New Members SharkBoysMama Posted August 19, 2020 New Members Share Posted August 19, 2020 VERY new to all this - like, started internet research a few days ago. My 4 year old son is obsessed with sharks, so I am taking our family to mataoka beach to look for some shark teeth fossils. I picked up some colanders and sieves from the dollar store to make double level shark tooth sifters, similar to some stuff I saw on this forum. **But how do I know where or which stuff to scoop sift for sifting?** Thanks in advance for any advice - links to videos especially appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrehistoricWonders Posted August 19, 2020 Share Posted August 19, 2020 Hey, Welcome to the forum!!! I’d recommend purse state park if you want to find sharks teeth, I went in November as a newbie, and only the third time I’d ever fossil hunted, without a screen at the wrong time, and I(and my siblings and parents) found 40ish teeth in around an hour! I’ve heard matoaka cottages has much more invertebrates and not as many vertebrate fossils. Also, on a little bit of a side note, say big brook in NJ for example, people say you can go and just bring a pasta strainer and you’ll be fine, I strongly disagree, I went with a couple pasta strainers to big brook and my whole family(there’s five of us) found one tooth overall. I haven’t been back since. I’m glad that I didn’t lose interest in fossils, but what if I had, cause people who wrote the articles say you only need a strainer, and it’s not totally their fault, but I just don’t want anyone to lose interest in fossils cause someone who only tried to fossil hunt once wrote an article saying you only need a strainer, when you should really have a sifter. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted August 19, 2020 Share Posted August 19, 2020 Look for gravel/shell debris. In my experience, you can find tons of small teeth in the gravelly areas from the water's edge to a few feet out into the surf. Low/outgoing tide is the best time to be looking. Many people walk the beach and visually look for teeth ( usually black) on the beach in the shell and gravel areas. Good luck. 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...
New Members SharkBoysMama Posted August 19, 2020 Author New Members Share Posted August 19, 2020 Thanks so much you guys! 8 hours ago, Familyroadtrip said: I went in November as a newbie Ahh, november.... As in, pre-Coronavirus ;-). The main reason I decided to try mataoka is because, being privately owned, it's the only place still open to non-residents. "After Coronavirus" has become a phrase in my house - we'll add purse state park to the list! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrehistoricWonders Posted August 19, 2020 Share Posted August 19, 2020 Purse is open to non residents, I’ve never been to matoaka, I just know purse is good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Members SharkBoysMama Posted August 20, 2020 Author New Members Share Posted August 20, 2020 You're right, thanks for the tip! I had only been looking at Calvert Cliffs beaches, I didn't realize there were other good places for fossils in Maryland. But it seems that Purse doesn't have any bathrooms... Do you know if there are nearby stores that are friendly to fossil hunters? Bathrooms are a MUST when traveling with kids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrehistoricWonders Posted August 21, 2020 Share Posted August 21, 2020 No bathrooms, and it’s ~30-40 minutes, at least the way I went. I’d recommend it, but it’s all up to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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