Florida Gulf Fossils, ID anyone ?

jffbrk

Jr. Member
Aug 26, 2012
83
22
Florida
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Garrett AT Pro
Primary Interest:
Beach & Shallow Water Hunting

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Sorry, they look like pieces of shells to me. One strong indicator is color; nearly all Florida fossils are dark brown or black. Also, the pattern and texture is all wrong.

That being said, don't let me discourage you. Many Florida gulf beaches have fossils; look for jet black rocks where the most shells collect. These are often small pieces of broken bone, and those are a indicator of a good spot. Obviously, looking after a storm is best.

If you don't mind me asking, where in Florida are you?
 

Now if you plan on going near a jetty be safe cause there is always current that will sweep you under. Also the rocks on the jetty are full of razor sharp shells. One time I was fishing on a jetty in Fl and some tourist (2) got swept along them and nobody could help cause if you were to jump in you wouldnt make it back either. They managed to climb the jetty out but were cut all over their bodies. Be safe not sorry! rock
 

Age_old said:
Sorry, they look like pieces of shells to me. One strong indicator is color; nearly all Florida fossils are dark brown or black. Also, the pattern and texture is all wrong.

That being said, don't let me discourage you. Many Florida gulf beaches have fossils; look for jet black rocks where the most shells collect. These are often small pieces of broken bone, and those are a indicator of a good spot. Obviously, looking after a storm is best.

If you don't mind me asking, where in Florida are you?

I have to disagree on the color of FL fossils. Most are limestone based especially in dredged areas. Spent the day at one such site today. Ancient shark teeth found on beaches are black. I also base my opinion on color on conversations I've had with a professional archeologist. jffbrk
 

I have collected fossils in Florida for many years. Most fossil bone is brown or black You may be referring to impressions in limestone. Or what you have there which appears to be a limestone cast of an invertebrate.

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Nice fossils. Just saying black is not the only color of Florida fossils. I've collected Jurassic era fossils around Florida dredging areas, that are confirmed fossils by a professional archeologist and were off-white in color. Thanks for your input.
 

fos·sil
/ˈfäsəl/
Noun
The remains or impression of a prehistoric organism preserved in petrified form or as a mold or cast in rock: "sites rich in fossils".
derogatory. An antiquated or stubbornly unchanging person or thing: "he can be a cantankerous old fossil at times".
 

jffbrk said:
fos·sil
/ˈfäsəl/
Noun
The remains or impression of a prehistoric organism preserved in petrified form or as a mold or cast in rock: "sites rich in fossils".
derogatory. An antiquated or stubbornly unchanging person or thing: "he can be a cantankerous old fossil at times".

I qualify as a fossil !
 

jffbrk said:
I have to disagree on the color of FL fossils. Most are limestone based especially in dredged areas. Spent the day at one such site today. Ancient shark teeth found on beaches are black. I also base my opinion on color on conversations I've had with a professional archeologist. jffbrk

age_old
I am in Citrus Co.... near Crystal River, FL
 

Found yesterday......front & back
 

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Another interesting find
 

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jffbrk said:
I have to disagree on the color of FL fossils. Most are limestone based especially in dredged areas. Spent the day at one such site today. Ancient shark teeth found on beaches are black. I also base my opinion on color on conversations I've had with a professional archeologist. jffbrk

You are absolutely right, the fossil invertebrates of Florida are often whitish. When you first posted, I thought you were looking for fossil vertebrates. As Gatorboy posted, the vertebrate fossils are dark color.

Most people who post about Florida fossils are looking for vertebrates, so I assumed you were, too. Sorry about the misunderstanding.
 

jffbrk said:
Nice fossils. Just saying black is not the only color of Florida fossils. I've collected Jurassic era fossils around Florida dredging areas, that are confirmed fossils by a professional archeologist and were off-white in color. Thanks for your input.

Jurassic?! I don't know how that is possible, Florida is only 50 million years old....

The Jurassic ended 145 million years ago.....

I am sure they are fossils, but most Florida shell fossils are from the Miocene(12 million) to the Eocene (34 million).
 

Nice fossils. Just saying black is not the only color of Florida fossils. I've collected Jurassic era fossils around Florida dredging areas, that are confirmed fossils by a professional archeologist and were off-white in color. Thanks for your input.

'jffbrk' is correct that most of Florida's fossils are white or light colored. Those would be the myriad invertebrate fossils found in limestone all over the state. Even vertebrate remains are a pale color until stained by groundwater. Vertebrate remains become stained black or dark brown when they are exposed to groundwater containing tannins from decomposing vegetation.
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There are no Jurassic exposures in Florida, even in dredge piles. Around Crystal River, it is all Late Eocene, Ocala Limestone. A bit further south, say around Brooksville, on the flank of the Ocala Uplift, it is Late Oligocene, Suwannee Limestone.
 

You're talking way over my pay grade....
 

You're talking way over my pay grade....

Try Google (or any other search engine). A Google search for Weisbordella cubae returned "About 756 results."

You'll only get tiny bits of information on a forum like this. If you want to educate yourself about Florida geology and Florida fossils, you'll have to do some research. If you don't care to educate yourself, there may be other subscribers who will take the clues here and will do the research.
 

A bit harsh but true... you sounded like me there Harry. Don't do that to yourself. LOL.
 

The one the guy told me was Jurassic was a sea creature..... Looked like a huge fat sand dollar.
 

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