Peace River shark tooth ID help

[JKZ1973]

Hi all,

 

I finally got to the Peace River for my birthday yesterday and found about 20+ teeth and then lost my mesh bag in the river! I only hope some kid who had bad luck finding teeth finds it. Of the ones I had left, I cant ID the one in the pic. Also put in the pic the tiniest tooth I've ever seen! I think it's a lemon shark? Any help IDing the bigger one great! Thanks in advance! - Jodi 

Edited April 28, 2019 by JKZ1973

[DatFossilBoy]

A shame for the lost teeth... sorry.

Big one is Carcharodon hastalis and yes,small one is Lemon shark.  

Regards.

[JKZ1973]

Thank you!

[digit]

On 4/28/2019 at 12:27 PM, JKZ1973 said:

and then lost my mesh bag in the river!

Here's an idea that may help you to reduce future face-palming moments. This is an idea I picked up from Mark Renz who runs guided trips on the Peace River. Instead of mesh bags or zip-top baggies to hold fossils while you are digging and sifting, invest two bucks in a "nail belt" at one of your local home improvement stores. I looked for these recently at my local Lowes but found they no longer seemed to stock them. Home Depot still had them. I picked up a dozen of them to use with a group of kids that I acted as guide for on a fossil hunting trip a few months back.

 

I have renamed these cloth nail belts as "goody belts" since that is where you stash your goodies while standing in the river with a shovel and a sifting screen. You can tie these securely around your waist (I've never had one fall off in the river) and you can quickly drop in little teeth and other fossils as soon as you pull them from your sifting screen. On rare occasion I've tried to feel for the opening at the top of the two pockets in this belt and managed to find instead the space between the back cloth of the belt and my pants--dropping the tooth behind the belt and back into the river. Usually though, this is a quick and efficient way of stashing your finds that doesn't require two hands to open a mesh or zip-top bag. If I turn up a more significant find, I skip the goody belt entirely and wade through the river back to the canoe to deposit the item securely in a separate zip-top bag so that it doesn't get lost or damaged.

 

Glad you made it to the Peace River last weekend (belated happy birthday). I was out with my wife on the river yesterday (weekdays are so much more quiet and peaceful--only saw 3 other canoes all day). I had commented that it has been some time since we'd found a nice upper Carcharodon hastalis in the river. Looks like you got a good one. We used to call these 'makos' but recent thinking seems to place this ancient species as an ancestor of the Great White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias) and not in the lineage of mako sharks. We've been trying (with limited success) to retrain our brains to call these 'white shark' teeth instead of 'makos'. It is also possible (but quite rare) to find an actual Great White Shark tooth in the river. I've found 2 in 12 years (others who hunt more often have a few more of these).  As your 'white shark' tooth is penny size, it is really just a baby tooth. These top out at over 2 inches in the largest I've seen.

 

Welcome to the forum. We look forward to seeing the results of your next trip to the Peace River. Take some photos of yourself out during your hunting trip and post them here--members from all around the world love seeing good photos of fossil hunting trips. You can model your new goody belt as well.

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

 

[Fossildude19]

I use one of these on my New York excursions for the little finds that pop out of the rocks.  

 

 

3 minutes ago, digit said:

 

 

I have renamed these cloth nail belts as "goody belts" since that is where you stash your goodies ... 

 

[digit]

They are mighty handy to hold smaller finds. They can be washed with your dirty clothes from trips out into the field. How else does one end up with fossilized shark teeth in the washing machine or lint screen in the dryer?

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[Harry Pristis]

 

A mesh bag has a use.  You can go to a craft store to buy a hard plastic foam ring (the kind you use to build a wreath).  Insert the ring into the mesh bag.  Tie a knot in the bag draw-string at a point that the ring cannot escape the bag.  Tether the bag to your waders or your screen.  It will take a lot of teeth to sink the bag.  Even if you drop a mammoth tooth into your bag, the foam ring will still float above bottom making it easier to find.  I have used such a rig for many, many hours in the Peace River with nary a problem.

 

 

[digit]

Great idea for another method of hands-free goody stashing. We find enough smaller shark teeth and other finds when out at the river that opening and closing a mesh bag each time would be too tedious. A floating bag held open by the flotation ring would be a great option as well (and can be used for larger finds). You'd just have to resist the urge to "shoot a basket" with a special fossil and miss (my aim is terrible).

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[JKZ1973]

On 5/1/2019 at 11:17 AM, digit said:

Here's an idea that may help you to reduce future face-palming moments. This is an idea I picked up from Mark Renz who runs guided trips on the Peace River. Instead of mesh bags or zip-top baggies to hold fossils while you are digging and sifting, invest two bucks in a "nail belt" at one of your local home improvement stores. I looked for these recently at my local Lowes but found they no longer seemed to stock them. Home Depot still had them. I picked up a dozen of them to use with a group of kids that I acted as guide for on a fossil hunting trip a few months back.

 

I have renamed these cloth nail belts as "goody belts" since that is where you stash your goodies while standing in the river with a shovel and a sifting screen. You can tie these securely around your waist (I've never had one fall off in the river) and you can quickly drop in little teeth and other fossils as soon as you pull them from your sifting screen. On rare occasion I've tried to feel for the opening at the top of the two pockets in this belt and managed to find instead the space between the back cloth of the belt and my pants--dropping the tooth behind the belt and back into the river. Usually though, this is a quick and efficient way of stashing your finds that doesn't require two hands to open a mesh or zip-top bag. If I turn up a more significant find, I skip the goody belt entirely and wade through the river back to the canoe to deposit the item securely in a separate zip-top bag so that it doesn't get lost or damaged.

 

Glad you made it to the Peace River last weekend (belated happy birthday). I was out with my wife on the river yesterday (weekdays are so much more quiet and peaceful--only saw 3 other canoes all day). I had commented that it has been some time since we'd found a nice upper Carcharodon hastalis in the river. Looks like you got a good one. We used to call these 'makos' but recent thinking seems to place this ancient species as an ancestor of the Great White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias) and not in the lineage of mako sharks. We've been trying (with limited success) to retrain our brains to call these 'white shark' teeth instead of 'makos'. It is also possible (but quite rare) to find an actual Great White Shark tooth in the river. I've found 2 in 12 years (others who hunt more often have a few more of these).  As your 'white shark' tooth is penny size, it is really just a baby tooth. These top out at over 2 inches in the largest I've seen.

 

Welcome to the forum. We look forward to seeing the results of your next trip to the Peace River. Take some photos of yourself out during your hunting trip and post them here--members from all around the world love seeing good photos of fossil hunting trips. You can model your new goody belt as well.

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

 

Hi Ken, 

 

I just saw this and I really appreciate your suggestion!! I actually have a similar apron but never thought to use it for that reason! Great idea!! 

[Bone Daddy]

For reference, here is a 2-inch hastalis from the Peace River.