 pero every 3 sifts.

[digit]

I'm assuming you are using a 1/4" sifting screen for these? I find these regularly on the Peace River (my wife has the search image locked in for these and loves the challenge of spotting them in the sifting screen). I'd say the Peace delivers these more like one every 10-15 sifting screens.

 

However, if you collect micro-matrix in the Peace River (or any of its tributary creeks) and collect the material that falls through a 1/4" screen but is caught by a piece of window screen material (roughly 1/20"), you will find a large amount of smaller garfish scales. These scales vary enormously in their shape and size due to placement on the body and, of course, size of the individual. It's always fun to spot one of these distinctively shaped micro-fossils emerge from a sample of micro-matrix while picking through it.

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken