Identifying fossil shark teeth

[LuckyDutch]

Just a simple question by a newbie .....  

 

Just started this new hobby and found my first couple of teeth.  Need some directions about how to identify.  Books, websites, forum threads etc.  Just a little push in the right direction and I'll get moving ....

[Tidgy's Dad]

Post pictures of the teeth on the Fossil Id section and people will be glad to id them for you. 

Add the location and include a scale and make sure the pictures are as clear as possible to help the folks who know their shark's teeth.

(i'm not one of them!) 

[Brett Breakin' Rocks]

@Tidgy's Dad has the ticket.

 

If you have really bit the hook and have the shark tooth bug so to speak then there is plenty to use as resources out there.  Now be aware your teeth at Folly are coming from deposits that are predominantly Oligocene, Miocene, Pliocene and Pleistocene all mixed together.

 

Here is a good start for your local Folly Beach:

https://blogs.cofc.edu/macebrownmuseum/2017/02/03/friday-fossil-feature-it-would-be-folly-to-pass-this-site-up/

 

Visit the Mace Brown Museum in Charleston if you haven't already .... the fossils there will floor you.

http://geology.cofc.edu/natural-history-museum/

 

Come join the local Facebook Group ...... The Palmetto Paleontological Society. We are very active, have great folks that can ID your finds ... and they meet once a month or once every other month.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/palmettopaleo/

 

Check out Elasmo for extant and comparative fossil teeth sets .. and much more.

http://www.elasmo.com/

 

The Fossil Guy web page is just chock full of useful images and information for tooth identification and morphology.

https://www.fossilguy.com/gallery/index.htm

 

The Florida Museum of Natural History has helped in the past .. mostly with vertebrate material.

https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/florida-vertebrate-fossils/species

 

Phew .... there is more ! ... ok, but this is a smaaaaallll start.

 

Cheers,

Brett

 

[Fossil-Hound]

@LuckyDutch a big part in identification comes down to experience and an understanding of the surrounding geology. If you know the geologic timeframe you're collecting from that will really help in classifying the species based off of the time but you also have to keep in mind tropical vs non-tropical regions as some sharks do prefer warmer waters whereas others can tolerate cooler waters. Post some of your teeth and let us help you identify them.

[LuckyDutch]

Wow....  thanks for all the info.  

 

Brett, I will certainly follow some of your "local" advice.  I have several hobbies and they all take "some" time, and, oh yeah, I have my work too.  I will take it slowly and take it step by step.  I hope my wife will also get into it a little, she seems interested!!  I will keep you guys posted on my progress, but don't expect too much 

[ynot]

5 hours ago, Brett Breakin' Rocks said:

Phew .... there is more ! ... ok, but this is a smaaaaallll start.

 

Cheers,

Brett

A good one that Brett did not mention....

J-elasmo

http://naka.na.coocan.jp/

[caldigger]

3 hours ago, LuckyDutch said:

I have several hobbies and they all take "some" time, and, oh yeah, I have my work too.  

Once that hook is set, all those other "distractions" will have to take a backseat.  You'll even find yourself planning your sick days around the best low tides. 

Work just gets in the way of your fossil hunts, it's never too early to retire! 

[Brett Breakin' Rocks]

1 hour ago, caldigger said:

Once that hook is set, all those other "distractions" will have to take a backseat.  You'll even find yourself planning your sick days around the best low tides. 

Work just gets in the way of your fossil hunts, it's never too early to retire! 

haha ... Accurate ...

 

I will also say that no matter what the weather conditions you will think to yourself..... " 110 degree heat in the California Desert.  Yeah, I can swing that .... "

 

"Near freezing today with a chance of drizzle but the creeks are low .. oh yes !! .. OPPORTUNITIES.  I'll be just loafing around the house anyway.  Shame to waste so much prime hunting time !"

 

And .... do you have a boat ??   Whooooooo boy.   Trouble.

 

B

[caldigger]

20 minutes ago, Brett Breakin' Rocks said:

I will also say that no matter what the weather conditions you will think to yourself..... " 110 degree heat in the California Desert.  Yeah, I can swing that .... "

Sounds so easy to say when your kicking back in your house with the A/C cranking. You might be singing another story when you're out in it.

Been there, done that too many times, and yet I keep doing it. 

 

What? Did someone mention having a boat?!  Hey buuuuuddy!!!!

[LuckyDutch]

8 hours ago, caldigger said:

Once that hook is set, all those other "distractions" will have to take a backseat.  You'll even find yourself planning your sick days around the best low tides. 

Work just gets in the way of your fossil hunts, it's never too early to retire! 

 

6 hours ago, Brett Breakin' Rocks said:

haha ... Accurate ...

 

I will also say that no matter what the weather conditions you will think to yourself..... " 110 degree heat in the California Desert.  Yeah, I can swing that .... "

 

"Near freezing today with a chance of drizzle but the creeks are low .. oh yes !! .. OPPORTUNITIES.  I'll be just loafing around the house anyway.  Shame to waste so much prime hunting time !"

 

And .... do you have a boat ??   Whooooooo boy.   Trouble.

 

B

yes.... low tide and a boat (thus far most frequently used to hunt for redfish in the creeks of the Wando) is an "unhealthy" combination.  Typically asks for "working from home" where one cannot easily be reached.  On a more serious note, I know that there are two well-known spots for shark teeth hunters, the sandy banks of Drum Island, close to the Ravenel Bridge in Charleston and Cat Island, a small "island" in the Wando River.  Both can be reached by boat, kayak etc.  On my next outing on the boat, I will start mapping as there must be other places that can be explored. Will be looking at low tide for areas with a lot of gravel.  Any additional suggestions?

[Brett Breakin' Rocks]

Ahh ... on a serious note. I forgot to toss this in there. You may already be aware. You will need a fossil permit to collect anything below the low tide line on navigable waterways in South Carolina. If you've been fishing then you know the DNR is out there. That honestly is the one story that will crop up from time to time. Citations. 

  

No digging or sifting either from those same navigable waterways. Surface collecting only. 

 

On that note the Wando River I hear is great for diving. Better yet the Edisto water levels do drop during the year to very shallow snorkel depth .... just have to find the riggt gravel. 

[LuckyDutch]

3 hours ago, Brett Breakin' Rocks said:

Ahh ... on a serious note. I forgot to toss this in there. You may already be aware. You will need a fossil permit to collect anything below the low tide line on navigable waterways in South Carolina. If you've been fishing then you know the DNR is out there. That honestly is the one story that will crop up from time to time. Citations. 

  

No digging or sifting either from those same navigable waterways. Surface collecting only. 

 

On that note the Wando River I hear is great for diving. Better yet the Edisto water levels do drop during the year to very shallow snorkel depth .... just have to find the riggt gravel. 

I'll stick to surface collecting. I like to be "on", but not so much "in", the water. And, yes, I know the boys from SCDNR very well, I have been checked more than once in the 20+ years that I fish the area.