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)
Searching for parts of a fossil fish
Becky displaying the bird bones she found.
Ichthyornis bones (a type of seabird) found by Becky.
Fragments of fossil fish bones (enchodus).
Back half of a fish that was embedded in the chalk gully wall. According to James Lamb, it was only half there when it fossilized - none has been lost. After finding so many partial fossils, we are speculating that this was a shallow feeding ground.
Parts of a turtle were found in this wash, everyone is searching for more tiny fragments.
A fish is being carefully excavated from the side of this gully. It was found by accident, when the tooth part of an enchodus jaw found on top of the gully rolled down, and we were hunting for the broken off tooth.
Tiny fish vertebra.
This is where the baby crocodile bone and tiny scutes were found. James is flagging the highest point; there is a flag where every single fossil has been found. Afterwards, the entire area will be scoured on hands and knees for more bones and scutes.
Scute from a baby crocodile, the smallest one ever found in Alabama.
After searching the first gully carefully, some of us moved on to the next large gully.
A large number of shark vertebra were found on the side of this chalk bank. More vertebra, both whole and broken, littered the ground below, where they had washed down the gully. After collecting, washing and sorting out the pieces, it was discovered there were approximately 20 whole vertebra found at this spot.
Row of fish vertebra on the side of a gully.
Close-up of a fish vertebra
Very badly worn fish bones, based on the tooth, it looks like a type of enchodus.
Worn enchodus tooth.
This is the location where the baby crocodile bone and scutes were found. James and Claire are sifting the dirt down the gully from the find, in hopes of finding more scutes and bones.
Tiny pieces of a crab found by Claire.
Gully season is over for the year due to hunting season. On a prior trip, parts of a fossil were found, and James is hoping to find more small bones in the large bags of dirt he collected from the same area. We had so many fossils to collect, it was dark by the time we arrived at this gully.
James Lamb pulls out a tray of fossil crocodile bones, to show us the difference in the size of the baby crocodile bone we've found, and what is normally found in Alabama. He is holding the same bone in both hands.
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