My Large Find on the NSR

[believerjoe]

So I have not posted in quite some time as I mostly do the Facebook updates because it is so easy to deal with the photos, but I thought I should get this one in now that I think it is over.  I went on a hunt around the middle of January that turned out pretty well.  I had walked a good ways and had found nothing which can quickly put me in a bad funk, but I finally came across a mosasaur vert encrusted in matrix, so my disposition changed a little.  Always nice to find something to get rid of the skunk (sorry, fishing term).  Not too far from the exit point, I just happened to glance across and my eye settled directly on a mosasaur tooth socket.  I knew exactly what it was when I spotted it from over 15 feet away.  I went straight away to collect what was a small section of jaw with a couple of broken off teeth (pretty typical of the NSR).  When I reached down to pick it up, I realized that there was another piece of the jaw and that it would connect with the piece I was retrieving.  Score!  Now a nice 6 or 8 inches of jaw would look better all glued up, but then I gained a little more focus and realized that what I thought were rocks, were the edges of more bones, and more important was that the fact that the other bones were in the shale and not sitting on top!  I gathered myself and beat away the excitement as I knew that I had just found the resting place of a mosasaur.  It was getting dark and there was rain in the forecast, so I figured that I would pull out the few pieces that would get washed away.  When I went for the first vert, I had totally missed that there was a visible tooth half way in the matrix.  I scratched a couple of times near there and that is when it hit me!  That jaw bone was going into the ground and there should be more of it!  I have a long story about a hike out as I was not prepared for such that I will spare you from, but I had finally found some jaws with teeth whether I would destroy them getting out of there or not.  There is more to this story, but I wanted to at least share what got me so excited and the reason I spend hours wandering around in the middle of nowhere. 

[Miocene_Mason]

18 minutes ago, believerjoe said:

I have a long story about a hike out as I was not prepared for such that I will spare you from,

I’ve got time (and virtual popcorn!)

picture isn’t working for me but any mosasaur jaw would be amazing to me, therefore I’m sure I’ll be blown away by what you’ve described!

 

[FossilDAWG]

You've got us waiting with baited breath for the rest of the story , but your photo did not load.

 

Don

[Tidgy's Dad]

Try to reduce the size of the photo to less than 1 MB. 

Fascinating stuff, can't wait for the next episode. 

[believerjoe]

Still trying.  My work pc must have prevented the load.

[Darktooth]

C'mon Man! You're killing me!

[believerjoe]

I can't seem to edit in this browser.  I remember why I stopped doing this, lol!

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[Darktooth]

Fossil of the month! Heck, fossil of the year! Awesome find! You must be stoked!

[Fossildude19]

Wow!

Tremendous find!   

 

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Good grief! 

That is one amazing find! 

You say there is more of it?

[Archie]

Wow what a find! Good job rescuing it!

[believerjoe]

1 minute ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

You say there is more of it?

 

There is more.  I think maybe about 6 feet of verts and 50% of the skull....  If there is more than that, then hasn't shown itself yet.

[Tidgy's Dad]

Just now, believerjoe said:

 

There is more.  I think maybe about 6 feet of verts and 50% of the skull....  If there is more than that, then hasn't shown itself yet.

Golly!

[ynot]

Nice score!!

Hope You can save more of it.

 

[Calvin Jenkins]

Thanks for reminding me why I go hunting!  Next time you get "skunked" you just need to look at your prize to realize it is all part of the deal (and you are winning!).

[Darktooth]

If I found that,I would have filled my pants with coprolite.

[believerjoe]

1 minute ago, Darktooth said:

If I found that,I would have filled my pants with coprolite.

It was pretty exciting.  It really is the icing n the cake for NSR hunters.  Always was teeth in the jaw.  These were all broken off, but got them safely restored.  The river claimed some of course.

[Darktooth]

1 minute ago, believerjoe said:

It was pretty exciting.  It really is the icing n the cake for NSR hunters.  Always was teeth in the jaw.  These were all broken off, but got them safely restored.  The river claimed some of course.

Yeah but you got more than teeth in jaw. Associated verts as well. Are you absolutely sure you got it all? Because if I was you I would keep going back until I was 100% sure I had it all. Then I would go back a couple more times to see if the was any other goodies in the general vicinity.