Fin Lover Posted August 17 Share Posted August 17 (edited) I found a fossilized dolphin skeleton in Summerville, SC this week that has been donated to the Charleston Center for Paleontology. They worked with the Palmetto Paleontology Museum to get all necessary approvals from the property owners, county, city, and state to excavate it. Both organizations provided the resources to do the excavation, which was a big undertaking. So far, they've identified at least 37 vertebrae, 8 ribs, and a skull with teeth. I'll post some pictures here, but lots more can be seen on the Charleston Center for Paleontology's Facebook page at https://m.facebook.com/CharlestonCenterforPaleo/ and the Palmetto Paleontology Museum's Facebook page at https://m.facebook.com/100094770079332/. You can view one news story at https://www.counton2.com/news/national-news/25-million-year-old-fossil-discovered-in-charleston/amp/ and there should be a couple more coming. Thank you so much to the Charleston Center for Paleontology, the Palmetto Paleontology Museum, and everyone else who participated or provided the necessary approvals! Red: mandibles with teeth and skull are upside down; Green: some of the thirty-something verts found so far. Back section includes the tail verts. Single molar that was already loose: I will definitely provide updates as the prep happens! Edited August 19 by Fin Lover 4 23 Fin Lover Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jared C Posted August 17 Share Posted August 17 congrats! Incredible find. Any word on what kind of dolphin? 1 1 “Not only is the universe stranger than we think, it is stranger than we can think” -Werner Heisenberg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fin Lover Posted August 17 Author Share Posted August 17 Thank you! Likely a Xenorophus sloanii but that could change once the skull is prepped. 3 Fin Lover Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellseeker Posted August 17 Share Posted August 17 Congratulations !!! I think we should consider a new species . Xenorophus finlovii, at least on TFF. 3 1 8 The White Queen ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Cole Posted August 17 Share Posted August 17 Fantastic find! Congratulations! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fin Lover Posted August 17 Author Share Posted August 17 6 minutes ago, Shellseeker said: I think we should consider a new species . Xenorophus finlovii, at least on TFF. Fin Lover Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted August 17 Share Posted August 17 Huge CONGRATULATIONS, Erin!!!! What an awesome discovery and tricky excavation! 1 1 The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted August 17 Share Posted August 17 Congratulations, Fin Lover! 1 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...
Mikrogeophagus Posted August 17 Share Posted August 17 Awesome find and excavation! Love the look of that molar 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted August 18 Share Posted August 18 Massively cool! Cheers. -Ken 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piranha Posted August 18 Share Posted August 18 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePhysicist Posted August 18 Share Posted August 18 That's a whale of a discovery! Awesome. 1 Forever a student of Nature Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted August 18 Share Posted August 18 Fantastic!!! 1 Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon Posted August 18 Share Posted August 18 snarge! That's a cool find! Congratulations on the discovery and on the tricky excavation! Always amazing to see something like this being found and excavated! Looking forward to updates on the fossil's preparation! 1 'There's nothing like millions of years of really frustrating trial and error to give a species moral fibre and, in some cases, backbone' -- Terry Pratchett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fin Lover Posted August 18 Author Share Posted August 18 Thanks, everyone! I can't take any credit for the excavation. It was a tremendous effort from a lot of very knowledgeable and hard working people! Fin Lover Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minnbuckeye Posted August 18 Share Posted August 18 FOSSIL OF THE MONTH! Maybe of the year. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted August 18 Share Posted August 18 22 minutes ago, Fin Lover said: Thanks, everyone! I can't take any credit for the excavation. It was a tremendous effort from a lot of very knowledgeable and hard working people! You can take credit for spotting it and realizing its importance and knowing the right people to call to get this safely excavated for preparation and study. Cheers. -Ken 1 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted August 18 Share Posted August 18 24 minutes ago, minnbuckeye said: FOSSIL OF THE MONTH! Maybe of the year. Already posted in FOTM. 1 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...
minnbuckeye Posted August 18 Share Posted August 18 @Fossildude19 After posting my comment, I continued to scrolling through unread content and there it was! At least it brings further attention to such a unique find. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonickmonx Posted August 18 Share Posted August 18 Congrats again Fin Lover. Super stoked for you and your find. You’re going to probably have another submission next month when I’m done with prepping the turtle. It’s been a heck of a year for you! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old bones Posted August 18 Share Posted August 18 That was you! I read about this in the news! Fantastic! Congratulations on an important find! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ancient Bones Posted August 18 Share Posted August 18 What a super find ! 1 ' Keep calm and carry on fossiling ' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaybot Posted August 18 Share Posted August 18 Definitely a once in a lifetime find!!! I think we all hope of finding an articulated fossil animal, and you've gone and done it! Congrats! 1 -Jay “The earth doesn't need new continents, but new men.” ― Jules Verne, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
North Posted August 19 Share Posted August 19 Cool. Can't wait to see it fully prepped. Congrats. 1 1 There's no such thing as too many teeth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patelinho7 Posted August 21 Share Posted August 21 What an amazing find! Goes to show how hard work and many creek visits can yield amazing results! Congratulations, happy you shared this with us! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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