I know that some other folks on here love fossil hunting, so I figured I’d post a picture of a tooth I recently found. I haven’t been able to do much of any fossil hunting for some years now, actually, but I got a chance to go recently. This came from the area around the airport.
The Angustidens seen below was completely buried, except for about 1 inch of the blade. At first, I thought it was just another 1-incher like the many others I more commonly find, but it turned out to be a bit nicer.
It’s not a true “superhero”, of course, because it has some damage, including feeding damage to the tip, but it’s pretty large for an Angustidens. This would be no big deal for the Summerville ditch hunters that get to go hunting all the time and have lots of places to go, but for a guy like me who rarely gets to go anymore, this was a pretty good find.
It measures 4.25" on the diagonal. If the shark hadn’t blunted the tip down during feeding, this tooth might even push 5" or more.
very nice find Lee! I have a hard time telling the ANgustedens from the auriculatus. I’ve found a few of each and some very nice Megladon in the cement quarries. Amazing the fossils we have Deep under our feet through out the lowcountry.
When I was a kid, Edisto Beach had some of the best shark teeth around. Lucky to find two tiny ones in an afternoon now. All the beach re-nourishment projects have taken care of that. A friend of mine has been kayaking to a spot on the Combahee river and bringing back tons of all kinds of stuff from a shalow area. Won’t tell me where though…
Thanks, guys. Yes, the natural history of Charleston is arguably even better than the colonial history.
Fred, if you have regular access to the quarries near Holly Hill (I think it’s Holly Hill, anyway), I envy you. I think that pretty much everything you’ll be finding there will be Auriculatus.
I found me a couple of pieces of some very large Megalodon teeth today, but nothing whole and nice.
Great White: Look for them in the spoil areas where the Corps of Engineers have dredged the ICW. Lots of little “islands” along the ICW that don’t look like they belong there.
Thanks, guys. Yes, the natural history of Charleston is arguably even better than the colonial history.
Fred, if you have regular access to the quarries near Holly Hill (I think it’s Holly Hill, anyway), I envy you. I think that pretty much everything you’ll be finding there will be Auriculatus.
I found me a couple of pieces of some very large Megalodon teeth today, but nothing whole and nice.
Not anymore, but the stuff that is in that area is amazing. A shame so much of it has been ground up, powdered and made into cement. I believe there was a T-rex found in the Blue Circle quarry many years ago. Big finds are or were kept quite so archaeological groups wouldn’t interfere with the operations. I was just looking for some of my older pictures. If i find any I’ll pm you.
