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So I’m back down at Holden beach doing some fossil hunting. I came back yesterday with some cool little finds. So I have identified this tooth as an angel shark tooth. I just wanted to know if finding one was rare, and is it in good condition? (Found off the North Carolina coast.)

One of my favorite sharks and a focal point of the education programs we did were Angelsharks. My son and I ended up with a fairly deep collection of Squatina material so I figured it was time to do a thread. Angelsharks are very distinctive with there large heads, flattened batoid-like bodies and broad pectoral fins. They are very well adapted to life as a bottom dwelling ambush predator. Generally found in shallow water, some such as the Sand Devil can be found as deep as 4,000 feet. They are found worldwide in temperate and tropical oceans. Angelsharks feed primarily on fish, squid and crustaceans. They will lie in wait, covered with sediment for days at a time. When prey does happen by, they use a quick strike with extensible jaws that produces suction via negative pressure. Unfortunately, Angelsharks are the most endangered order of sharks. Many of the 26 species are listed as near threatened, threatened, or endangered. Squatina makes its earliest appearance in the fossil record in the Late Jurassic. Pseudorhina specimens have been found in Germany and Spain. I don’t know if an intact fossil has been found in the United Kingdom but teeth have been found in several well known locations. The Cretaceous record shows them spreading globally. They are found in numerous sites all over the world. This continues in the Cenozoic. Many of the most well known shark tooth producing locations contain Squatina. You can also occasionally find dermal denticles and vertebrae as well. As with the other threads I’ve done, the goal is to encourage people to share their fossils and knowledge so celebrate Angelsharks with me ! For more information on Angelshark conservation, check out angelsharknetwork.com

Had a big rain and a major windstorm (lost power a couple of hours), even though the wind was from the south (and I much prefer winter north winds for my beach) had to check. A bit disappointing, tooth-wise although I did find a mako and a big shrimp coprolite burrow, and five small teeth (and some old pottery shards). Tried the creek at an old spot, where I hadn't had much recent luck, but the rain had deposited teeth in one spot and weakened the bank in another where I dug around and found some teeth but mostly bone bits and a few interesting steinkerns (with some glossy surfaces, one an obvious snail shell, another with shrimp coprolites.) Found one ALMOST complete cowshark tooth, four angel shark teeth and a bunch of drum 'teeth' and several sandshark teeth, plus four verts and a lot of skate teeth, most broken. Better than usual hunting. First scan is of the bigger stuff (not counting bones or shells, who asked that I pick up some for her kids): the cow shark, mako, a lemon(?) and tiger shark, plus a weird concretion, a Tilly bone and two vertebra, the top one with an odd loop. For the mantis shrimp coprolites, notice they tend to be thicker in the burrow than in the steinkern below.

Deer season has ended so I figured I wouldn't bother the hunters or get shot if I went back to the creek. Clearly others had been working some of my favorite spots, there were new pieces of screening rolled up and deposited nearby. Most kids are looking for big, but seem to be few interested / obsessed (more interested in games on their phones). The day was cold (the cold water, which is up, was warmer than the air. Lots of tiny freshwater shrimp/ mysis and bright red (freshly shed?) crayfish. Found the usual, though not many drum teeth, lots of sand shark (one seems a bit thick and heavier than usual?) and lots of broken angel shark, spikes and ecphora pieces. No cowshark, will try again! There's a broken tiny sand dollar-like piece near the penny (I had posted a whole one before). Will post a picture on the ID section along with a broken tooth I don't recognize.

Howling wind and deep ice cold water, but figured the creek bed would protect me from the wind (it did) and cold (not so much). Less hunters out. Don't usually post casts/steinkerns but this gastropod(?) has two small fossilized worm like things on it (probably need to get a better photo than the scan). All the rain has washed shells everywhere (lots of 5" to 7" scallops/ pectans everywhere; didn't see any whole ecphora, the only shells I usually pick up. Frilly oysters were everywhere as well; top half is neat). Most of the teeth I found was small or broken or both; three cow shark, one decent with root. Four(?) angelshark and several others, lots of spikes most missing their cusps, small triangular most with faint serrations, and a bunch of glossy drum teeth (photo is of the other side). Broken verts. When other stuff dries, may find something else interesting.

Went out to find a new spot. After a few unproductive but relaxing hours (not as humid, not many mosquitoes, lots of frogs), I found a spot that yielded a bunch of small teeth, including a cowshark and three angelshark teeth. Also found pieces of at least three tiger shark teeth (rare in my old spots) Found a piece of frog(?) jaw with three flattened teeth (small but bigger than most I've found). I thought I had found another Mako ventral tooth, but it has serrations, heavy at the bottom and fine in the middle edges of the blade. People here IDed it as a hemi ventral tooth. Picked up about 20 "drum teeth" but half lacked the distinctive glossy top and hollow bottoms (and a few black shell bits discarded with the small black round rocks). Hopefully the "vein" won't die out like the last spot!

After heavy rains for the past week, was hoping stuff would be re-arranged in my creek and new stuff would be visible. The reverse happened; my favorite spots were silted and sanded in. Much of the creek bed had changed water flow, and hardly any of the usual shells were visible just sand everywhere. Good to be hunting again. Most of the frogs were gone (probably eaten) but saw a few fearless ones. So did some digging and screening; nothing big, a bonito nose, a small skate stinger, vertebrae, some broken cow shark teeth, lots of drum teeth, three or four angelshark teeth, and rare (for me) a small rough tiger shark tooth. More rain predicted for the next week, more exploring for me.

Been away for a while. The kids(?) have dug out much of the creek bank where I had been hunting, so I tried a few additional spots. The creek was low from minimal rain the last week (wet overall year). Less mosquitoes, more frogs (two bronze stripes, Leopard frogs?) Both the temperature and humidity had fallen and I stayed longer than usual. Highlights were a root-less but nice cow shark tooth and a hemipristis (hadn't seen any this year); many broken. Three angel shark teeth (probably more of those and drum teeth once they all dry). Mostly sand shark spikes, but one may be a small ventral great white/mako. One nice vertebra, but pieces of much bigger ones. Small number of tiny teeth, probably find more in bucket when it dries. Penny is 19 mm in diameter.

Along with the 3 pristine Hemis I found at Brownies Beach, I also found some interesting micro finds. I really like the 3 sand tiger teeth with the perfect sharp cusps on each side and they're REALLY sharp too. I also was able to score 2 nice Angelshark teeth (I love how they stand up on their root). I also found what I believe to be a tooth from the rostrum of a Sawfish? or perhaps some species of fish. I need help to ID the micro tooth, it has small serrations on either side and I have found one similar to this previously on another trip.