Uncle Siphuncle Posted July 6, 2008 Share Posted July 6, 2008 Yesterday was only my second collecting day in the last month but it was worth the wait. Early on I grabbed 2 points, my best fossil deer antler, one end of a mammoth limb bone with concave articulating surfaces (proximal tibia?), and various horse and bison foot and ankle bones and verts, all mineralized. 2 points (although one is only a half) is a banner day for me, but later on finding an 80% complete mastodon tooth with roots followed by a mastodon vert nearby and another unidentified piece of bone (jaw?) pushed it over the top. Mastodons are rare to the point in TX that I supposed there is a chance of these remains being associated. I'll have more pics in my July report. I plan to continue my quest for the ever elusive high grade mammoth tooth despite yesterday's windfall finds. Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falcondriver Posted July 6, 2008 Share Posted July 6, 2008 Looks like a good day of hunting to me. FD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nicholas Posted July 6, 2008 Share Posted July 6, 2008 Great finds! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted July 6, 2008 Share Posted July 6, 2008 Dang, Dan, you cleaned up! That to me is a Grade A mastodon tooth! Do you mind if I ask what river you cleaned up in? Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martijn Posted July 6, 2008 Share Posted July 6, 2008 Woow that's a super mastodont tooth!!!! Congrats! Greetings from Norway, Martijn Qua patet orbis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted July 6, 2008 Share Posted July 6, 2008 Rooted Mastodon, big complete point; all I can say is "DUDE!" "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fruitbat Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 Not too shabby! I've only managed one partial Mammut molar from the Dallas/Ft.Worth area in a lot of years of collecting in the Pleistocene deposits. Mastodon fossils seem to be relatively (compared to Mammoth) more common in central Texas than they are this area. Nice hunt! -Joe Illigitimati non carborundum Fruitbat's PDF Library Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bmorefossil Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 wow that is crazy!!!! very nice man! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted July 7, 2008 Author Share Posted July 7, 2008 Fruitbat I've read that mammoths outnumbered mastodons in TX by a factor of 3 (Iron Bridge locality, Sabine River I believe) to 50 (Hill-Shuler fauna, Trinity River) depending on locality and obviously type of vegetation present in those areas during their lives. I would guess that the older the deposit, the higher the likelihood of grabbing a mastodon tooth since the fossil record for mastodons in TX goes back at least into the Pliocene. The big vert to me looks like mastodon lumbar - your opinion? Are lumbars the smaller verts in the column for mastodons? Also, the other big piece of bone shown came from very close by the tooth and the vert. Can you tell anything about anatomical position from this image, or should I post multiple angles? This thing is pretty thin in places, so if it is part of a jaw, that side of the mandible would have to be split on a vertical plane to leave me with what I found. Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 HOLY KRYKIES DAN!! I dont think we can call you just 'Dan' anymore! I think from now on it should be 'SUPER STUPENDOUS DAN'!!! or maybe even 'THE GREATEST DUDE THAT HAS EVER LIVED;!!!!! Ha!! Those realy are some really really nice finds Dan!!! Just WOW!! RB Im thinkin that maybe someone should make you a super hero cape and a mask too!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted July 7, 2008 Author Share Posted July 7, 2008 Perhaps a Lone Ranger mask since I usually collect alone? Lone has a pretty profound meaning for me...the marriage is on the rocks and the wife would probably tell you that excess time spent collecting, prepping, and curating constitutes one of the causes. I may soon be able to pull more all weekenders...if I have any resources left. Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 The big vert to me looks like mastodon lumbar - your opinion? Are lumbars the smaller verts in the column for mastodons? Also, the other big piece of bone shown came from very close by the tooth and the vert. Can you tell anything about anatomical position from this image, or should I post multiple angles? This thing is pretty thin in places, so if it is part of a jaw, that side of the mandible would have to be split on a vertical plane to leave me with what I found. Very nice finds, Dan! It would be great to see a few more (larger) photos! Congrats on a great trip. The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fruitbat Posted July 7, 2008 Share Posted July 7, 2008 Daniel... I haven't seen enough mastodont vertebrae to make any sort of definitive pronouncement concerning the vertebra but aren't mammalian lumbar vertebrae usually the largest? I'd be more inclined to think that the one you collected is a caudal but that's just an educated guess. The large piece of bone looks a LOT like the upper part of the blade of the ilium. It could also be part of the ascending ramus of the mandible. It is tough to tell without actually seeing the specimen. -Joe Illigitimati non carborundum Fruitbat's PDF Library Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 Perhaps a Lone Ranger mask since I usually collect alone? Actually, the real reason Dan has so much success is because of his mask and cape. Since we only live a few hours apart, I was able to surprise him on one of his early morning "lantern" expeditions... ...and the reason he hunts alone - well....the competition usually shys away. The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 Very nice! I can't wait to get my watercraft (whatever it turns out to be) and jump into some of these nasty looking Texas waterways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted July 8, 2008 Author Share Posted July 8, 2008 Looks like I've been outed by my good friend John.........actually I'm not wearing a mask in that picture. Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gatorman Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 Great finds Dan! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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