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dirtdauber

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I had the opportunity and good fortune to participate in the excavation and preparation of a mosasaur this past year. The specimen was discovered by a new friend, Allison, in a small unnamed stream adjacent to family property in east-central Mississippi (? Prairie Bluff Fm, Upper Cretaceous, Late Maastrichtian).Allison found the first bones in early May and contacted me for help in identifying the bones through a mutual friend. I'm far from an expert, but was able to ID the bones (a radius and vertebra) as mosasaur. She was really excited, since the bones were her first vertebrate fossils other than a few Pleistocene horse teeth from the same creek, and promised to continue searching. On her next trip, Allison exposed part of a mosasaur jaw and sent pics to me while still in the creek. leftmaxilla1a.jpg.7535092053a11dc7de2e11e983da2cec.jpg

 

Long story - short version -- We (Allison, my grandson, Logan and I) began serious excavation in early June 2018 and continued collecting (several trips) and preparation through November. Dr. Lynn Harell, Paleontologist with the Alabama Geological Survey viewed photos of the specimen as I prepped them and helped to ID individual bones and confirmed the genus as Mosasaurus. Dr. Takehito Ikejiri, Alabama Museum of Natural History, worked with me to compare "Moose' (named by Allison) to many specimens in the archives of the Museum. Both were extremely helpful to me as we tried to confirm the ID and agreed that it should be labeled as Mosasaurus sp. until further study. George Phillips of the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science identified associated invertebrate specimens in hopes of confirming the geology of the site (still unconfirmed). geosection1d.thumb.jpg.073b2df4aef7a5dd5a90b95be4aa3423.jpggeosection1d.thumb.jpg.073b2df4aef7a5dd5a90b95be4aa3423.jpg

 

'Moose' was donated to the Dunn-Seiler Museum at Mississippi State University in December 2018. It will be studied as part of a graduate students research.

 

Following are a large number of photos documenting the site, excavation, prepration, and bones of 'Moose'. Thanks for looking.

 

5c28f87f5581a_AllisonLogan1b.thumb.jpg.cd6dbdd97793c48c4024d33c9df0cccd.jpg

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Simply amazing! Those predation marks are awesome! Congratulations on a find of a lifetime. 

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~Charlie~

"There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK
->Get your Mosasaur print
->How to spot a fake Trilobite
->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG

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Just spectacular!  Congratulations to all!  Great work!

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

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1 hour ago, Ludwigia said:

What a great story and find! Thanks for sharing. 'Scuse my ignorance, but what's the diference between Dentary and Maxilla?

Nothing to excuse! The 'dentary' is the front part of the lower jaw. The 'maxilla' is the front part of the upper jaw. -- George

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18 minutes ago, JohnJ said:

Just spectacular!  Congratulations to all!  Great work!

Thanks, John. We thought so too. -- George

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1 hour ago, fossilized6s said:

Simply amazing! Those predation marks are awesome! Congratulations on a find of a lifetime. 

Thanks much. There were other faint bite marks on some vertebrae and ribs, probably from scavenging sharks, but the ones on the scapula were very nice. -- George

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Absolutely fascinating!!! :D Wonderful mosasaur you guys collected! You all did an excellent job! Simply amazing work :yay-smiley-1: 

-Christian

 

 

Opalised fossils are the best: a wonderful mix between paleontology and mineralogy!

 

Q. Where do dinosaurs study?

A. At Khaan Academy!...

 

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15 minutes ago, The Amateur Paleontologist said:

Absolutely fascinating!!! :D Wonderful mosasaur you guys collected! You all did an excellent job! Simply amazing work :yay-smiley-1: 

-Christian

 

 

Thanks much, Christian! Lots of hours went into both the collection and preparation.  -- George

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Incredible find! Thanks as well for the detailed photo documentation from the field and into the lab, as that tells a great story of the long process!

...How to Philosophize with a Hammer

 

 

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@dirtdauber Mrs Allison better buy a lottery ticket... Who knows, she may win the grand prize if her luck continues!

On The Hunt For The Trophy Otodus!

 

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Wow!...this is awesome! @dirtdauber, your documentation is really fantastic (and extremely informative), thanks for posting.

"I am glad I shall never be young without wild country to be young in. Of what avail are forty freedoms without a blank spot on the map?"  ~Aldo Leopold (1887-1948) 

 

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