digit Posted June 30, 2023 Share Posted June 30, 2023 REMINDER: PLEASE carefully read ALL of the rules below. Make sure you include all the required information, IN THE REQUESTED FORMAT (below) when you submit your fossil! If you have a question about a possible entry, please send me a PM. Please pay special attention to Rule #5: Before and After Preparation Photos must be submitted for prepped specimens NOT found during the Month of the Contest. In addition to keeping the contest fair, this new qualification will encourage better documentation of our spectacular past finds. Entries will be taken until 11:59:00 PM EDT on JULY 31, 2023 Any fossil submitted after that time, even if the topic is still open, will be deemed ineligible! Only entries posted with CLEAR photos and that meet the other guidelines will be placed into the Poll. Photos of the winning specimens may be posted to TFF's Facebook page. Please let us know if you have any questions, and thanks for sharing more of your fossils and research this month. Shortly after the end of the Month, separate Polls will be created for the Vertebrate and Invertebrate/Plant Find of the Month. In addition to the fun of a contest, we also want to learn more about the fossils. Tell us more about your fossil, and why you think it is worthy of the honor. To view the Winning Fossils from past contests visit the Find Of The Month Winner's Gallery. Now, go find your fossil, do your research, and make an entry! Best of success to all, and good hunting! *********************************** Rules for The Fossil Forum's Vertebrate and Invertebrate/Plant Find of the Month Contests Find a great Vertebrate Fossil or Invertebrate/Plant Fossil! Only fossils found personally by you are allowed. NO PURCHASED FOSSILS. Post your entry in the Find of the Month topic. Use a separate post for each entry. (Only two entries per member per contest category.) Your fossil must have been found during the Month of the Contest, or Significant Preparation * of your fossil must have been completed during the Month of the Contest. You must include the Date of Discovery (when found in the contest month); or the Date of Preparation Completion and Date of Discovery (if not found in the contest month). Before and After Preparation photos must be submitted for prepped specimens not found during the Month of the Contest. Please make sure you arrange for photos if someone else is preparing your fossil find and completes the prep requirements in the contest month. You must include the Common and/or Scientific Name. You must include the Geologic Age or Geologic Formation where the fossil was found. You must include the State, Province, or region where the fossil was found. You must include CLEAR, cropped, well-lit images (maximum 4 images). If you are proud enough of your fossil to submit it for FOTM, spend some time to take good photos to show off your fossil. Play fair and honest. No bought fossils. No false claims. * Significant Preparation = Substantial work to reveal and/or repair important diagnostic features, resulting in a dramatic change in the look of the fossil. The qualification of Significant Preparation is decided at the discretion of staff. Any doubts as to the eligibility of the entry will be discussed directly with the entrant. ******* Please use the following format for the required information: ******* • Date of Discovery (month, day, year) • Scientific and/or Common Name • Geologic Age or Geologic Formation • State, Province, or Region Found • Photos of Find (Please limit to 4 clear, cropped, and well-lit images.) (If prepped, before and after photos are required, please.) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huntlyfossils Posted July 10, 2023 Share Posted July 10, 2023 This is a confirmed Pterosaur limb bone ( Leaning towards a ulnar bone) found in Richmond NW Queensland while not in the best condition due to it's rarity I thought I would enter it in this months competition. This has since been donated to the local museum. Length is approx. 12cm Date of Discovery: 07/04/2023 Scientific and/or Common Name: Pterosauria, Pterosaur Geologic Age or Geologic Formation: Early Cretaceous , Toolebuc Formation State, Province, or Region Found: NW Queensland Australia 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted July 10, 2023 Author Share Posted July 10, 2023 Nice! I was talking with a paleontologist last week at the FLMNH. He found pterosaur bones in the Cretaceous deposits of Cuba. I asked how he identified them as pterosaur and apparently in cross-section they have distinctive structural elements that allowed them to be strong but light for flight--similar in some ways to hollow bird bones. Cheers. -Ken 2 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilhunter21 Posted July 11, 2023 Share Posted July 11, 2023 I found this really cool, and uncommon anuran ilium in a bunch of micro matrix that I collected. Out of the 1000's of specimens I have collected, this is only the second anuran specimen I have found. I would like to donate this, and some other amphibian specimens to a paleo-herpetologist, as not a lot of research has been done on White River Formation amphibians. However, I am having a bit of a hard time finding one. Please PM me if you know of a researcher who might be interested. Cheers and Shalom, -Micah Date of Discovery: 7/9/23 Scientific and/or Common Name: Anuran Ilium, Frog/Toad Geologic Age or Geologic Formation: Brule Formation State, Province, or Region Found: Sioux County, Nebraska Length: Approximately 1/8 of an Inch 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patelinho7 Posted July 11, 2023 Share Posted July 11, 2023 1 hour ago, digit said: Nice! I was talking with a paleontologist last week at the FLMNH. He found pterosaur bones in the Cretaceous deposits of Cuba. I asked how he identified them as pterosaur and apparently in cross-section they have distinctive structural elements that allowed them to be strong but light for flight--similar in some ways to hollow bird bones. Cheers. -Ken I've heard something like that about the porosity of bones for aquatic animals too (or even hybrid aquatic animals to prove that they swam as well as walked on land). I guess when you think about the fact that air is considered a fluid, bones need buoyancy for air just as much as water. Very cool stuff! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PFOOLEY Posted July 11, 2023 Share Posted July 11, 2023 Invertebrate Discovered: 7.09.23 Tarrantoceras sellardsi Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian) Clay Mesa Shale Sandoval Co. NM 12 "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) New Mexico Museum of Natural History Bulletins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted July 11, 2023 Share Posted July 11, 2023 And the month is already off to an excellent start! Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdp Posted July 11, 2023 Share Posted July 11, 2023 On 7/10/2023 at 8:40 PM, fossilhunter21 said: Date of Discovery: 6/9/23 Scientific and/or Common Name: Anuran ilium, frog/toad Geologic Age or Geologic Formation: Brule Formation State, Province, or Region Found: Sioux County, Nebraska I found this really cool, and uncommon anuran ilium in a bunch of micro matrix that I collected. Out of the 1000's of specimens I have collected, this is only the second anuran specimen I have found. I would like to donate this, and some other amphibian specimens to a paleo-herpetologist, as not a lot of research has been done on White River Formation amphibians. However, I am having a bit of a hard time finding one. Please PM me if you know of a researcher who might be interested. Cheers and Shalom, -Micah You might try Jim Gardner at the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Alberta. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilhunter21 Posted July 11, 2023 Share Posted July 11, 2023 3 hours ago, jdp said: You might try Jim Gardner at the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Alberta. Thanks, @jdp. I actually asked him if he would be interested, but it sounds like he has too much on his plate already. @digit actually PM'd me yesterday about some researchers, and one of the researchers is very interested in the specimens! Here is what he said: "Yes yes yes... please! That's exactly the time and place. Sam and I are currently picking and describing the salamanders from (since nothing has been previously published on salamanders from this time and region!)!!! Can't wait to see where their matrix is from in relation to the matrix we just received. We would love to adopt any amphibians from that micro matrix." "This is very exciting!!! Perfect timing too, since we just started picking and working on this project a couple weeks ago! The salamander looks very similar (and probably the same taxon) as the one we've been finding in our sample." Cheers and Shalom, -Micah 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdp Posted July 12, 2023 Share Posted July 12, 2023 Glad to hear! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhiggi Posted July 12, 2023 Share Posted July 12, 2023 Prepped by Mark Smith of Yorkshire Fossils. • Date of Discovery (month, day, year) Found on 1st June 2023. Prep was started on July 1st, took 5 hours in total, and was completed on July 5th. • Scientific and/or Common Name Phylloceras heterophyllum • Geologic Age or Geologic Formation Lower Jurassic, Upper Lias • State, Province, or Region Found Saltwick Bay, Whitby, UK Before prep: After Prep: 1 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted July 12, 2023 Author Share Posted July 12, 2023 There's a beauty! This month's off to a good start---what else have you all been finding out there? Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minnbuckeye Posted July 12, 2023 Share Posted July 12, 2023 I truly enjoy playing with material from the Burlington-Keokuk fish bed boundary. So, when in Sothern Iowa, I always pick up pieces of matrix showing specks of black material in an otherwise light colored rock. At the time, one does not know what is contained within. The speck are pieces of Mississippian fish. Unlike most fossil trips that I take, the rewards of the fish bed fossils only comes later when the collected samples are processed at home. I used @Nimravis's technique, "sometimes you have to whack it", for Mazon nodules to expose what was hidden inside. This time it worked!!! A great split occurred, revealing 4 different species of Chondrichthyan fish. Unfortunately, the Helodus disintegrated as I attempted to consolidate the tooth, so typical of these Mississippian specimens. Luck was with me on the other three teeth and short of not having the tip of the Saivotus, the result of prepping these teeth was good.!! Unfortunately, unless something has changed recently, the Burlington-Keokuk fish bed has recieved no attention in the scientific literature, though it has been known to exist for over 150 years until Matthew Hoenig, for his masters, submitted a paper on the Chonrichthyan diversity of the fish bed. His research showed 12 different chondrichthyans in the area I collected in. So to have 33% of know species all in a small piece of matrix is special to me. Hopefully you will enjoy it too. And hopefully my IDs are correct. Found 7/1/2023 Saivotus, Orodus, and Chomatodus Mississippian, Burlington-Keokuk Fish Bed SE Iowa 17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted July 12, 2023 Author Share Posted July 12, 2023 I love how different the earliest of chondrichthyan teeth look from our modern shark teeth. What a great sampler pack in this one chunk of matrix! Whack a few more chunks--let's see what they might hold. Cheers. -Ken 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Collector9658 Posted July 13, 2023 Share Posted July 13, 2023 18 hours ago, minnbuckeye said: Found 7/1/2023 Saivotus, Orodus, and Chomatodus Mississippian, Burlington-Keokuk Fish Bed SE Iowa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KompsFossilsNMinerals Posted July 14, 2023 Share Posted July 14, 2023 Here’s my entry, I picked this up while collecting with fellow member @Dean Ruocco expecting it to be just a plate of molted heads. I didnt notice any of the completes because I only glanced at the rock before putting it in my backpack. It took about 12 hours of prep in total, and I think it was worth every second. The plate exhibits 17 complete Cryptolithus trilobites as well as a starfish! Date of Discovery - June 21, 2023 Date of Prep - July 10th - 11th Scientific and/or Common Name - Cryptolithus tessellatus and unknown starfish Geologic Age or Geologic Formation - Trenton Group, Ordovician State, Province, or Region Found - Central Pennsylvania After a light wash with water and a toothbrush: After prep with abrasion and minor scribing: Close-up of the main cluster: The Starfish! 1 31 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey P Posted July 18, 2023 Share Posted July 18, 2023 On 7/13/2023 at 10:10 PM, KompsFossilsNMinerals said: Here’s my entry, I picked this up while collecting with fellow member @Dean Ruocco expecting it to be just a plate of molted heads. I didnt notice any of the completes because I only glanced at the rock before putting it in my backpack. It took about 12 hours of prep in total, and I think it was worth every second. The plate exhibits 17 complete Cryptolithus trilobites as well as a starfish! Date of Discovery - June 21, 2023 Date of Prep - July 10th - 11th Scientific and/or Common Name - Cryptolithus tessellatus and unknown starfish Geologic Age or Geologic Formation - Trenton Group, Ordovician State, Province, or Region Found - Central Pennsylvania After a light wash with water and a toothbrush: After prep with abrasion and minor scribing: Close-up of the main cluster: The Starfish! Holy moly! That's quite the plate. I've only seen 2 complete cryps ever and there's a bunch there. That Rafinesquina is also super cool. Good luck! 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted July 18, 2023 Share Posted July 18, 2023 That is an amazing plate!! Don 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikrogeophagus Posted July 18, 2023 Share Posted July 18, 2023 My new favorite tooth! • Date of Discovery: 7/17/23 • Scientific and/or Common Name: Brachauchenius lucasi pliosaur • Geologic Age or Geologic Formation: Kamp Ranch, Middle Turonian, Cretaceous • State, Province, or Region Found: North Texas 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaleoNoel Posted July 19, 2023 Share Posted July 19, 2023 6 hours ago, EPIKLULSXDDDDD said: • Date of Discovery: 7/17/23 • Scientific and/or Common Name Brachauchenius lucasi pliosaur • Geologic Age or Geologic Formation Kamp Ranch, Middle Turonian, Cretaceous • State, Province, or Region Found North Texas My new favorite tooth! Such an awesome tooth! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Florida Man Posted July 19, 2023 Share Posted July 19, 2023 Got this insane caniform megalonx tooth this month. The preservation and color combination is almost unheard of for xenarthrans (lacking enamel). • Date of Discovery: 7-8-23 • Scientific and/or Common Name: Megalonx Jeffersonii - Giant Ground Sloth • Geologic Age or Geologic Formation: Pleistocene • State, Province, or Region Found: North Florida 12 Best Find: Intact Tapirus Jaw Watch the Recovery Here: LINK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted July 19, 2023 Author Share Posted July 19, 2023 That one must have been buried in some nice clay to have such wonderful coloration. Little more than halfway through--what else have you all found this month? Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Florida Man Posted July 22, 2023 Share Posted July 22, 2023 On 7/19/2023 at 3:29 PM, digit said: That one must have been buried in some nice clay to have such wonderful coloration. Just laying on the sand! Spring fed river, so no tannins! 1 Best Find: Intact Tapirus Jaw Watch the Recovery Here: LINK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Collector9658 Posted July 24, 2023 Share Posted July 24, 2023 (edited) There are some great teeth to compete with this month, but I'll throw my hat into the ring! I stopped by a roadcut while traveling to look around and stretch out after long hours of driving. I lucked into finding two teeth. After a few days and some rain, I returned to the same spot and roadcut on my way home and three more teeth were exposed. I ended up with 5 nice examples, this being my favorite one. • Date of Discovery: July 19, 2023 • Scientific and/or Common Name: Ptyctodus toothplate • Geologic Age or Geologic Formation: Devonian • State, Province, or Region Found: Jefferson County, Missouri Edited July 24, 2023 by Collector9658 1 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huntlyfossils Posted July 25, 2023 Share Posted July 25, 2023 On 7/13/2023 at 7:21 AM, minnbuckeye said: I truly enjoy playing with material from the Burlington-Keokuk fish bed boundary. So, when in Sothern Iowa, I always pick up pieces of matrix showing specks of black material in an otherwise light colored rock. At the time, one does not know what is contained within. The speck are pieces of Mississippian fish. Unlike most fossil trips that I take, the rewards of the fish bed fossils only comes later when the collected samples are processed at home. I used @Nimravis's technique, "sometimes you have to whack it", for Mazon nodules to expose what was hidden inside. This time it worked!!! A great split occurred, revealing 4 different species of Chondrichthyan fish. Unfortunately, the Helodus disintegrated as I attempted to consolidate the tooth, so typical of these Mississippian specimens. Luck was with me on the other three teeth and short of not having the tip of the Saivotus, the result of prepping these teeth was good.!! Unfortunately, unless something has changed recently, the Burlington-Keokuk fish bed has recieved no attention in the scientific literature, though it has been known to exist for over 150 years until Matthew Hoenig, for his masters, submitted a paper on the Chonrichthyan diversity of the fish bed. His research showed 12 different chondrichthyans in the area I collected in. So to have 33% of know species all in a small piece of matrix is special to me. Hopefully you will enjoy it too. And hopefully my IDs are correct. Found 7/1/2023 Saivotus, Orodus, and Chomatodus Mississippian, Burlington-Keokuk Fish Bed SE Iowa Wow absolutely amazing find well done Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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