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Cen Tex Penn, Shark & stuff


thair

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Went out last Sunday for a few hours to a site north of Lake Brownwood here in Central Texas. We have had like 14 inches of rain over the last month so I have been wanting to go but this is the first time I have had. Found a couple of broken Petalodus and some echinoid plates to add to my reconstruction. Found lots of other stuff but left it for the next hunter.

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That urchin reconstruction is super. You have a lot of patience. Thanks for posting. Envy you Texas folks for all the fossils and artifacts you can find there.

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Nice finds, Tully.  :)

 

Is that a hognose snake...hard to tell from the photo?

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The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true.  -  JJ

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Congratulations Tully. Some excellent finds there. They look similar to ones we found when I was out there. Your composite spiny echinoid is a total showstopper. Thanks for sharing.

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Thanks everyone. John the snake is what I have always called a "spreading ader" but I don't know. It spreads out its neck area like a Cobra and hisses at you when agitated.

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12 minutes ago, thair said:

Thanks everyone. John the snake is what I have always called a "spreading ader" but I don't know. It spreads out its neck area like a Cobra and hisses at you when agitated.

Definitely a Hognose snake then. If they feel really threatened they will play dead by flipping over and hanging their tongue out. They are technically venomous but it is only their back fangs that are, and even then it wouldn't be toxic enough to be medically significant to humans. You would have to stick your finger down their throat to get envenomed. 

 

Great finds! Really like the echinoid reconstruction, can’t wait to see it finished. I have heard that some of the largest Texas teeth are Petalodus sp. What is the largest Petalodus sp. that you have found? I have yet to find even a scrap of one here in North Texas, but I know that they are found around here too. 

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1 hour ago, thair said:

Thanks everyone. John the snake is what I have always called a "spreading ader" but I don't know. It spreads out its neck area like a Cobra and hisses at you when agitated.

 

Yep, a Hognose...probably a Western Hognose snake.  In addition to the info @Heteromorph shared, if they strike when cornered, it is almost always with a closed mouth.  To larger animals, their intent is to "bluff".  They can be surprising loud and impressive.  :P  If I catch one in the field, I always tell those with me it is a "cobra"!  When they come back within hearing range, I try to let them know what it really is.  :D

 

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The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true.  -  JJ

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2 hours ago, Heteromorph said:

Definitely a Hognose snake then. If they feel really threatened they will play dead by flipping over and hanging their tongue out. They are technically venomous but it is only their back fangs that are, and even then it wouldn't be toxic enough to be medically significant to humans. You would have to stick your finger down their throat to get envenomed. 

 

Great finds! Really like the echinoid reconstruction, can’t wait to see it finished. I have heard that some of the largest Texas teeth are Petalodus sp. What is the largest Petalodus sp. that you have found? I have yet to find even a scrap of one here in North Texas, but I know that they are found around here too. 

The largest I have with root and blade is 6 cm tall and 5 cm wide. I have found broken or incomplete ones that might have been a bit larger.

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3 hours ago, caldigger said:

Are you using a 3-D printed echinoid as the base?

No I just sculpted it out of an epoxy clay. I laded out and measured the plates in rows and columns to get a guess at a circumference that looked about right. I am sure this is not a completely accurate model but it a makes a close approximation to the living example. The spines are 5 to 6 inches.

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4 hours ago, thair said:

Thanks everyone. John the snake is what I have always called a "spreading ader" but I don't know. It spreads out its neck area like a Cobra and hisses at you when agitated.

 

What we called puff adders or hog nose snake in Florida. They play dead real good but can be mean and nasty.

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That looks like a serious cidaroid if that's basically what it looked like in life! Nice job.

I second Fossilnut's comment about what you have in Texas, especially that place where you just walk along after a rain and pick up all sorts of goodies!

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