What is your coolest fossil?

[Ninjafossils]

So, who here has found the coolest fossil? Please post a picture and story about said find. I will judge on a set scale. And be fair. No bought fossils. Or pictures from the Internet.
Quality (/10)
Rarity (/10)
Uniqueness (/10)

Ready....Set....Go!

 

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[vpnavy]

This should be great - start posting gang!

 

[GatorBoy]

I hope I can post more than one.
Here is one of my favorite recent finds.
Sperm whale tooth.



From land.. section of bear lower mandible with teeth.

 

[Ninjafossils]

Always reliable Gatorboy. I'll judge the beat jaw.

Quality (/10) 6. Though it is a very nice piece, it is only a small section of the jaw. And I see no teeth preserved.
Rarity (/10) 8. I've only seen bear canines and claws come out of Florida. I've never really heard of any jaws. And the fact that it could be from the legendary short faced bear increases it's score.
Uniqueness (/10) 7. Carnivore pieces are always a treat as they are far rarer than there herbivorous counterparts. A bear jaw is pretty unique as bears only made up a small percentage of the small carnivore population.
Final score: 7
A really cool first submission Gatorboy. Hopefully you ignited the fire for others to start posting.

 

[GatorBoy]

Thanks.. Mabey I need a better photo.. there are three large well preserved teeth in that jaw section.
The entire piece is almost as long as my hand.

 

[Perico]

Glyptodon tooth found in Florida. I'm a first time poster but love to look at this site.

 

[Ninjafossils]

Wow. I've never seen one of these. It does look a little horse-ish, but I agree that it is glyptodont. Quality- (/10) 9. Wow if there was a standard to pristine, this would be pretty damn close. The enamel is intact, with nice colors. The tips look like they've never been worn. A gem indeed Rarity- (/10) 8. Glyptodont armor pieces are a common Florida find, so they were probably somewhat common in prehistoric Florida. However, bones and teeth are less durable and numerous than armor, increasing a tooth's rarity. Uniqueness- (/10) 8. The glyptodont was one of the most peculiar looking animals of the Pleistocene epoch. Armored like a tank, they were well built to dealing with giant birds, cats, wolves, and even bears. The scutes are not very rare, but the teeth are much more unique as not many have even seen them in that screen from the river.
Final score: 8.33333
A very nice tooth. The glyptodont was one of my favorite ice age mammals. Sadly, when the mammoths, cats, and sloths left, so did the glyptodonts. Atleast we still have the armadillo.

 

[Perico]

Wow! Thank you for your reply! I must say you gave a great history lesson on that animal. I could not find a good picture of their teeth on Google when I was trying to verify what I had. I finally had it verified from a professional.

 

[huntress104]

I have found 3 really cool fossils that I would like to share. The first one I thought was a piece of petrified wood, but I learned that what I had was a plant stalk and the holes were the home of worms. The second one is part of a straight shell of a nautical snail that I can not for the life of me think of the name for it. The third picture is 2 coiled snail shells that I found while hunting arrowheads on the river bank.

 

[Ninjafossils]

Hello huntress104. I really should've made a separate group for invertebrates and plants because at least in my opinion, they are <vertebrates. However I'll try to be impartial. I can only judge one, so I'll choose your "worm eaten log". In fact it is not eaten by worms, but the root stigmaria of a lepidodendron or Sigillaria plant.
Quality (/10) 6. It is a nice large piece of a Pennsylvanian plant root. It looks like a nice surface texture. However it lacks any color an is only half of a small fraction of the entire root.
Rarity (/10) 5. The Carboniferous period was a time of numerous plants. In fact a majority of the world's coal comes from this period. Fossils of the many trees that lived during that time are a pretty common find and your's is no exception.
Uniqueness (/10) 6. There were many of these scaled trees and your root could've come from many of these. While their weren't many of them after the Carboniferous, there was such a high concentration that they weren't very unique.
Final score: 5.3333333
It is a very interesting piece but like I said, just not at the same level as some of the posted vertebrate fossils. Good entry though.

 

[lordpiney]

Here ya go Ninja...A Deinosuchus tooth from the Cretaceous marls of central N.J.

 

[Ninjafossils]

Wow lordpiney, amazing tooth. I've been going to the brook for 10 years or so and have never found one of these.
Quality(/10) 8. A very nice tooth from the largest North American crocodilian. Very pretty coat of enamel. If it weren't for the feeding chip and root, it would be flawless.
Rarity(/10) 9. Deinosuchus material has only been recovered from a few states (Texas, North Carolina) and they usually find few body pieces. Only teeth. Even so, teeth aren't common. And I have never seen any actual evidence that they lived as far north as New Jersey, only speculation. Though it is slightly possible that it could be a thoracosaur, I favor deinosuchus.
Uniqueness(/10) 8. While carnivorous reptile teeth all have similar looks and shapes, their teeth may be easy to differentiate. Deinosuchus had a similar tooth design to mosasaurs and other crocodilians; much more common animals. However, being from the largest crocodilian to swim in North America increases its score.
Final score: 8.3333 I've hunted big brook for over a decade and have never found anything as menacing as a deinosuchus. They are as rare as the dinosaur material. Really a special find.

 

[Charl]

My coolest is one my wife found on the shore of Narragansett Bay. As is, no splitting required. Rhode Island Formation shale. Pennsylvanian. I posted this a couple months ago. It's a fossil that also records a tectonic event. After the fossil was formed and was part of a formation thousands of feet thick, an earthquake or other tectonic event shifted part of the formation in relation to the rest. My personal favorite of our personal finds. On the backside you can see the shift and re cementing. Not our best, but what I really find nice is that it records, not just a past life form, but a distinct event in time as well.

 

[Sheperdess]

My daughters boyfriend gave me this turtle. As soon as he brought it in the door I picked it up and took some pictures of it and when I went to return it to the basket it was in, it fell apart

 

[lordpiney]

Thanks Ninja...i'll take it! lol. Dr. Dave Parris, said it was the only the second Deino tooth he's ever seen from Monmouth county, and by far the nicest! By the way...i found it in the Ram, not B.B.

 

[Ninjafossils]

Very interesting fossil Charl.
Quality(/10) 6. This is a nice fossil fern and is luckily complete. However, it lacks the cool orange or white oxidation colors displayed by many of the fossils from the same time period found in places such as St. Claire. Still a nice piece.
Rarity(/10) 8. While it is very common to find Pennsylvanian aged plant fossils, this is particularly special. Natural earth events such as tectonic activity, can be rare all by itself. The fact that it was able to shift that specific section of the formation marking this fossil, is almost unheard of.
Uniqueness(/10) 8. While the fern is just like any other fern from a similar time period, the tectonic event shown is very unique. It is not something that could occur when the organism was alive, how it died, decomposed, or even where it was buried. It only occurred because it was in the right place, at the right time.
Final Score 7.3333333
While plant fossils in my opinion are just not as exciting as those of vertebrates, this one is an exception. It not only captures a wonderful example of a Carboniferous fern, but also a totally unrelated tectonic event. Truly an awesome piece.

 

[Ninjafossils]

Cool Shell Sheperdess. We should find out if it is from a tortoise or turtle.
Quality (/10) 7. The shell seems to be nearly complete, scute and all. However, the piece seems to be flaking. Superglue should keep the shell from compromising.
Rarity (/10) 7. Turtles are very common in the fossil record. However, usually all that is found are scutes and bits of shell. You seem to have a complete shell which is always a rare treat.
Uniqueness (/10) 6. Turtles and tortoises are the few vertebrates to actual carry their house built onto their backs. However, there were so many of them living over time, they are not very unique.
Final Score 6.667
This is a very nice shell you got here. Sorry to hear about what happened to it. Hey, at least now you have the fun of piecing it back together! I gonna take a shot here: White River Badlands, SD Oligocene period 35-25 mya.

 

[GatorBoy]

Whale vertebrae



Tip section of Mastodon tusk showing wear from the animals original use.

 

[GatorBoy]

My daughters boyfriend gave me this turtle. As soon as he brought it in the door I picked it up and took some pictures of it and when I went to return it to the basket it was in, it fell apart

<img src="http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=808447"/>

That was a cool one..although I think it is the negative impression of the inside of the shell made of a type of sandstone.

 

[Sundancer]

Gomphothere molar I found diving in a North Florida river. I think it was in 2010.