shark

On Saturday, June 15, 2019, a group of BPS members and guests met at a pre-determined meeting spot for a visit/pit stop/supply gather before heading to the field trip destination.  The weather was warm but with slightly lower humidity which was much appreciated.  After a short drive to the site and a short hike to the gullies, James gathered everyone for an informative talk about the age, formation and fossils in the gullies, as well as some collecting etiquette. 

Fossil collectors spread out across the gullies in hopes of findings nice specimens but the gullies weren’t revealing many finds on this day.  Still, not a total shut out, though, with shark teeth, enchodus teeth, fish vertebra, Hamulus tubes, turtle bones, Inoceramus clam fragments, shrimp burrows and other fossils being found.  James checked on some of his previously tagged finds and reinforced them for stability where needed. 

At noon, the group went to the shed for lunch.  It’s always very comfortable there with shade and usually a fresh breeze – just what is needed to recharge the biological batteries!  At that point, too, everyone has an opportunity to compare fossil finds and have them identified.  Then, after a pleasant break, it’s time to move to the second part of the day – the creek!

Just a short drive away, there’s a lovely, shady creek with Cretaceous fossils that are slightly older than the fossils found in the chalk gullies we’d just visited.  There are usually gravel bars by the creek access point but the ever-flowing water moved the gravel from the usual places.  James hiked overland to find a sizable gravel bar for the group to screen.  Everyone was able to find very nice shark teeth as well as gastropod casts, ammonite and baculite segment casts and other fossil and non-fossil pieces.  It is a special place and will remain one of my favorite trips.     
 

On Saturday, Sept. 22, a nice-sized group of BPS members and guests gathered in anticipation of a gully and creek exploration and discovery.  The day was predictably hot but spirits were high – fossils out there, waiting to be found!!  After a brief orientation and explanation of potential finds, the group moved into the gullies and began searching.  Finds from this site included shark and enchodus teeth, shark and fish vertebrae, shell fragments, worm tubes, shrimp burrows, and ubiquitous, sparkly pyritized organic material (still hard for me to resist).  While talking to another member, James spotted a string of shark vertebrae (5-6) on an adjacent gully which he carefully collected and wrapped for transport.  Still really spectacular and incredible to me that an animal used those vertebrae to swim around and live his life and here we find them 80 million years later.  And, they are still in pretty good shape (considering)!

After a lunch break, we moved to the second site (my personal favorite) which is the very productive creek in the next county.  After the hot gullies, a cool wade through a very fossiliferous creek is just what the group likes!  Before we made it to the creek, I had the opportunity to meet the owner and express gratitude for his hospitality and generosity in allowing us access to this treasure on his property.  He told me he was glad we were enjoying it and that he was also glad that so many fossils were being found and appreciated.  Me, too!!

In the creek, my first screen yielded 5 shark teeth!  How can this not be a favorite location?!?!  James and several others went upstream to find gravel bars and while some stayed at the downstream spot that seemed to be yielding nice and plentiful teeth and bone fragments.  Also found were 3 ptychodus teeth of unknown species, 1 Ptychodus polygyrus tooth (way to go LEISA!!!) a piece of Native American pottery (also Leisa) and other interesting fossil, geofact and late hominid artifacts (vintage glass, metal, pottery mostly).  If someone leaves this site empty-handed, it’s because he or she chooses to do so!  There’s something here for everyone!  So, a little before daylight started dimming, the group called a halt to the searching, changed into dry clothes and shoes and bid the lovely creek site good-bye until next time.             

Once again, BPS took a trip south to Dallas county, Alabama, to search in the extensive Cretaceous chalk gullies found there.  This was our last gully trip of the season, since hunting season is about to start, so we were in a frantic hurry to collect the items we had previously flagged, and find as much as we could so it could be preserved, and not get washed down a gully, and potentially lost for research.  In addition to the normal variety of shells, shark teeth and vertebra, fish including enchodus, and turtles, this month a baby crocodile was found, the first one found in Alabama, so we were quite excited. 

(Photos courtesy Joey Golson and Vicki Lais)