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Friend Kathleen is hunter in county next to WillJo’s, and went to Fernandina Beach, Florida recently. She returned with beach-find fossils for me, including 2 dozen sharks’ teeth, two vertebrae, and the star of the show, what appeared to be an aquatic-something’s little jaw bone:
Very cool, huh?! Looks kinda baleen-like to me, but clearly not whale’s, and baleen made of keratin (like our fingernails) and doesn’t fossilize. After coupla hours dead-end research, cheated by contacting TomClark. And yes o yes, our Professor Shellman knows a Spotted Eagle Ray’s tooth plate when he sees one! Took him about one minute, I think….
With name, could reverse efforts and found for self identical fossil at University of Tennessee. Both these fossil cuties in mouths of ancient version gliding beauties:
Shark teeth fossils can be 25 million years old, but I have never wanted to hunt them. Have friends like Kathleen who do, tho. I always made fun —-waist bent at least 90 degrees, hands clasped behind humpy back, nose as close to sand as possible, feet two-slow-steps-forward, one-slow-step-backward silly awkward dance! (Of course, pretty sure sitting ground for hours and hours, legs akimbo, using little shovel dig giant hole between knees maybe looks silly, too!)
But these teeth already collected, and all needed to do was separate into same-type groups and identify shark to whom each group belonged. Simple, piece of cake…Hah! I put into 3 groups, but prob’ly shoulda been maybe 6!
This description of fossil Tiger Shark teeth: “deeply notched, short blades” (sound familiar?) and I think that’s what 1st group could be. 2nd group has a lotta “Y” shapes, so think could be fossil Sand Tiger Shark teeth; 3rd group (of 3) seems like each had “deep nutrient groove”, so maybe fossil Hammerhead teeth.
THESE ARE MORE-OR-LESS GUESSES, AND ANYONE WHO KNOWS BETTER, PLEASE CORRECT!
(I think I’ll save vertebrae for another time. Guessing harder’n knowing, really wears me out…)
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