Fossils of Texas
A Journey
May 23rd, 2009
Lance and I headed out to a site that we have been to before.
I will say this is one of my favorite spots and the day was high
on the meter of fun. Guaranteed at that site....
The prize I was after were the shark dermal denticles.
The genus Petrodus patelliformis represents elasmobranch remains not identifiable to any specific order or family. They are the dermal denticles from an unknown hybodontid (?) shark. Dermal denticles are the cuticular elements that create the rough textured surface of shark skin ("shagreen"). Inj fact dermal denticles are actually shark teeth. Or more accurately ; shark teeth are really modified dermal denticles. They possess the two attributes used to define teeth. The outer surface is covered in a layer of dentine, and its central pulp canal contains a nerve and blood vessels that connect it to the blood and nervous system underneath the skin." The above information was taken from the book, Pennsylvanian Fossils Of North Texas, by Mark McKinzie and John McLeod.
This is from the Mingus Shale member of the Garner formation in Palo Pinto county, Texas. It is Pennsylvanian fauna. The age here is Desmoinesian (306.5 to 307 mya).
First is a pic of the site...
Lance finding denticles
Me walking to a new spot.....
My denticles I found.. I will say, these denticles are one of
my favorite fossils (pic by Lance)
How they look when found.... they are usually found in groups.
Euomphalus (Pennsylvanian Gastropods)
One of Lance's denticles... (as found) Pic by Lance
More gastropods, crinoid bits, and Lance found bone and a shark tooth.. He
will post those on his site soon.
Lance and I headed out to a site that we have been to before.
I will say this is one of my favorite spots and the day was high
on the meter of fun. Guaranteed at that site....
The prize I was after were the shark dermal denticles.
The genus Petrodus patelliformis represents elasmobranch remains not identifiable to any specific order or family. They are the dermal denticles from an unknown hybodontid (?) shark. Dermal denticles are the cuticular elements that create the rough textured surface of shark skin ("shagreen"). Inj fact dermal denticles are actually shark teeth. Or more accurately ; shark teeth are really modified dermal denticles. They possess the two attributes used to define teeth. The outer surface is covered in a layer of dentine, and its central pulp canal contains a nerve and blood vessels that connect it to the blood and nervous system underneath the skin." The above information was taken from the book, Pennsylvanian Fossils Of North Texas, by Mark McKinzie and John McLeod.
This is from the Mingus Shale member of the Garner formation in Palo Pinto county, Texas. It is Pennsylvanian fauna. The age here is Desmoinesian (306.5 to 307 mya).
First is a pic of the site...
Lance finding denticles
Me walking to a new spot.....
My denticles I found.. I will say, these denticles are one of
my favorite fossils (pic by Lance)
How they look when found.... they are usually found in groups.
Euomphalus (Pennsylvanian Gastropods)
One of Lance's denticles... (as found) Pic by Lance
More gastropods, crinoid bits, and Lance found bone and a shark tooth.. He
will post those on his site soon.
Waco Pit, Texas
Well, a group of about 25 of us that had met on a Florida Fossil Forum,
decided to meet at Waco, Texas for a hunt. It was thought up by Oh-Man
Owen. It was a beautiful day, and great to meet everyone after posting, and.....
finding Fossils! Really a great pack of hunters.. My main target was a nautiloid beak.
Not in the cards though. Lance, FossilMan, and Brian Evans did find them, so at least
they are still there. Other cool stuff was found there also.
The first is a group shot that Mike D. took in the parking lot of the pit. JPBowden added
Mike to the pic. Look way to the right (and very low)
The group hitting the pit...
Some of the good stuff uncovered below..
Lance's nautiloid beak.... a beauty for sure.
Lots of ravines there
My favorite find there for the day..(above)
(Above pic) Lance, and Jax or Bowkill behind him.
Some of bowkill's (Ramo) ech finds...
One of Brian's (Evan)finds... a really nice ptychodus tooth..(above)
Some of John J's haul. (above)
A good view of what the formation looked like. Lance in the red, Oh-Man standing, and Jax behind them.
Dan's W's tooth has been ID'd now.Small left premaxilla with three incisor-like teeth.
(pycnodont) ID by Earl Mannning
Lunch break and some show me the fossils.
It really is a scenic place too
decided to meet at Waco, Texas for a hunt. It was thought up by Oh-Man
Owen. It was a beautiful day, and great to meet everyone after posting, and.....
finding Fossils! Really a great pack of hunters.. My main target was a nautiloid beak.
Not in the cards though. Lance, FossilMan, and Brian Evans did find them, so at least
they are still there. Other cool stuff was found there also.
The first is a group shot that Mike D. took in the parking lot of the pit. JPBowden added
Mike to the pic. Look way to the right (and very low)
The group hitting the pit...
Some of the good stuff uncovered below..
Lance's nautiloid beak.... a beauty for sure.
Lots of ravines thereMy favorite find there for the day..(above)
(Above pic) Lance, and Jax or Bowkill behind him.
Some of bowkill's (Ramo) ech finds...
One of Brian's (Evan)finds... a really nice ptychodus tooth..(above)
Some of John J's haul. (above)
A good view of what the formation looked like. Lance in the red, Oh-Man standing, and Jax behind them.
Dan's W's tooth has been ID'd now.Small left premaxilla with three incisor-like teeth.
(pycnodont) ID by Earl Mannning
Lunch break and some show me the fossils.
It really is a scenic place too
May 3rd, 2008 Lance and I headed to hunt in the Eagleford Formation, Kamp
Ranch limestone, Arcadia Member. It is of Turonian age, 89-93 million years old.
The link to a video that Lance made of the hunt
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsAfP9hDnrU&fmt=18
A ptychodus tooth in situ.
Lance spotting another ptychodus tooth..
I spot a ptychodus YAY!
A nice shark tooth in situ that Lance found
Another beauty Lance found
Dang, now he has a handful... I followed him, hoping
he would drop a few, but... no such luck
A shark vert that Lance spotted
Another ptychodus I found that day
All in all, a great fun day of hunting!
Also, I found a small slab with 7 teeth inside the matrix. Will post as soon
as I get them out.
The three I found loose.
Next 2 pics show 13 that were in a slab of matrix. All were
broken however, but will start taking small pieces of matrix
from sites from now on.
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Ranch limestone, Arcadia Member. It is of Turonian age, 89-93 million years old.
The link to a video that Lance made of the hunt
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsAfP9hDnrU&fmt=18
A ptychodus tooth in situ.
Lance spotting another ptychodus tooth..
I spot a ptychodus YAY!
A nice shark tooth in situ that Lance found
Another beauty Lance found
Dang, now he has a handful... I followed him, hoping
he would drop a few, but... no such luck
A shark vert that Lance spotted
Another ptychodus I found that day
All in all, a great fun day of hunting!
Also, I found a small slab with 7 teeth inside the matrix. Will post as soon
as I get them out.
The three I found loose.
Next 2 pics show 13 that were in a slab of matrix. All were
broken however, but will start taking small pieces of matrix
from sites from now on.
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April 19th, 2008 Lance and I hit some sites west of the Fort Worth area. All sites were Pennsylvanian in age.
Lance had the trilobite luck and I lost count of how many he found. A few of his trilobites are pictured below...
Pics by Lance
A small snail that I found, below.
Lance hunting the second site, below
Lance's ammonite he found....(above) The largest I have seen
coming from the Pennsylvanian age.
My first brachiopod with spines. That is a first for me, and much as
I hate to admit it, didn't realize they had spines.
The location where I found the brachiopod with spines. Also found some nice gastropods, bi-valves and other fossils
not pictured. This last spot is the Palo Pinto Formation. (pic by Lance)
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March 23rd, 2008 Hunted local areas near Fort Worth.
Pic shows the echinoid, Craginaster.
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Hunted with Lance and Frank near Fort Worth, following the DPS hunt..
We all found lots of cool stuff including, pyritized ammonites, crabs, and
shark teeth...
Lance had the trilobite luck and I lost count of how many he found. A few of his trilobites are pictured below...
Pics by Lance
A small snail that I found, below.
Lance hunting the second site, below
Lance's ammonite he found....(above) The largest I have seen
coming from the Pennsylvanian age.
My first brachiopod with spines. That is a first for me, and much as
I hate to admit it, didn't realize they had spines.
The location where I found the brachiopod with spines. Also found some nice gastropods, bi-valves and other fossils
not pictured. This last spot is the Palo Pinto Formation. (pic by Lance)
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March 23rd, 2008 Hunted local areas near Fort Worth.
Pic shows the echinoid, Craginaster.
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Hunted with Lance and Frank near Fort Worth, following the DPS hunt..
We all found lots of cool stuff including, pyritized ammonites, crabs, and
shark teeth...
February 2nd, 2008 Lance and I got permission to scout a new site which is the Mingus shale, and
on private property. The age would be Desmoinesian, which dates the fossils from 306.5 to 308 mya.
We found some really cool fossils, including some Leiorhynchus rockymontanas brachiopods that Lance
first spotted, and we also found an area that was loaded with denticles. They are actually pre-shark
teeth that were on the skin of the shark. There is an explanation below.
Lance on top of an old coal seam. We both took small fossil slabs from here.
Mine is pictured below
This is a good indication of what the site looked like below.
Pic by Lance
(below) The denticles that I found. "Class Chondrichthyes Subclass Elasmobranchi
The genus Petrodus patelliformis represents elasmobranch remains not
identifiable to any specific order or family. They are the dermal denticles from an unknown
hybodontid (?) shark. Dermal denticles are the cuticular elements that create the rough
textured surface of shark skin ("shagreen"). Inj fact dermal denticles are actually shark
teeth. Or more accurately ; shark teeth are really modified dermal denticles. They possess
the two attributes used to define teeth. The outer surface is covered in a layer of dentine, and its
central pulp canal contains a nerve and blood vessels that connect it to the blood and nervous
system underneath the skin." The above information was taken from the book, Pennsylvanian
Fossils Of North Texas, by Mark McKinzie and John McLeod.
More fossils found there.
Below is the gastropod, Meekospira
Above on left is the gastropod, Tresposira,
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January 1st, 2008 Nothing like a hunt to start the new year out right.
Hunted with a small group,Lance, Roger, and Frank. Lance secured this private
property, pawpaw site that is rich with fossils..It was on the cool side but nothing
warms you up like finding fossils you had hoped to find!
Later ,we did a quick hunt at a second site (not pictured) Some very nice tiny echinoids
were found and also the very large.
Roger asking Lance a question about the site.
Frank getting a close look.
Roger's first tooth YIPPEE!!!!!
Some of my finds below Fish verts
Shark teeth below
A small crab, Xanthosia, found in the pawpaw formation.
on private property. The age would be Desmoinesian, which dates the fossils from 306.5 to 308 mya.
We found some really cool fossils, including some Leiorhynchus rockymontanas brachiopods that Lance
first spotted, and we also found an area that was loaded with denticles. They are actually pre-shark
teeth that were on the skin of the shark. There is an explanation below.
Lance on top of an old coal seam. We both took small fossil slabs from here.
Mine is pictured below
This is a good indication of what the site looked like below.
Pic by Lance
(below) The denticles that I found. "Class Chondrichthyes Subclass Elasmobranchi
The genus Petrodus patelliformis represents elasmobranch remains not
identifiable to any specific order or family. They are the dermal denticles from an unknown
hybodontid (?) shark. Dermal denticles are the cuticular elements that create the rough
textured surface of shark skin ("shagreen"). Inj fact dermal denticles are actually shark
teeth. Or more accurately ; shark teeth are really modified dermal denticles. They possess
the two attributes used to define teeth. The outer surface is covered in a layer of dentine, and its
central pulp canal contains a nerve and blood vessels that connect it to the blood and nervous
system underneath the skin." The above information was taken from the book, Pennsylvanian
Fossils Of North Texas, by Mark McKinzie and John McLeod.
More fossils found there.
Below is the gastropod, Meekospira
Above on left is the gastropod, Tresposira,
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January 1st, 2008 Nothing like a hunt to start the new year out right.
Hunted with a small group,Lance, Roger, and Frank. Lance secured this private
property, pawpaw site that is rich with fossils..It was on the cool side but nothing
warms you up like finding fossils you had hoped to find!
Later ,we did a quick hunt at a second site (not pictured) Some very nice tiny echinoids
were found and also the very large.
Roger asking Lance a question about the site.
Frank getting a close look.
Roger's first tooth YIPPEE!!!!!
Some of my finds below Fish verts
Shark teeth below
A small crab, Xanthosia, found in the pawpaw formation.
December 29th, 2007 Went on an afternoon hunt near Benbrook
Saw my first ammonite with a siphuncle. That is the blood line in an ammonite.
Other fossils seen today
This ammonite was from another stop we hunted (below)
The ammonite below is an Idiohamites
Lance in front of one of the formations where we hunted
All in all, a great day!
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December 25th, 2007 Hunted these locations (Grayson Formation sites pictured). Also hunted Mainstreet Formation.
Some echinoids in situ below
Coenholectypus (Holectypus limitis) Mainstreet F. Possible Loriola Thanks to Mike Murphy
Left picture
Top left calvini
The oyster, Exogyra drakei?
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December 22nd, 2007 Hunted Pawpaw and Mainstreet formations
A few of the fossils found there.
Small ammonite sectionsKingena waconensis
Small lobster claw
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Dec. 8th, 2007 Lance and I hit some Grayson formation sites and one other that I am not sure of.
This was a very large grayson exposure.Some of the fossils from there pictured below.
A really nice gastropod that Lance spotted in the matrix.
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These are some of the fossils that I picked up on a hunt today . The formation is Duck Creek and just northeast of FW
The worm tubes are on the top of an echinoid plate.
This is a fossil I found on hunt north of FW this month. What I like about it,
both upper and lower are intact. My first complete clam in Texas. It is a Myalina,
which is early Carboniferous to late Permian. It is 245 to 360 myo (million years old)
November 22nd, 2007 Hunted in some Fort Worth area sites.
Fossils found there are shown below.
November 11th, 2007 Hunted several sites east of Fort Worth.
Some of my finds there are pictured below
Some of Lance's finds above. This was the another site we hit. There are several lobsters he found pictured.
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November 3rd, 2007
Found this shark tooth (largest for me), at one of many sites hunted that day. What a lot of people do not know, is the fact that sharks loved bacon, some say their favorite food next to the mosasaurs.
An awesome find of Lance's (below)
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November 1st, 2007
Hunted a local site and found a salenia, two holectypus, and a small heart urchin.
A mineralized shell
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October 28th, 2007
This mammoth ammonite was found not long after arriving at a site.
After a little work, I was able to pry it out and throw it in the car. Ok, for those of you who prefer reality, Lance found it.
He also found the other one pictured below...
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A pic of an echinoid that I found on a hunt following a fossil show. The larger one I had found on a hunt earlier but just got a pic. They are both Holectypus. The one to the right is Holectypus ovatus. (Glen Rose Formation)
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These are the Hunts from October 20th, 2007.
The best site turned out to be one we happened upon....one of those things, looks right and give it a try. Lance had the finds of the day with some great echinoids. Also brachs were found with their shells still intact.
That is the area where the echs were coming from. The brachs seemed to be higher up in the formation.
The echs Lance found below. He found 3 or 4 of them. I found one but it was almost completely eroded
The echs above may be Coenholectypus. My brachs from this site.(Kingena waconesis) below
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October 11th, 2007, I went to an near by site, Inspiration Point for a short hunt that ended 4 hours later.
The same urchin once cleaned, with some other fossils found there. (below)
both upper and lower are intact. My first complete clam in Texas. It is a Myalina,
which is early Carboniferous to late Permian. It is 245 to 360 myo (million years old)
November 22nd, 2007 Hunted in some Fort Worth area sites.
Fossils found there are shown below.
November 11th, 2007 Hunted several sites east of Fort Worth.
Some of my finds there are pictured below
Some of Lance's finds above. This was the another site we hit. There are several lobsters he found pictured.
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November 3rd, 2007
Found this shark tooth (largest for me), at one of many sites hunted that day. What a lot of people do not know, is the fact that sharks loved bacon, some say their favorite food next to the mosasaurs.
An awesome find of Lance's (below)
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November 1st, 2007
Hunted a local site and found a salenia, two holectypus, and a small heart urchin.
A mineralized shell
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October 28th, 2007
This mammoth ammonite was found not long after arriving at a site.
After a little work, I was able to pry it out and throw it in the car. Ok, for those of you who prefer reality, Lance found it.
He also found the other one pictured below...
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A pic of an echinoid that I found on a hunt following a fossil show. The larger one I had found on a hunt earlier but just got a pic. They are both Holectypus. The one to the right is Holectypus ovatus. (Glen Rose Formation)
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These are the Hunts from October 20th, 2007.
The best site turned out to be one we happened upon....one of those things, looks right and give it a try. Lance had the finds of the day with some great echinoids. Also brachs were found with their shells still intact.
That is the area where the echs were coming from. The brachs seemed to be higher up in the formation.
The echs Lance found below. He found 3 or 4 of them. I found one but it was almost completely eroded
The echs above may be Coenholectypus. My brachs from this site.(Kingena waconesis) below
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October 11th, 2007, I went to an near by site, Inspiration Point for a short hunt that ended 4 hours later.
The same urchin once cleaned, with some other fossils found there. (below)
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October 6th, 2007 Following the quarry hunt, Lance, Polly, and I hunted a few areas not too far from the quarry.
We found teeth and baculite pieces. This is a fish tooth that Lance found at this site. I had posted earlier on the DPS hunt page by mistake.
Lance and Polly, surface hunting for teeth.
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The Jacksboro spillway area is a great place to hunt as there are always hundreds of fossils. Here are a few I hunted.
Most of these are conularids. They are very interesting as there is still debate whether they are mollusks, cnidarians (shelled jellyfish), protochordates, and even primitive chordates. They are always marine.
Numerous types of brcahiopods are found at the Jacksboro Spillway.
The above is a mix of brachiopods, gastropods (snails), bi-valve (clam), and horn coral (lower left).
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September 29th, Lance and I stopped at a roadside cut. He found a shark tooth and other fossils.
This is the Grayson formation.
Look about 5 inches to the right of that largest rock. This was a Cretaceous formation but that is a crinoid stem. Crinoid stems are found in a much older time. Right after that, Lance found what maybe some crinoid cup (not sure) what it was. They only thing that we could figure is that some of the gravel was brought in to the construction site.
This was a pretty good site. (above) The Pawpaw formation was present and also the Weno. The Pawpaw formation runs 17 feet deep. Present were crab parts, shark teeth and the small ammonite pieces that the Pawpaw is known for. Some of the fossils found there.
The place where Lance is hunting is the Pawpaw. Note the color which is reddish.
This gives a good visual of both formations with the Pawpaw on the top and the lower (lighter color) below is Weno. I think Pawpaw is one of my very favorites. Next stop (below) was the Trinity River. Mainly it was pectens and ammonite sections, and a large echinoid.
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September 22nd, 2007. Headed out to many sites, including creeks, roadcuts, and construction sites.
The site below is the pawpaw formation
This was a good exposure. Pictured are some of Lance's finds at this site. (below)
Note the detail on the lobster. The root on tooth was one of the largest that I have seen in Texas.
These were pectens embedded in a rock.
My finds included pectens, echinoids, clams (denture), and an ammonite piece that I liked. Also, I now have some more very interesting worm tubes (thanks to Lance.) I know a lot of hunters probably wouldn't collect them, but for some reason, I really enjoy looking at them. :-) Pic coming. Need to clean them first.
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An ammonite that Lance spotted.... what a shame it was broken. Wish I would have taken it and glued it together.
The following pics are from a hunt on private land that we were able to get permission for. It had a real variety of fossil, including crab parts, fish verts and ribs (Lance found), shark teeth, and tiny, beautiful ammonites. It was a Pawpaw formation site.
Gives you an idea of what the area looked like. Early in the trip, we were sharing the site with several hunters (not fossils).
Pics of some of the fossils found from the days hunt.
I have just recently moved to the FW area from Arkansas. Although both states share some similar fossils, many I am not used to finding in Arkansas. Ammonites are a real collecting high here. A lot of hunting here will be in disturbed sites, while in Arkansas, most of my hunting was done in, or near water.
These are pics from a hunt today. Gateway was a site I really loved and these first series of pics, were fossils found there and the site itself.
Below is Lance checking out the formation...oh, and looking for fossils. :-)
Below is a nice ammonite fragment in matrix.
These are pics from a hunt today. Gateway was a site I really loved and these first series of pics, were fossils found there and the site itself.
Below is Lance checking out the formation...oh, and looking for fossils. :-)
Below is a nice ammonite fragment in matrix.
Top of the echinoid
Backside
Small bivalves
