Carcharias cuspidata teeth from the Belgrade formation

These are the last of the teeth that I have been profiling that came in a bag of mixed shark teeth labelled as "Belgrade Quarry, NC".  The two teeth shown here were a bit easier to ID for me although I still needed to get confirmation from the Fossil Forum.  I recognized these teeth as belonging to a Sand Tiger shark, but the Fossil Forum member "Sixgill Pete" was able to further ID them as Carcharias cuspidata which is very common in the Belgrade formation.

Specimen #1 -

Specimen #2

The Belgrade formation is dated to the early Miocene epoch of the Paleogene period.

Carcharhinus sp. teeth from Bone Valley

Here are three teeth that I found in a bag of mixed teeth labelled "Belgrade Quarry, NC".  I believe they are from a Carcharhinus sp. shark based on comments from member "Sixgill Pete" on the Fossil Forum. That member suggested these teeth were possibly from a Carcharhinus obscurus which is an extant species known as the Dusky Shark. Based on some comments from members of the Fossil Forum, these teeth likely come from "Bone Valley" in Florida (based on color of the fossils, which is not a reliable rule but it is often a good guide) and are middle Miocene to Pliocene in age.

Specimen #1

Specimen #2

Specimen #3

As I mentioned earlier , these teeth came in a bag labelled as "Belgrade Quarry, NC". That quarry exposes sediments from the Eocene to the Miocene.  Carcharhinus obscurus is not generally acceped to have evolved until the late Miocene epoch so it's likely these teeth are from a different quarry

Hemipristis serra teeth from the Belgrade Quarry?

The teeth of the extinct Snaggletooth shark (Hemipristis serra) are fairly easy to ID from the tooth shape alone.  Triangular in shape, usually angled to one side, and with large serrations along the edges, particularly along the edge that was facing towards the back of the jaw.  Below are three teeth, two laterals and a frontal, that came in a bag of mixed teeth marked "Belgrade Quarry, NC".

Specimen #1 - right side lateral tooth

Specimen #2 - left side lateral tooth

Specimen #3 - frontal tooth

As I mentioned earlier , these teeth came in a bag labelled as "Belgrade Quarry, NC". That quarry exposes sediments from the Eocene to the Miocene.  Hemipristis serra is known from that quarry but the color of these teeth seem to indicate a different source. Perhaps the Lee Creek quarry, also in North Carolina, where this species is known to be found in the Yorktown formation (late Miocene-Early Pliocene)?

Carcharocles angustidens teeth from the Belgrade/River Bend formation

In a bag of fossil shark teeth that I purchased I found a number of these triangular shaped teeth. The bag was labelled "Belgrade Quarry" with no other information. I spent a hour or so looking for fossil shark tooth pictures on Google Images that matched what I had and the closest were Carcharocles angustidens. A quick posting to the Fossil Forum website confirmed that these were indeed C. angustidens teeth and that they could be found at the Belgrade quarry.

More web searches ultimately led me to Wikipedia and to the follow logic: These fossils come from the Belgrade quarry in North Carolina. Rocks exposed in that quarry range from the Eocene to the Miocene epochs. C. angustidens existed in the late Oligocene and early Miocene (33-22 mya, Rupelian stage to Aquitanian stage).  That narrows the formations they could have been found in to the River Bend formation (Late Oligocene) and the Belgrade formation (Early Miocene). Both of those formations at one point or another were considered part of the Trent marl which was originally dated to the Eocene epoch. Oh yeah, and C. angustidens was an relative of the Megalodon (no biggie) ^1,2,3.

It's nice to have a little bit more information on these fossils as they are a species I did not have in my collection previously. Three of the specimens below would have been found on the front of the shark's jaw while the last one has a little bit more of a curve in it so likely came from along the side or back of the jaw.

Specimen 1

Specimen 2

Specimen 3

Specimen 4

These teeth were found at the Belgrade Quarry near Maysville, in North Carolina in the Belgrade /River Bend formations.

1. Wikipedia - Carcharocles angustidens article
2. Wikipedia - Belgrade formation article
3. Wikipedia - River Bend formation article

Three Cenozoic gastropods from France

These first two shells come from the Neogene (Miocene series) age sediments in the Gironde state of France (near Bordeaux). First is Cerithium margaritaceum

Next is Turritells terebralis

Then its Clavilithes noae from the Paleogene (Eocene series, Lutetian stage) which was collected near Paris, France.

Thanks to Gery for sending me these fossils!

Chesapecten nefrens pelecypod from Maryland

Another group of pictures from my folder clean up feature this Chesapecten nefrens pelecypod from the Calvert formation of Maryland. I collected this 25 years ago while on a trip to Calvert Cliffs in Maryland. It was found in the Choptank formation while staying at Matoaka Cottages.

Left valve

Right valve

Right profile

Posterior

Interior of both valves. The white paint and ink lettering were a short lived attempt by my younger self to catalog my fossil collection at the time. In this case the "CC" stood for Calvert Cliffs and the number indicates that this was the first numbered specimen (but not necessarily the first specimen I found).

The Choptank formation dates to the Miocene epoch (Langhian to Serravallian stages) of the Neogene period.

Heteraster, Nucleopyrina and Coelopleurus echinoids from Spain

Here are three small echinoids that I received in a trade with a friend in Spain. I'll start off with Heteraster oblongus from the Cretaceous (Aptian stage) near Castellon, Spain

Next is Nucleopyrina cylindrica from the Cretaceous (Aptian stage) near Castellon, Spain

Finally there is Coelopleurus coronalis from the Eocene (Lutetian stage) near Barcelona, Spain

Thanks to my friend Jenaro for these fossils.