fossilcole Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 I visited Bracklesham on 15th Feb 2012 with a moderate low tide (1.3m) mid morning. There was quite a bit of debris on the beach but none of the usual fossil beds were showing. There was notably a lot of Cardita's and pyrite nodules scattered over most of the beach. I found just a few worthy sharks teeth, but my best find was a fragment of Turtle Plastron. After some research, I believe the fragment is a Freshwater Trionychid Turtle Plastron. I have attached a few photos including a diagram of the turtle anatomy as it is not obvious where this bony fragment is situated. The plastron is the underside of a turtle. Bracklesham is generally a mid-Eocene site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosmoceras Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 Very nice finds! Seems like a great hunt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 Nice specimens Chris. I hope to come down soon. KOF, Bill. Welcome to the forum, all new members www.ukfossils check it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 I agree that this appears too be from the plastron of a soft-shelled turtle. How rare are the remains of fresh water animals at Bracklesham? "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 Some nice pieces have been found there Chas. I don't think they're particularly common though. Trionychid[/i] scute.jpg] KOF, Bill. Welcome to the forum, all new members www.ukfossils check it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimsherri Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 VERY GOOD LOOKING TEETH... They look like potomac river teeth here in the state of va on the east coast... i like the top right one... Please put it in a bottle and send it my way, i'll start looking for it at high tide in about 6 to 8 weeks ... :Bananasaur: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 You'll have a longer wait than 6-8 weeks, the gulf stream current comes from you to us. :lol: KOF, Bill. Welcome to the forum, all new members www.ukfossils check it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilcole Posted February 19, 2012 Author Share Posted February 19, 2012 I agree that this appears too be from the plastron of a soft-shelled turtle. How rare are the remains of fresh water animals at Bracklesham? I have collected quite a few Trionyx fragments from this site and some quite big when stuck back together!!. This site represents warm, shallow, sub-tropical, esturine environment with brackish water. We also find the occasional croc teeth and scutes (Diplocynodon sp.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 (edited) More common than I thought then Chris? Edited February 19, 2012 by Bill KOF, Bill. Welcome to the forum, all new members www.ukfossils check it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimsherri Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 SO SAD..... :notfair: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 Some of the modern trionychids are quite brackish-tolerant, and an estuarine environment would fill the bill nicely. "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilcole Posted February 20, 2012 Author Share Posted February 20, 2012 VERY GOOD LOOKING TEETH... They look like potomac river teeth here in the state of va on the east coast... i like the top right one... Please put it in a bottle and send it my way, i'll start looking for it at high tide in about 6 to 8 weeks ... :Bananasaur: Hi, I reckon that top right tooth is Carcharias Acutissima. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimsherri Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 SOME potomac river teeth I can't say what your top tooth is, i have about 20 years to catch up on vertebrates.. some of the fine folks on the forum can tell you someone like paleocarcharodon.and others know... i'm 49 years old the way i see it in 20 more years i might start to fossilized. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowsharks Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Cole, what book is the turtle diagram from? I'd like to see a larger size pic of that diagram and perhaps other parts of the turtle too. vr, Daryl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilcole Posted February 20, 2012 Author Share Posted February 20, 2012 Cole, what book is the turtle diagram from? I'd like to see a larger size pic of that diagram and perhaps other parts of the turtle too. vr, Daryl. Daryl, I picked this up on a GOOGLE search "TURTLE HYPOPLASTRON". (Images). There are plenty to pick from, As we say in England .. "Fill yer boots!!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilcole Posted February 20, 2012 Author Share Posted February 20, 2012 SOME potomac river teeth I can't say what your top tooth is, i have about 20 years to catch up on vertebrates.. some of the fine folks on the forum can tell you someone like paleocarcharodon.and others know... i'm 49 years old the way i see it in 20 more years i might start to fossilized. . If you have not visited the attached site before, check out the vertebrates section of Bracklesham Beds. I have provided quite a few fossil specimens for this site. Enjoy.Cheers .. Chris Cole http://www.dmap.co.uk/fossils/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimsherri Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 Great Site love the way the pics are set up... cool i still be on the look out for reworked material on this side of the ocean.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixgill pete Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 Awesome finds. The turtle plastron spine is very very cool. And the teeth look very much like the teeth from the Miocene/Pliocene of NC, Va and MD here on the east coast. I especially like the bottom, left tooth. The one next to the ray tooth above the turtle spine. Can you post a larger picture of it? Bulldozers and dirt Bulldozers and dirt behind the trailer, my desert Them red clay piles are heaven on earth I get my rocks off, bulldozers and dirt Patterson Hood; Drive-By Truckers May 2016 May 2012 Aug 2013, May 2016, Apr 2020 Oct 2022 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilcole Posted February 28, 2012 Author Share Posted February 28, 2012 Awesome finds. The turtle plastron spine is very very cool. And the teeth look very much like the teeth from the Miocene/Pliocene of NC, Va and MD here on the east coast. I especially like the bottom, left tooth. The one next to the ray tooth above the turtle spine. Can you post a larger picture of it? Lingual and labial photos attached.Picture42.bmp Picture43.bmp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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