fossilized6s Posted July 11, 2018 Share Posted July 11, 2018 In the last two weeks i have found two new very promising fossil sites. They are on private land that i have permission to be on. And please don't ask where. There are so many things that i have to leave many behind. I hope i am lucky enough to find something truly amazing from these sites and share them with science and ultimately all of us. I believe this to be the first Orthacanthus sp. specimen ever found in this area of Illinois. It would be pretty neat to add this awesome predator to this fauna. As found: After prep: On the same trip i found a bone block associated with crinoids, a Metacoceras, a shark denticle, possible shark cartilage and what i believe are tetrapod bones. Please feel free and let me know what you guys think about the bones. A deep water environment with tetrapod material???? This strangely shaped bone has a thin outer layer on the "ornamental" end, almost like tooth enamel, but it's not thick enough. Continued.......... 6 ~Charlie~ "There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK ->Get your Mosasaur print ->How to spot a fake Trilobite ->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilized6s Posted July 11, 2018 Author Share Posted July 11, 2018 Shark denticle??? Almost has a spider web appearance. Metacoceras, it looks salvageable. After finding those the first trip, i decided to go back a second time last weekend to a different spot. Listracanthus denticle Mine was unfortunately broke in half and one half is folded into the shale. But hopefully this is the first of many, and God willing find the actual creature that had these! Shark cartilage bit Neat death plate in gray shale. My first Carboniferous trilobite!! Well a pygidium.... I have a funny feeling there are a lot more to be found there. Continued......... 3 ~Charlie~ "There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK ->Get your Mosasaur print ->How to spot a fake Trilobite ->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilized6s Posted July 11, 2018 Author Share Posted July 11, 2018 My first Carboniferous cephalopod! Two if you include the mini. Still needs some final prep, but i like it. Two large Stigmaria chunks This is one of the best preserved psaronius pieces i have ever seen. I'm tempted to slice this in half and polish it for study. Continued....... 2 ~Charlie~ "There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK ->Get your Mosasaur print ->How to spot a fake Trilobite ->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilized6s Posted July 11, 2018 Author Share Posted July 11, 2018 This piece had a big surprise for me last night! While knocking down the matrix to make this piece more presentable out popped a Tetrapod hand bone (thinking possible ure or ulna) If Tetrapod bones are coming out of blocks that i didn't even know had them that's what i call a 'good problem to have'. I also found a concretion very similar to Francis Creek concretions. Kinda strange and promising. Hundreds of pounds of pyrite 'fools gold' dotted a gray shale site. Beautiful thing to see!! Continued.......... 5 ~Charlie~ "There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK ->Get your Mosasaur print ->How to spot a fake Trilobite ->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilized6s Posted July 11, 2018 Author Share Posted July 11, 2018 What's a good fossil hunting trip without weird creatures? My first baby crawfish! He's on my pants! So tiny!! Creepy beetle larva......so creepy. Let's just say a lot of things came out of it when it wanted to move. If that thing was 4-5 times bigger it would truly be the thing that nightmares are made of. Awesome spider with two almost mantis like appendages near it's mouth, covered in spikes to trap prey. Beautiful little 'jumper' Ever see a Wolf Spider with her young? It was my first time seeing this. Thanks for looking. Happy hunting! 5 ~Charlie~ "There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK ->Get your Mosasaur print ->How to spot a fake Trilobite ->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan 1000 Posted July 11, 2018 Share Posted July 11, 2018 Nice finds mate! I really enjoy seeing Carboniferous vertebrate material. Hard to find down in Victoria. As for the "praying mantis spider", I believe it is a long jawed spider (Tetragnathidae) If you are interested. Dan 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted July 11, 2018 Share Posted July 11, 2018 Nice to have a couple of honey holes all to yoursel! Don't worry, I won't ask. Great finds! Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Echinoid Posted July 11, 2018 Share Posted July 11, 2018 Wow... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted July 11, 2018 Share Posted July 11, 2018 Awesome finds, Charlie! Glad you have an exciting area to explore! Such a wide variety of finds - you are bound to find some great things there, I can feel it! Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 IPFOTM -- MAY - 2024 _________________________________________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilsAnonymous Posted July 11, 2018 Share Posted July 11, 2018 That's pretty cool. My grandfather was in South America and when he woke up there were 100's of wolf spiders in his room.... Shudder On The Hunt For The Trophy Otodus! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deutscheben Posted July 11, 2018 Share Posted July 11, 2018 Those are some really spectacular finds! The cephalopod and gastropod are beautifully preserved, and of course the shark and tetrapod material is terribly exciting too. It's heartening and inspiring to see what sorts of things can be found here in Illinois, if you do the research and put in the work. Also, love all the extant arthropods too! That baby crawfish looks like a tough guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FranzBernhard Posted July 11, 2018 Share Posted July 11, 2018 "And please don't ask where." No, I don´t ask where, because I am about 10.000 km away . But I am always interested, how other people find their fossil sites, so my question: How did you find these sites? It seems that they are natural outcrops along small rivers. And the other question is: These fossils are not all from the same bed, aren´t they? And last but not least: Congratulations to your finds, I am deeply impressed! You are a lucky guy! Franz Bernhard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullsnake Posted July 11, 2018 Share Posted July 11, 2018 Wow! About all i can say! Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted July 11, 2018 Share Posted July 11, 2018 Very nice, thanks for the tour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aek Posted July 11, 2018 Share Posted July 11, 2018 Interesting finds! Congrats on the private collecting locality. Hope you find a complete tetrapod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted July 11, 2018 Share Posted July 11, 2018 Very nice specimens, with potential for much more. We all are looking forward to see what else comes out. Congrats! Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goatinformationist Posted July 11, 2018 Share Posted July 11, 2018 Of course I won't ask... and just ignore the drone that will follow your car on Saturday. Probably nothing. Thanks for sharing with all of us. A truly spectacular outing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doushantuo Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 Nice report! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilized6s Posted July 12, 2018 Author Share Posted July 12, 2018 20 hours ago, DanKurek said: Nice finds mate! I really enjoy seeing Carboniferous vertebrate material. Hard to find down in Victoria. As for the "praying mantis spider", I believe it is a long jawed spider (Tetragnathidae) If you are interested. Dan Thanks. And thank you for teaching me something new. Really neat creature. 20 hours ago, Ludwigia said: Nice to have a couple of honey holes all to yoursel! Don't worry, I won't ask. Great finds! Thanks. Figure you're far enough away that it wouldn't be an issue, but now that nautiloids are involved i can't be so certain. 15 hours ago, Echinoid said: Wow... 15 hours ago, Fossildude19 said: Awesome finds, Charlie! Glad you have an exciting area to explore! Such a wide variety of finds - you are bound to find some great things there, I can feel it! 13 hours ago, FossilsAnonymous said: That's pretty cool. My grandfather was in South America and when he woke up there were 100's of wolf spiders in his room.... Shudder 13 hours ago, deutscheben said: Those are some really spectacular finds! The cephalopod and gastropod are beautifully preserved, and of course the shark and tetrapod material is terribly exciting too. It's heartening and inspiring to see what sorts of things can be found here in Illinois, if you do the research and put in the work. Also, love all the extant arthropods too! That baby crawfish looks like a tough guy. Thanks, guys. I'm very excited to see what can be found. Unfortunately i have limited time there. The owners don't want me out there during hunting season. So only Summer fossil hunts. 12 hours ago, FranzBernhard said: "And please don't ask where." No, I don´t ask where, because I am about 10.000 km away . But I am always interested, how other people find their fossil sites, so my question: How did you find these sites? It seems that they are natural outcrops along small rivers. And the other question is: These fossils are not all from the same bed, aren´t they? And last but not least: Congratulations to your finds, I am deeply impressed! You are a lucky guy! Franz Bernhard I've always known these formations were there, but i never really hunted them because i didn't want to trespass. So it took a while to hunt down the owners (they don't live on the property). I never would have imagined how rich it is though! No, these finds are mainly from three different formations on top of one another. 12 hours ago, Bullsnake said: Wow! About all i can say! 8 hours ago, ynot said: Very nice, thanks for the tour. 8 hours ago, aek said: Interesting finds! Congrats on the private collecting locality. Hope you find a complete tetrapod 5 hours ago, Missourian said: Very nice specimens, with potential for much more. We all are looking forward to see what else comes out. Congrats! Thanks, guys. I will definitely keep TFF up to date if any more exciting finds happen. Only have until the end of August though..... 2 hours ago, goatinformationist said: Of course I won't ask... and just ignore the drone that will follow your car on Saturday. Probably nothing. Thanks for sharing with all of us. A truly spectacular outing. Lol. I wondered what that 'giant angry bee' sound was. 2 hours ago, doushantuo said: Nice report! Thank you. I like to keep them short, picture heavy and to the point. Haha 1 ~Charlie~ "There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK ->Get your Mosasaur print ->How to spot a fake Trilobite ->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldigger Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 3 hours ago, goatinformationist said: Of course I won't ask... and just ignore the drone that will follow your car on Saturday. Probably nothing. Thanks for sharing with all of us. A truly spectacular outing. It's OK buddy, you can skip the drone. I've already attached the tracking device to his car. We can just sit back and let the GPS do all the work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nimravis Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 Great finds there, congrats and keep posting more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FranzBernhard Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 Thanks for the infos! Franz Bernhard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archie Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 Awesome finds and wildlife pics! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 What a crazy and exciting mix of fossils!!! I am I particularly love the cephalopod with a brachiopod on the same plate - beautiful!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted July 26, 2018 Share Posted July 26, 2018 Nice report. That cephalopod is astonishingly beautiful and I love the trilobite too! Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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