Jump to content

Max-fossils

Recommended Posts

Hi everyone,

 

Not last Wednesday, but the one before that one, I went to the Zandmotor again for a hunt, and it went well!

As soon as I went down on the beach (I was still in the Kijkduin area, not yet on the Zandmotor), so only some 5 minutes or so into the hunt, I found this little ugly thing in the sand:

IMG_5337.thumb.JPG.a7bbff986debd272a724c32564e692bc.JPG

IMG_5338.thumb.JPG.598a6caccc63df88ef347c852565645c.JPG

It's a small (slightly incomplete) mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) lamella! It's from the late Pleistocene, some 40'000 years ago. It's nowhere as nice as the previous one I found, but this one's cool too. Still happy to have found it because lately I've really been on a dry spell when it comes to the mammal stuff, so hopefully this is a sign that I'm gonna find some more again. 

 

After that, I continued hunting for some 4 hours or so, until the rain chased me away. The weather, although sunny at first, was really not great because there was a lot of wind. This made it a bit colder, but more annoyingly there was sand going everywhere. At some point I was checking out a little sand cliff for some shells, but had to turn my back immediately because the sand was going in my eyes. Also, the 'wich' part of my sandwich became essentially irrelevant... :shakehead:

 

I did make some cool fossil shells finds though:

  • I found this Informative 3

Max Derème

 

"I feel an echo of the lightning each time I find a fossil. [...] That is why I am a hunter: to feel that bolt of lightning every day."

   - Mary Anning >< Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One of my most complete Ensis pieces so far. I believe this one is Ensis magnus. Like all the other shells I'm gonna show, this thing is from the Eemian of the late Pleistocene (around 120'000 years ago).

IMG_5310.JPG

IMG_5311.JPG

  • I found this Informative 1

Max Derème

 

"I feel an echo of the lightning each time I find a fossil. [...] That is why I am a hunter: to feel that bolt of lightning every day."

   - Mary Anning >< Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here are 2 nice Dosinia lupinus specimens. Always love finding those. 

IMG_5314.JPG

IMG_5315.JPG

Max Derème

 

"I feel an echo of the lightning each time I find a fossil. [...] That is why I am a hunter: to feel that bolt of lightning every day."

   - Mary Anning >< Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A nice Nassarius nitidus

IMG_5316.JPG

IMG_5317.JPG

  • I found this Informative 1

Max Derème

 

"I feel an echo of the lightning each time I find a fossil. [...] That is why I am a hunter: to feel that bolt of lightning every day."

   - Mary Anning >< Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And a very small (so I believe it's a juvenile) Nassarius reticulatus. Actually found quite a lot of (adult) specimens of this species that day, more than usual. 

IMG_5318.JPG

IMG_5319.JPG

  • I found this Informative 1

Max Derème

 

"I feel an echo of the lightning each time I find a fossil. [...] That is why I am a hunter: to feel that bolt of lightning every day."

   - Mary Anning >< Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I also got myself a new species for the Zandmotor! Here is the tiny Varicorbula gibba. I found another smaller specimen too that day. I already knew that this species was to be found in Eemian sediments, but for some reason I had so far only found it in small sand piles in The Hague (even found one in my school's grass field!) and in Leiden. Somehow I hadn't found it on the Zandmotor yet, but now that's checked off :) 

IMG_5325.JPG

IMG_5326.JPG

  • I found this Informative 1

Max Derème

 

"I feel an echo of the lightning each time I find a fossil. [...] That is why I am a hunter: to feel that bolt of lightning every day."

   - Mary Anning >< Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's Donax vittatus, a species of which I maybe had some 6-7 specimens beforehand from the Zandmotor. Well this time I found about 10 specimens in one day... Luck is a crazy thing :P 

This particular specimen is cool too because the hole you see on it isn't damage, it's predation: a gastropod (probably Euspira catena) bored that hole in the shell and sucked out whatever soft animal part was inside the Donax. You can recognize that this hole is predation and not damage by the 'ledge' around the hole.

IMG_5335.JPG

IMG_5336.JPG

  • I found this Informative 1

Max Derème

 

"I feel an echo of the lightning each time I find a fossil. [...] That is why I am a hunter: to feel that bolt of lightning every day."

   - Mary Anning >< Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here we have a slightly worn but still cool Venerupis decussata specimen. Also a fun species to find and always quite easy to recognize by the rectangular shape and its radial ridges. 

IMG_5333.JPG

IMG_5334.JPG

  • I found this Informative 1

Max Derème

 

"I feel an echo of the lightning each time I find a fossil. [...] That is why I am a hunter: to feel that bolt of lightning every day."

   - Mary Anning >< Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Then here's one of my last minute finds, right before I decided to leave so as not to get soaked by the rain. An absolutely perfect Mactra stultorum plistoneerlandica specimen, with a small pathology (visible on the left side on the second photo). My best specimen of the species so far, I'm quite happy with this one. 

IMG_5331.JPG

IMG_5332.JPG

  • I found this Informative 2

Max Derème

 

"I feel an echo of the lightning each time I find a fossil. [...] That is why I am a hunter: to feel that bolt of lightning every day."

   - Mary Anning >< Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And here's an absolutely monstrous Laevicardium oblongum crassum. It's not perfect, but it's by far the biggest specimen I've collected and even just seen. I showed it to some Zandmotor hunters and a paleontologist specialized in fossil shells (met up with him last Friday), and they all agreed that this one was particularly big. I found it just a couple minutes before the specimen right above. 

IMG_5308.JPG

IMG_5309.JPG

  • I found this Informative 1

Max Derème

 

"I feel an echo of the lightning each time I find a fossil. [...] That is why I am a hunter: to feel that bolt of lightning every day."

   - Mary Anning >< Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Then here we have Turritella incrassata. This is a Pliocene species, and Pliocene fossils are quite uncommon for the Zandmotor, so that's pretty cool!

IMG_5322.JPG

IMG_5323.JPG

  • I found this Informative 1

Max Derème

 

"I feel an echo of the lightning each time I find a fossil. [...] That is why I am a hunter: to feel that bolt of lightning every day."

   - Mary Anning >< Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And finally here's a hinge piece of Arctica islandica. The age of this species is still unsure, because it's usually a coldwater species (which is inconsistent with the warm Eemian fauna), but it's also quite adaptable. I'm thinking (without any certainty) that it's the same age as the other coldwater shells you can find in Dutch beaches with namely Eemian sediments (Zandmotor, but also Maasvlakte 2, Hoek van Holland, and the beaches of Zeeland like the Banjaard): Tridonta borealis, Amauropsis islandica, etc.

Anyways, this species is rare for the Zandmotor, so that's also a good reason for this to be a cool find :) 

IMG_5320.thumb.JPG.90d21f2fe143196f596061a14391ed76.JPG

IMG_5321.thumb.JPG.93a4fbb18088f267b601df3f81738f65.JPG

 

And that's it! I found lots of other shells, also of other species, but didn't show them because they weren't extraordinary... These are just the highlights. 

I didn't take any location pictures today, but if you want to see what this place looks like just search up 'Zandmotor' in the TFF search bar and you should find some other trip reports I have done of the location where we do have photos of this beautiful beach. 

Hope you enjoyed  this trip report!

Thanks for looking!

 

Max

  • I found this Informative 1

Max Derème

 

"I feel an echo of the lightning each time I find a fossil. [...] That is why I am a hunter: to feel that bolt of lightning every day."

   - Mary Anning >< Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, DanKurek said:

Nice finds Max! I especially like the Ensis :)

Thanks Daniel! I do too, they're really interesting shells!

Max Derème

 

"I feel an echo of the lightning each time I find a fossil. [...] That is why I am a hunter: to feel that bolt of lightning every day."

   - Mary Anning >< Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Congratulations on finding Varicorbula gibba, a new species for you on the Zandmotor!!! :yay-smiley-1:

 

Oh, and I love the name Arctica islandica - it definitely sounds like a cold-water species ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 minutes ago, Monica said:

Congratulations on finding Varicorbula gibba, a new species for you on the Zandmotor!!! :yay-smiley-1:

 

Oh, and I love the name Arctica islandica - it definitely sounds like a cold-water species ;)

Thanks Monica! :D 

Yup, that name is definitely very "cold-sounding"... But they don't always say the truth! For example, Venerupis senescens is not 'ageing' any more than its other Eemian counterparts, and in fact had a very limited lifespan (only during the Eemian, so a total of around 15'000 years in total!). What I've been told is that Arctica islandica has a rather widespread (current) distribution, despite its name. 

  • I found this Informative 1

Max Derème

 

"I feel an echo of the lightning each time I find a fossil. [...] That is why I am a hunter: to feel that bolt of lightning every day."

   - Mary Anning >< Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice finds, Max. I've been hearing rumors recently that collecting shark teeth in Antwerp is soon to become a thing of the past, since many companies are closing their land to collectors because of a couple of accidents. Have you heard anything about this?

  • I found this Informative 1

 

Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger

http://www.steinkern.de/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Ludwigia said:

Nice finds, Max. I've been hearing rumors recently that collecting shark teeth in Antwerp is soon to become a thing of the past, since many companies are closing their land to collectors because of a couple of accidents. Have you heard anything about this?

Thanks Roger. I have heard that there have been some dangerous accidents the past couple weeks (a person I know saved his friend's life recently). Then again, it's true that often the people there are so obsessed with finding that big meg tooth that the pits they dig are wayyyyy too deep, which is never a good idea, especially in sand:DOH:

But I haven't heard that it was closing though... That would really be a shame! I'll ask some of my contacts that hunt there if they heard anything about it. 

  • I found this Informative 1

Max Derème

 

"I feel an echo of the lightning each time I find a fossil. [...] That is why I am a hunter: to feel that bolt of lightning every day."

   - Mary Anning >< Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice finds again, Max, congrats on the new species for your collection and the big Laevicardium as well as the beautiful Mactra.:)

Life's Good!

Tortoise Friend.

MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png.a47e14d65deb3f8b242019b3a81d8160-1.png.60b8b8c07f6fa194511f8b7cfb7cc190.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

Nice finds again, Max, congrats on the new species for you collection and the big Laevicardium as well as the beautiful Mactra.:)

Thank you Adam :D 

Max Derème

 

"I feel an echo of the lightning each time I find a fossil. [...] That is why I am a hunter: to feel that bolt of lightning every day."

   - Mary Anning >< Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice shells. I especially like the one with the predation hole in it. I’ve yet to come across something like that in the late Ordovician/Early-Mid Silurian.

  • I found this Informative 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
On 5/10/2019 at 6:52 AM, JUAN EMMANUEL said:

Nice shells. I especially like the one with the predation hole in it. I’ve yet to come across something like that in the late Ordovician/Early-Mid Silurian.

Thanks! Yeah those little remains of the past relationships between animals are always fun to see. 

I know that the gastropods from the Naticidae family often do this, and they only appeared in the late Triassic/early Jurassic. Although I guess they are not the only ones to do this, I can’t think of any other families from the top of my head that hunt this way too. So I’m not sure if you’ll have any luck in finding this type of predation in your very early sediments. I hope you do though, it would be really interesting!!! :fingerscrossed:

 

(sorry for the late reply btw)

Max Derème

 

"I feel an echo of the lightning each time I find a fossil. [...] That is why I am a hunter: to feel that bolt of lightning every day."

   - Mary Anning >< Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier

 

Instagram: @world_of_fossils

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...