April 2022 is starting off with one field trip with a local entity to a research site in South Alabama. I've been there before and didn't have quite the success the last time! This day was different and the weather was perfect with sun, blue skies and a tad bit of a breeze to keep ya cool! When we get to the site, we descend down into the gullies where it looks like a moonscape and a tad bit warmer, it's just surreal!
The boundaries and pertinent info of area were established by the two accompanying paleontologist, and we were let go to hunt the vast network of chalk gullies.
I visit an area I had been to during the previous visit. Right off, I find an inch and half Enchodus tooth with the prettiest colors. When I find something in an area I stay there till I can hunt no more, and it paid off with several finds to add to my collection, mostly shark and fish teeth! After about two hours I head to Gully #4 as it is marked where I had some success at the last visit. Right off I find another big Enchodus tooth as well as a damaged Scapanorynchus tooth. Later on, I go on to find several shark teeth as well as tiny Mosasaur tooth in the same area. I'm on a roll and find several fish vertebrates and a Shark Coprolite to add to the list of finds for the day!
The coolest finds of the day has to be the Cretalamna Bryanti and Enchodus Palatine jaw piece! The Cretalamna Bryanti is a new species of shark recently named after the great coach Paul 'Bear' Bryant, aka the Bryant Shark. The Enchodus find was tiny but amazed at the preservation of this piece! The rolls of teeth that can be seen on this specimen, the detail and color is breathtaking!
I also found an interesting specimen that appeared to have bony sections to it. I showed it to the nearest paleontologists and it was identified as a piece of Starfish Dermal Ossicles! He excitedly told me that it was a rare piece and not found in this gully often, would I be willing to donate it to the museum because they didn't have many from this area? I very much obliged and said to him, it's yours! How cool is that! I wished I had taken a picture... I'm hoping the paleontologist will feature it in a Facebook post later in a few weeks? Update... I received an email 4/14/22 from the lead paleontologist saying the fossil has been identified as that of a starfish from the family of Goniasteridae. He was kind enough to send me pictures of the find and could use the pics however I would like. The information goes into The Alabama Museum of Natural History catalog system... https://arctos.database.museum/guid/ALMNH:Paleo:7027
Being outdoors in and environment like this you are bound to run into the local wildlife such as living dinosaurs, fitting for the geological time period. The fossils at this site are marine but on land their distant cousins roamed land. Good thing they are small in size...here is an Anole and Eastern Spiny Fence Lizard all trying to blend into their surroundings thinking I can't see them.
One of my hunting buddies present found a museum worthy set of Mosasaur vertebrate and possibly an entire skeleton? The area was cordoned off in hopes that what was found in the gully wall wasn't the last of the specimen... a future team will be at the site to explore the section for more of the Mosasaur and hopefully Garrett S. will get credit for the find for his donation to The Alabama Museum of Natural History!
The month isn't over yet? I hope another trip is in the works and look forward to it soon! It was a great day in the gullies, Lord willing, hoping I can make it back there next year!
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