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December 3, 2008

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Here are two links to posts dealing with how to post pictures on Black River Fossils forums.

1. How to Post Pictures on Black River Fossils Forums by ditchweezil

2. How to Post Pictures on Black River Fossils Forums by Daryl

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Shark Teeth

How often to yo...

How often to you look for shark's teeth?

8/25/2005 1:29:08 PM

legacyForum

725 posts

How often to you look for shark's teeth?

After checking photos on the trips page it seems that some of you guys hunt more than once a week.
Are you a ...

1. hobbiest - hunt occasionaly when time permits
2. avid collector - hunt at least once or twice a month
3. business hunter - sell most of what you find
4. hunting lunatic - plan life around hunting...rain/snow/cold/heat nor school/work can stop you!

8/27/2005 5:16:02 PM

ditchweezil

342 posts

RE: How often to you look for shark's teeth?

I would call myself an opportunistic collector. I hunt when hunting is good. If there is a new spot that is really producing well, I'll go everyday until my hands are nothing but blister hotels. When hunting is lousy, I'll still ditch collect at least twice a month because I can't get it out of my system. I keep the really good stuff that I find. I don't have enough room to keep everything, so the stuff I don't want I sell to Jedi Master and use the money to get better dive gear or to get teeth from places I can't collect myself.

8/29/2005 1:37:45 AM

xiphodan

19 posts

RE: How often to you look for shark's teeth?

I would consider myself somewhere between an avid collector and hunting lunatic. Commitments with family and work prevent me from being a full blown hunting lunatic, but I definitely try to fit in a trip whenever time permits (which usually turns out to be once every two weeks). I generally hunt in the early morning hours, being on the stream at first light and leaving somewhere between 8:00 or 9:00 - that way there’s very little impact on other family events. As far as the weather goes, only lightning and cold rain will keep me home - can’t pass up a morning on the stream!

8/29/2005 5:35:51 PM

legacyForum

725 posts

RE: How often to you look for shark's teeth?

I am a hobbiest simply because there aren't many locations nearby. I have hunted Calvet Cliffs/Westmoreland years ago and now only eastern N.C. during family visits.

8/31/2005 12:46:42 AM

legacyForum

725 posts

RE: How often to you look for shark's teeth?

I started collecting the first weekend in Jan 1998. It was quite cold, even by Maryland standards. My first pair of waders were those "booty" kind and I had to put my feet into an old pair of sneakers. As I walked into the water along Calvert Cliffs, my cheap $10 Kmart waders tore on a fallen tree as I climbed over it. Seconds later, nearly 32 degree salt water poured in and down one leg. Within minutes my one foot was numb. Minutes later however, I began finding teeth. That's all it took...over seven years later I'm still collecting. I grew up in upstate NY in a family that hunts or fishes almost every day of the year, regardless of the weather. Thus, it takes quite a bit to keep me away. This past summer I went to the beach to go collecting, it was 105 degrees with the heat index. I thought I was going to pass out by the time I made it back to my car. I had forgotten my water bottle - I was in such a hurry to get down to my favorite spot and do some digging and sifting, yes even with rubber hip-waders on - I don't like getting stung by jelly-fish. I may not be afraid of the heat or freezing cold, but I'm a sissy when it comes to getting stung or bit by stuff. Over the last several years I can only think of three times when I drove the 32 miles down to my favorite collecting spot(which I've been to hundreds of times), only to have to turn around and go home - not after a valiant attempt on each occasion to actually go collecting. One such occasion was just a month or so ago. Me and my buddy decided to meet up at our favorite spot one evening, even though all of the local stations were calling for sever thunderstorms. Well, I convinced my buddy that the storm looked like it would pass us to the south and just miss us. The strong winds would help lower the tide even further, and we would probably find a ton of stuff. Well, I was dead wrong. Minutes after arriving the sky darkened so black it was almost purple. The winds were so strong we got sandblasted in the face. Although we didn't admit it on the spot, I think we were both a bit scared - mostly since the lighting started up just within a mile or two of us - and there we were standing in the water! Needless to say we prayed and got our butts out of there. We got soaked, but escaped the lightening.

Since becoming an avid collector, I have found that it's too bad I have to work and sleep. If I didn't have to work, I would probably be collecting somewhere everyday. Ditto for the sleeping. However, I, like many of you, have a family. I do my best to not let my obsession interfere with my family life. My two boys will only be young once and I won't miss that for anything, not even for a big tooth! Therefore, I constrain my collecting activities to weird hours of the day such as real early in the morning. Sometime's I've been out collecting so early, that I'm home before they get out of bed, and even bring home some McD's breakfast.

Besides going out looking for shark teeth, I also spend a fair amount of time "looking at" them at home. I have a whole area in my family room, which my wife hates, where I have tons of containers and specimens that I plan on studying and scanning. I post the images on the one club website that I help manage (Maryland Geological Society), and occasionally even send one here to DW to share with others that frequent this site. Although the teeth are nice to find and look at, it's even more fun to show them off and share with others.

The first few years I spent more time obsessed with finding teeth, trying to build up my collection. To be honest though, I have so many nice teeth now that rather than being so focused on what I find, I just love being in the outdoors with the water, the sounds of nature, and even chatting to a pair of mallards swimming near by.

-Daryl.

9/26/2005 10:58:34 PM

legacyForum

725 posts

RE: How often to you look for shark's teeth?

I do two types of collecting... amateur collecting, and for research.
When I'm home in the San Francisco Area, I'll drive down to santa cruz to collect miocene shark teeth/mammal bones, and pliocene mammal bones.
This summer I went out amateur collecting about 7-8 times (not too much) and spent about three weeks total conducting research in the field.
Bobby

2/8/2006 12:11:24 PM

legacyForum

725 posts

RE: How often to you look for shark's teeth?

I've enjoyed your posts. I started 16 years ago after a visit to Edisto Beach and seeing the small Pleistocene collection of finds displayed there at the gift shop in the state park. (My wife grew up in Charleston and didn't even know fossils were so prevalent) Since then I've been a fossil hunting junkie, but the only problem is that I live 230 miles from the coast! While some of you lucky guys can zip over to your favorite site for an hour or two it is a major ordeal for me in time and expense. It also generally involves making some kind of a "deal" with my family for "permission" to escape for a day. How bad is my "fix"? I'll leave the upstate at three AM, drive 4+ hours, hunt all day, and then drive home at dark. But it has been a wonderful hobby, as well as an education, and I have met some super people...ditchweezil, scubapaul, AFM memebers, and others. As a high school AP biology teacher I have been able to share this passion with my students. It's kind of nice to be able to tell students that you don't have to go to Utah or Wyoming to find fossils of creatures as big as dinosaurs! I'll just keep on truckin' a couple of times a month as long as my wheels hold out.

2/24/2006 12:38:51 PM

legacyForum

725 posts

RE: How often to you look for shark's teeth?

Me, I'm a hobbiest, according to your definitions. I go primarily on weekends whenever I have spare time, and that isn't that often. I'm still relatively new to the hobby, so I'm still building my collection and keeping everything I find.

4/27/2006 12:20:42 PM

legacyForum

725 posts

RE: How often to you look for shark's teeth?

I'm a freak. I started collecting in 1974 and did all my graduate marine biology research on shark teeth. It all started with one tooth my father bought me when I was in the first grade. Shark teeth and my comparative collection have been the major drive in my professional career. I now manage sharks for the Federal Gov. Similarly to DW, I collect when the conditions are good - from every day to once every 6 months. Lately gas prices have kept me from hitting my good spots down south and the red tide event and hurricanes ruined my diving last year. I have had nothing real good to post here and really miss the interaction. This year is going to be a whole different story - I'm gonna kill it.

DW and DF, I can't wait to see you guys this weekend! On your way out, you need to stop by Club Greg and have a wild boar feast.

-Gman

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