Potomac Aquia Formation

[RCW3D]

I was lucky enough to get back-to-back trips to the Potomac in some great October weather. I had a lot of fun playing tour guide to my friend and his family yesterday, but I was really looking forward to some solo time with no rushing at all. I had a meeting with my boss at 11:00 to get my performance review and all I kept thinking was, "hurry up, low tide is at 1:30!" I rushed out of there when it was over and was hiking down to the river by 12:15. As soon as I arrived at the beach, I sat down on a log to put my water shoes on and saw this in front of me:

 

 

 

I took it as a good sign and I was on my way. The water was crystal clear and the lowest I have seen it since I started coming there, I found myself drawn to the water to look in areas that are usually covered up, but I also wanted to search the areas of the beach that were now dry as a bone. In one little drainage I saw this little tooth:

 

 

I don't know if you can tell or not but that was under some flowing water, I thought it looked pretty cool.

I continued down the beach and ran into another forum member, drobare. He and I chatted for a bit and he looked down and found a small Otodus at his feet. After we went our separate ways, I moved about 20 feet and found another small Otodus in one of his footprints...what are the odds? LOL!

I can't say that I had any earth shattering finds, I would say that the crock tooth and turtle shell would be my favorites, but it definitely will go down as ne of my favorite days on the river this year!

 

The total haul:

 

 

Crocodile teeth (the one on top was a fragment) and soft shell turtle:

 

 

Now this intrigued me, I think it is bone but I'm not sure...here are some pictures:

 

 

Other side.

 

 

Close ups on both sides:

 

 

Looking at the end.

 

 

Beautiful day! You definitely have to take advantage of them when you get them!

 

Great meeting you drobare, hope to see you on the water again!

[RCW3D]

Oh, one last thing I forgot to mention, drobare was also at Matoaka last weekend when the tree came down...he actually helped them clear it (while I played on the beach).

 

Small world!

[Ropterus]

Nice finds!  You had a great day to be out hunting!

[PaleoRon]

3 hours ago, RCW3D said:

Now this intrigued me, I think it is bone but I'm not sure...here are some pictures:

 

It is a Chimera oral plate.

[gavialboy]

I agree with PaleoRon its a chimera oral plate. I have found a few of them as well and they remained a mystery to me as well and I was not able to identify them for the longest time.

[Tomwith3girls]

What is a Chimera? I looked it up and it shows some mythical creature. 

[RCW3D]

2 hours ago, Tomwith3girls said:

What is a Chimera? I looked it up and it shows some mythical creature. 

Actually it should be Chimaera, a ratfish.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimaera

[siteseer]

4 hours ago, RCW3D said:

Actually it should be Chimaera, a ratfish.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimaera

 

"Chimaera" is kind of a tricky term (though one of the common names for the group) because it is also a modern genus belonging to the group.  Scientists tend to use "chimaeroid" as a general term especially for fossil remains which tend to be referable to other (extinct) genera.  I believe the Aquia is one of the few formations in the US where chimaeroid fossils can be found.

 

 

[MarcoSr]

Definitely a chimaeroid plate.  You can definitely find chimaeroid fossils in the Aquia Formation.  Below are ones that I and my son Mel have collected from the site.

 

 

If you Google "Cicimurri Ebersole 2015 Paleocene chimaeroid fishes (Chondrichthyes Holocephali) from the eastern United States, including two new species of Callorhinchus" you can find a free download of this relevant paper.  The paper is 8.7 MB so I can't add it to this reply.

Marco Sr.