Shellseeker Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 Hunting between thunderstorms and deeper water. During the rest of the season, I note those places where I am finding fossils but have low water conditions...because of lower back issues, I generally refuse to hunt where I must bend over the screen. However, I do remember where such spots exist for days like today. An excellent day, some unusual, finds, a couple of megs, and then these: A odd bone, I have not previously found, but believe to be an Equus Splint bone: Another interesting fossil which I think most likely a large Sloth dermal scute. Finally, my best find of the day, a piece of jaw with a Hemiauchenia m3 molar in nice cream - brown colors.. These are really nice finds... but I was cherishing the end days of the 2017-2018 season with a friend on a day with sunshine in the morning and rain clouds later in the day. Does not get better than this... Jack 4 The White Queen ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 Excellent finds! Love the Hemiauchenia in particular, marvelous. So pleased you had such a good day. Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcbshark Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 Nice finds Jack, glad you could get out rainy season is starting off with a bang Every once in a great while it's not just a big rock down there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miocene_Mason Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 Glad your milking those last days! One never knows exactly when natures gonna cut the season short. Cool finds by the way! Happy hunting, Mason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldigger Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 Not being familiar, where on the sloth would a dermal scute be found? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 I must say, I never cease to be impressed with how you tooth guys can determine exactly where it's position was. Nice finds! Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellseeker Posted May 24, 2018 Author Share Posted May 24, 2018 5 hours ago, Ludwigia said: I must say, I never cease to be impressed with how you tooth guys can determine exactly where it's position was. Nice finds! Once you learn the secret, I can sound much more intelligent on Florida fossils. The University of Florida Museum of Natural History at Gainesville has a most impressive website, including detailed descriptions and photos of those fossil species endemic to Florida. https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/florida-vertebrate-fossils/species/hemiauchenia-macrocephala/ Here is one of the Hemiauchenia photos: All I had to do was rotate my find, until it matched a position in the photo. It helps that the M3 and m3 are the only teeth for this llama with 3 columns. My find is a lower left m3. Thanks for the question, allowed me to give kudos to a well deserving organization. Jack 4 The White Queen ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellseeker Posted May 24, 2018 Author Share Posted May 24, 2018 6 hours ago, caldigger said: Not being familiar, where on the sloth would a dermal scute be found? Rats , caught !! Dermal ossicles seem identified with Paramylodon sloths. Here is a good description of what they are and what they look like. https://valleyofthemastodon.wordpress.com/2017/01/13/fossil-friday-sloth-dermal-bones/ I have previously found Sloth ossicles in the Peace River: http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/44302-a-gorgeous-day-on-the-river/ The problem is the size. The fossil from yesterday is double the size of any I have previously found. It has a resemblance to a pathological turtle foot pad, but the fossil is pristine and I have not seen a footpad with this complex pattern. SO , it is a stretch to think this is sloth ossicle, but until I get a better choice... 2 The White Queen ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazfossilator Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 Nice finds! Thank you for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peat Burns Posted May 24, 2018 Share Posted May 24, 2018 17 hours ago, Shellseeker said: That was my first thought, an Equus medial or lateral metapodial. Nice find Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellseeker Posted May 24, 2018 Author Share Posted May 24, 2018 11 minutes ago, Peat Burns said: That was my first thought, an Equus medial or lateral metapodial. Nice find Once again .. odd. I can not recall finding one of these. Maybe they were so worn or broken to be unrecognizable. Certainly , Equus finds dominate the vertebrate fossils from the Peace River. If you increase magnification, you can detect the high quality of this bone. 1 The White Queen ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peace river rat Posted May 25, 2018 Share Posted May 25, 2018 Glad you are hitting it hard while you can, love that tooth/jaw bone. Has anyone ever told you, you look very cold in your avatar? LOL You have the fossil bug, hardcore! Kindred souls! I expect by the time you read this, you will be returning from another hunt! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyc Posted May 25, 2018 Share Posted May 25, 2018 Great finds! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellseeker Posted May 25, 2018 Author Share Posted May 25, 2018 14 hours ago, Peace river rat said: I expect by the time you read this, you will be returning from another hunt! You ARE insightful. However, washed out at 1:30pm by Thunderstorm with lightening. Even I draw the line at lightning while holding a metal handled shovel in the middle of a river. Just goes to show, I am not completely CRAZY Good finds but not special.. A couple of broke Megs, 2 upper hemis, a nice Mastodon tooth root, lots of turtle footpads and spurs, and numerous small teeth. Time to grab a shower.. going out for dinner!! The White Queen ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peace river rat Posted May 26, 2018 Share Posted May 26, 2018 7 hours ago, Shellseeker said: You ARE insightful. However, washed out at 1:30pm by Thunderstorm with lightening. Even I draw the line at lightning while holding a metal handled shovel in the middle of a river. Just goes to show, I am not completely CRAZY Good finds but not special.. A couple of broke Megs, 2 upper hemis, a nice Mastodon tooth root, lots of turtle footpads and spurs, and numerous small teeth. Time to grab a shower.. going out for dinner!! LOL, I too, know the feeling. I once considered digging at night with bright lights, but my darn logical side screamed "bad idea" ! This rainy season is starting strong, we were digging arcadia well into June, last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted May 26, 2018 Share Posted May 26, 2018 Hey Jack, cool stuff. I certainly dont study the sloths, but I too never even thought about dermal scutes in a sloth? Purty dang neato. RB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantguy Posted May 26, 2018 Share Posted May 26, 2018 On 5/24/2018 at 8:28 AM, Shellseeker said: Rats , caught !! Dermal ossicles seem identified with Paramylodon sloths. Here is a good description of what they are and what they look like. https://valleyofthemastodon.wordpress.com/2017/01/13/fossil-friday-sloth-dermal-bones/ I have previously found Sloth ossicles in the Peace River: http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/44302-a-gorgeous-day-on-the-river/ The problem is the size. The fossil from yesterday is double the size of any I have previously found. It has a resemblance to a pathological turtle foot pad, but the fossil is pristine and I have not seen a footpad with this complex pattern. SO , it is a stretch to think this is sloth ossicle, but until I get a better choice... Hey Jacks, neat finds...glad you made it out again. This one looks like an unknown I found awhile back and never resolved. Thanks for the thread. Regards, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tatehntr Posted May 26, 2018 Share Posted May 26, 2018 No pictures of the megs? Cool finds! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted May 26, 2018 Share Posted May 26, 2018 Glad you made the most of (possibly) your last time out this season. Rains from Alberto are heading in from the south and I think this saturating rain will likely flood out even the shallow spots in the river and creeks. Love the color on the camelid tooth--a definite trip-maker! Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellseeker Posted May 27, 2018 Author Share Posted May 27, 2018 23 hours ago, tatehntr said: No pictures of the megs? Cool finds! As I said mostly broken, these were the 2 best: I kept hoping that the next one would be whole, but it never came.. maybe it is still sitting down there just waiting 2 The White Queen ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KimTexan Posted May 27, 2018 Share Posted May 27, 2018 On 5/24/2018 at 12:45 AM, caldigger said: Not being familiar, where on the sloth would a dermal scute be found? I was thinking the same thing. When I think of sloth I think of fur, but maybe elbows, knees or ankle wherever body made ground contact. That would seem more callous than scute though. @Shellseeker Still some decent finds. I’m sure better than I could do if I tried hunting Peace River. The upside of rainy season is it stirs the fossil pot up and brings a whole new batch of fossils to be accessible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellseeker Posted May 27, 2018 Author Share Posted May 27, 2018 3 hours ago, KimTexan said: @Shellseeker Still some decent finds. I’m sure better than I could do if I tried hunting Peace River. The upside of rainy season is it stirs the fossil pot up and brings a whole new batch of fossils to be accessible. Kim, This is my 11th season of hunting the Peace River; When I started I was persistent, long days 3-4 times a week. I also knew close to nothing on how to dig productively. That changed. I started hunting with an expert (2011-2013) and then another (2015- current). Combined, they made me a very productive hunter. I stand on the shoulders of giants. The rainy season generally lasts 4 months. We also had hurricane Irma last year. It does stir the fossil pot up. It collapses some banks, moves gravel and fossils from land to river. Now , one of those gems of insight. The rainy season moves more sand than gravel. Sand may be a 6-10 foot blanket over the gravel I want to dig. The rainy season moves the sand leaving the gravel. If I find lots of sand where it did not previously exist, I prospect just upstream. I think if you had the time to invest and the knowledge I have been given from experts, you would likely do as well or better. The White Queen ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peace river rat Posted May 27, 2018 Share Posted May 27, 2018 Well, what did porky pig like to say? "That's all folks" I think with all the rain, this digging season is officially over, unless you are into SCUBA diving! Fossils moving around season is underway. I sure hope I don't get the pleasure of a repeat of Irma. My house ALMOST started to flood. The ground was already saturated, then Irma. The plus side was the super high, near record, peace river. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldigger Posted May 27, 2018 Share Posted May 27, 2018 2 hours ago, Peace river rat said: Well, what did porky pig like to say? "That's all folks" I think with all the rain, this digging season is officially over, unless you are into SCUBA diving! Former SCUBA instructor..he, he,he. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peace river rat Posted May 27, 2018 Share Posted May 27, 2018 2 minutes ago, caldigger said: Former SCUBA instructor..he, he,he. I'll pass. Black water swift currents, possible bull sharks, alligators and giant turtles aside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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