8/19/18 - Really Old Stuff That Can Be Found On the Treasure Coast Beaches. Fossils.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

Great White and Megaladon Tooth.

I've always encouraged people to keep a keen eye on the beach while they metal detect.  You can find so many interesting and potentially valuable things.  As I've said before, you can find almost anything on a beach, and if you are out there enough and look around, you will find a lot.

I recently did a few posts on my all-time favorite finds.  For some types of finds, it is easy for me to pick out a clear favorite.  That was the case with sea glass.  There was one piece that really stood out from all the rest.  For modern jewelry it was difficult to pick a favorite.  It was the same way for fossils.

I don't go out to look for fossils, but I did once.   I went with a fellow who had a permit and takes people on fossil hunting ventures to the Peace River.  It has been quite a few years now, and I don't know if he still does that.   I just picked up a few fossils over the last thirty or so years while metal detecting.

Fossils can be valuable, but of course, most aren't.  Value depends upon the usual factors; including rarity and condition.  I've never sold any fossils, but I've seen megalodon teeth offered for sale in some of the Sedwick auctions, and there are many web sites where you can find all kinds of fossils for sale.

On the beaches you find more when there are big new shell piles.  We haven't had much of that for several years now.

If you like old things, fossils can be very old - even millions of years.  Its amazing to see something that while just walking along a beach.

One of my favorites is the Great White shark tooth on the left in the photo above.  It was found on the Treasure Coast.   I was just walking along, and there it was.  I never saw another one in the same area even though I've been there many times.

It is in great condition.  You can see the sharp serrations in the photo.  They show up even better in person.  I don't think it is my favorite fossil find, but it is my favorite shark tooth find and ranks right up there.

On the right in the above photo is a megaladon tooth.  It is one that was found on my trip to the Peace River.  The serrations on that one are gone.

On the Treasure Coast beaches, it is more common to find smaller shark teeth, like those below.

Tiny Shark Teeth.

You can find fossils on most beaches along the Treasure Coast when conditions are right.  Just a little north of the Seagrape Trail access is one good place to find small shark teeth when there are a lot of shells.  One of the fellows that lives by the beach in one of the condominiums hunts shark teeth there a lot.

But shark teeth aren't the only fossils of marine animals you can find on the beach.

Small Fossil.

The small fossil show above is the first fossil that I found and kept.  I didn't know that it was a fossil for probably twenty years after I found it.  I was in the water hunting jewelry and saw the unusual item in my scoop.  I didn't know what it was, so I decided to keep it.  I kept it for many years until I finally had a fossil expert tell me what it is.  It is a fossilized grinding tooth from a fish such as a red fish.

Fossilized Inner Ear Bone of a Whale.

I found this larger fossil near the waterline on a Treasure Coast beach when there were a lot of big shell piles.  It is a fossil of an inner ear bone of a whale.

Large things will wash up when beach conditions are right, and some of them won't make your detector beep.

Fossil Dolphin Vertebra.

Back a few years ago there were more fossils on the beach.  They'll return again some day.

Among the most common Treasure Coast beach fossils are turtle shell and horse teeth.  I just wanted to talk about marine animal fossils today.

Not much new with beach conditions to report.

Keep looking down.


Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net