September 2024 - Finds of the Month Entries

[digit]

REMINDER: PLEASE carefully read ALL of the rules below.

Make sure you include all the required information, IN THE REQUESTED FORMAT (below) when you submit your fossil! 

If you have a question about a possible entry, please send me (or any staff) a PM.

Please pay special attention to Rule #5: 

Before and After Preparation Photos must be submitted for prepped specimens NOT  found during the Month of the Contest.

In addition to keeping the contest fair, this new qualification will encourage better documentation of our spectacular past finds.

Entries will be taken until 11:59:00 PM EDT on SEPTEMBER 30, 2024

Any fossil submitted after that time, even if the topic is still open, will be deemed ineligible! 

 

Only entries posted with CLEAR photos and that meet the other guidelines will be placed into the Poll. 

Photos of the winning specimens may be posted to TFF's Facebook page.

 

Please let us know if you have any questions, and thanks for sharing more of your fossils and research this month.

 

Shortly after the end of the Month, separate Polls will be created for the Vertebrate and Invertebrate/Plant Find of the Month.

 

In addition to the fun of a contest, we also want to learn more about the fossils. 

Tell us more about your fossil, and why you think it is worthy of the honor. 

To view the Winning Fossils from past contests visit the Find Of The Month Winner's Gallery.

 

Now, go find your fossil, do your research, and make an entry!
Best of success to all, and good hunting!

 

***********************************

Rules for The Fossil Forum's Vertebrate and Invertebrate/Plant Find of the Month Contests

1. Find a great Vertebrate Fossil or Invertebrate/Plant Fossil! Only fossils found personally by you are allowed. NO PURCHASED FOSSILS.
2. Post your entry in the Find of the Month topic. Use a separate post for each entry. (Only two entries per member per contest category.)
3. Your fossil must have been found during the Month of the Contest, or Significant Preparation * of your fossil must have been completed during the Month of the Contest.
4. You must include the Date of Discovery (when found in the contest month); or the Date of Preparation Completion and Date of Discovery (if not found in the contest month).
5. Before and After Preparation photos must be submitted for prepped specimens not found during the Month of the Contest. Please make sure you arrange for photos if someone else is preparing your fossil find, and completes the MAJORITY of prep in the contest month. Pre-Prep Photos need to be dated with the start of the month date, and then finished prep date must be supplied.  Entries not including this information/photos will be disqualified.
6. You must include the Common and/or Scientific Name.
7. You must include the Geologic Age or Geologic Formation where the fossil was found.
8. You must include the State, Province, or region where the fossil was found.
9. You must include CLEAR, cropped, well-lit images (maximum 4 images). If you are proud enough of your fossil to submit it for FOTM, spend some time to take good photos to show off your fossil.
10. Play fair and honest. No bought fossils. No false claims.

 

* Significant Preparation = Substantial work to reveal and/or repair important diagnostic features, resulting in a dramatic change in the look of the fossil. The qualification of Significant Preparation is decided at the discretion of staff. Any doubts as to the eligibility of the entry will be discussed directly with the entrant.

 

PLEASE READ AND UNDERSTAND THE RULES BEFORE YOU POST!!!

IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, PLEASE CONTACT A MOD OR ADMIN.
ENTRIES NOT FOLLOWING THE REQUESTED FORMAT WILL BE ELIMINATED FROM THE CONTEST!!

 

******* Please use the following format for the required information: *******

 

Information about your find. A short paragraph or sentence or two about why it should be fossil of the month.

Rarity, completeness, beauty, etc.

 

 

• Date of Discovery  [month, day, year]

• Preparation Completion Date (if prepped) [month, day, year]

• Scientific and/or Common Name

• Geologic Formation and/or Geologic Age

• State, Province, or Region Found

• Photos of Find  (Please limit to 4 clear, cropped, and well-lit images.) (If prepped, before and after photos are required, please.)

[Fossildude19]

For the sake of adhering to the rules, finds will have to be approved, before being seen by the membership at large.

They will be approved as the mods/admins have time to check for proper formatting, identification,  prep dates, etc.

READ THE RULES CAREFULLY!

 

ANY ENTRIES NOT FOLLOWING THE REQUESTED FORMAT or PROVIDING NEEDED DETAILS WILL BE DISQUALIFIED!!!

[Darktooth]

I would like to enter my recent fossil find for Invertebrate Fossil of the Month.

I believe this fossil makes a good candidate for Fossil of the Month for a few reasons.

 

As the New York State Fossil, Eurypterids are a highly sought after find, but are a rare find.

There are only a few places where they can be collected. While partials may be found with more frequency, nearly complete, or complete specimens are very hard to come by.

 

My specimen was found as is presented in my pics with absolutely no prep work.

While  some of the head is missing on both sides it exposes the walking appendages for view. A small portion of the telson is under matrix. The body and paddles are in great condition. Finding a specimen in this good of condition is rare in itself. Also included is the other half, missing part of the head.

 

 

 

Date of Discovery:  Sunday September 8, 2024
Scientific and/or Common name: Eurypterid - Eurypterus remipes

Geologic Formation and/or Geologic age:  Late Silurian. Bertie Group, Fiddlers Green Formation, Phelps Member

State, Province, or region found: New York

 

In the field:

 

 

 

[Randyw]

Oooooo nice! Thats one of my bucket list fossils! And it looks great!

thats a heck of a way to start this months contest!

[Darktooth]

4 hours ago, Randyw said:

Oooooo nice! Thats one of my bucket list fossils! And it looks great!

thats a heck of a way to start this months contest!

This was on my bucket list for a long time! I am glad I could finally cross this one off now!

[trilobites_are_awesome]

I am going to enter this more than worthy crinoid crown from Milan MI

 

So I was at Milan hunting I hadn't found any thing good then looked down at the wash out and there it was sticking out of mud and I know I had something special I showed it to the "experts" on the dig and they couldn't believe it!

 

This an exceedingly rare crinoid crown and may be the first complete crinoid crown Ever found from Milan! And quite possibly a new species

This is also my best find too date!

 

This was prepared by @crinus!

 

 

• Date of Discovery: August 31st

• Preparation Completion Date: September 13

• Scientific and/or Common Name:  Crinoid calyx and arms, ... probably Decadocrinus hughwingi

• Geologic Formation and/or Geologic Age: Silica shale formation

• State, Province, or Region Found: Milan Mi

 

 

 

Before:

 

 

 

After:

[Randyw]

Wow! Great crown and great prep on it!

[Darktooth]

Very nice, and worthy entry!

[digit]

On 9/16/2024 at 6:05 PM, trilobites_are_awesome said:

This an exceedingly rare crinoid crown and may be the first complete crinoid crown Ever found from Milan! And quite possibly a new species

This is also my best find too date!

Very nice! Have you tried to contact any scientists who might be working on crinoids to see if this is a SIS? [Scientifically Important Specimen]

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[trilobites_are_awesome]

49 minutes ago, digit said:

Very nice! Have you tried to contact any scientists who might be working on crinoids to see if this is a SIS? [Scientifically Important Specimen]

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

Thank you!

No I haven't talked to any researchers as I do not know any to contact.

[debivort]

9 hours ago, trilobites_are_awesome said:

No I haven't talked to any researchers as I do not know any to contact.

I could introduce you to a curator of invertebrate paleo at an academic research museum if you're interested. let me know.

[Fossildude19]

Best to take this conversation to the PM channels.

[dinoshark]

going to have to submit my first ever complete Hexanchus andersoni tooth from sharktooth hill, bakersfield! this species is really hard to come by complete, and this one has a perfect root and associated cusps.

 

 

 

• Date of Discovery: September 15th 2024

• Scientific and/or Common Name: Hexanchus andersoni shark tooth

• Geologic Formation and/or Geologic Age: Miocene, Temblor Formation

• State, Province, or Region Found: Bakersfield, California

 

 

 

 

[Darktooth]

That tooth is a great find! I was told that any cowshark species are hard to come by at Bakersfield. Especially rarer and complete ones. Congratulations!

[dinoshark]

2 hours ago, Darktooth said:

That tooth is a great find! I was told that any cowshark species are hard to come by at Bakersfield. Especially rarer and complete ones. Congratulations!

thanks Darktooth! was super stoked to spot it at the bottom of my screen, held it softer than a baby's hand out of fear of snapping it lol 

[Mikrogeophagus]

An awesome specimen from a formation that gets little attention. I originally stumbled upon only a shiny gastropod.

This monster was attached to the same rock underground!

 

 

• Date of Discovery: September 7, 2024

• Scientific and/or Common Name: Didymoceras binodosum heteromorph ammonite

• Geologic Formation and/or Geologic Age: Bergstrom Formation, Middle Campanian, Cretaceous

• State, Province, or Region Found: Central Texas

 

 

[Mikrogeophagus]

Hmm the vertebrate side of this month's competition needs some more entries, so here's my best tooth. 4.1 cm slant length.

 

Quite a rare shark species in Texas and certainly some of the largest teeth as well. Credit to @LSCHNELLE for letting me poke around his spot again . Siversson said that a larger sample size would probably show this to be C. venator, so that's why I changed from the original diagnosis of Cardabiodon aff. ricki.

 

 

• Date of Discovery: September 7, 2024

• Scientific and/or Common Name: Cardabiodon cf. venator

• Geologic Formation and/or Geologic Age: South Bosque Member Eagle Ford, Early-Middle Turonian, Cretaceous

• State, Province, or Region Found: Central Texas

 

 

 

 

[Mahnmut]

Hello dear fellow forum members.

I just came back from a two week vacation in fossil land yesterday, my attempts at ID-ing have just started.

As the month is ending, my entries will lack conclusive ID.

Looking at the international finds here, they may be humble, but for me it was  a month of the fossils.

 

-Most likely horse phalanx, but its asymmetry makes me hope it could be from something bigger?

 

• Date of Discovery:  September 18th

• Scientific and/or Common Name:  Equus Sp?

• Geologic Formation and/or Geologic Age: Pleistocene beach

• State, Province, or Region Found: Breskens, Netherlands

 

[Mahnmut]

I see I got no chance against this month´ invertebrate competition,

But this barnacle made my day -a whole quadrant,  differrent from all the other fossil barnacles found there, and very different from the modern ones.

Most visually complex fossil I found there.

I hope to ID it soon.

My best match so far is this below whale-barnacle, which would be incredibly cool for me.

Maybe @boesse knows more?

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/earth-and-environmental-science-transactions-of-royal-society-of-edinburgh/article/forgotten-cirripedological-gem-a-new-species-of-whale-barnacle-of-the-genus-cetopirus-from-the-pleistocene-of-the-united-states-west-coast/B4EF36FA1DF4F04371B8C47B0D715AD8

Edit: I am now quite sure it is Cetopirus complanatus, my first selffound whale barnacle!

http://www.werkgroepgeologie.nl/afbeeldingen/groot/activiteiten/bijeenkomsten/130322/005.jpg

 

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Alberto-Collareta/publication/322759750_A_new_record_of_cetopirus_complanatus_cirripedia_Coronulidae_an_epibiont_of_right_whales_Cetacea_Balaenidae_Eubalaena_spp_from_a_beach_deposit_of_Mediterranean_Spain/links/5a6f003c458515d40758a15a/A-new-record-of-cetopirus-complanatus-cirripedia-Coronulidae-an-epibiont-of-right-whales-Cetacea-Balaenidae-Eubalaena-spp-from-a-beach-deposit-of-Mediterranean-Spain.pdf

 

• Date of Discovery: September 16th

• Scientific and/or Common Name: rightwhale barnacle  CF Cetopirus complanatus.?

• Geologic Formation and/or Geologic Age:Pleistocene beach

• State, Province, or Region Found: Breskens, Zeeland, Netherlands

 

Edited September 30 by Mahnmut
likely ID

[Mahnmut]

Well,

got team mammal:

After a stormy night at dawn this was my first fossil,

a strangely straight antler base.

 

• Date of Discovery: September 25th, 2024

• Scientific and/or Common Name: cervid

• Geologic Formation and/or Geologic Age: Pleistocene beach

• State, Province, or Region Found: Breskens, Zeeland, Netherlands

[Mike from North Queensland]

Still awaiting confirmation as no known comparative material available

Specimen is 12mm at longest dimension

 

 

Date found:   9/2/2024

Date prepped:  9/5/2024

Scientific  or Common name : Unknown assumed Enantiornithine jaw section

Geologic formation and/or geologic age: Toolebuc formation - Cretaceous Albian

State Province  or region found: - Richmond Queensland Australia

 

[fossilus]

Mahmuts phalanx is not a horse. Looks bovid.

[Samurai]

Here is my contender for the fossil of the month. What I have here is a beautiful 1cm iron stained Deltodus sp. tooth from the Raytown limestone. I will say this is the most complete tooth I have found with such a vibrant brown-orange color, making an already rare tooth even more unique.  

 

I found this in some of the Raytown slabs that I had brought home earlier this month.

 

 

 

Date of Discovery: 9/14/24

Scientific/Common Name: Deltodus sp.

Geologic Formation and/or Geologic Age: Iola Formation (Raytown Limestone Member) : Pennsylvanian Period

State Province  or region found: Missouri

 

 

 

 

[Fossildude19]

Yet again, I have had to edit almost ALL of the entries this month.  DESPITE the Rules listed above, at the start of the contest. 

READ THE RULES!
PLEASE FOLLOW THE FORMAT SHOWN IN PREVIOUS ENTRIES!

 

Description of why your item qualifies. THEN COLLECTION INFORMATION.  THEN PHOTOS.

 

Information about your find. A short paragraph or sentence or two about why it should be fossil of the month.

Rarity, completeness, beauty, etc.

 

 

• Date of Discovery  [month, day, year]

• Preparation Completion Date (if prepped) [month, day, year]

• Scientific and/or Common Name

• Geologic Formation and/or Geologic Age

• State, Province, or Region Found

• Photos of Find  (Please limit to 4 clear, cropped, and well-lit images.) (If prepped, before and after photos are required, please.)

 

Limit photos to before and after prep, if warranted.

Otherwise 4  or so images is plenty.
We don't need to see the location found.  Just the Fossil.

 

Please be adults and FOLLOW DIRECTIONS. 

Thank you.