In a canoe or kayak, you can get to fossil spots most can’t get to. Where you choose to look, and your success, is sometimes dependent on your time, abilities and access. NORTH AMERICA. Fossil Hunting on the Peace River in Florida If you’re looking for an exciting and adventurous activity for your next trip to Florida, consider doing some good old fashioned fossil hunting. Look for them in rivers and creeks especially after a heavy rain. For some hunts/times, no quota permit is required. Due to the dam, you will see downriver, most of the waters are wide with high levels. While Pleistocene shells and invertebrate material of roughly the same age are present here as well, late Pleistocene land vertebrate fossils (mammoth, mastodon, saber-tooth cat, tapir, horse, giant armadillo etc.) There is a $5 fee per year, and the permit holder agrees to report … Fred has been an avid student of natural history since the age of five and has applied that knowledge through the years in many ways. The way to find a site is to have some prior knowledge or do your homework on the general geology of the area in the state you would like to look. When fossil or rock hunting in any quarry or open pit mine, caution and common sense should prevail. About Brownville Park. I have found Megalodon teeth by the lb. Mr. Follmann and I hiked through the thick grass and dappled light of a Florida forest south of Arcadia off Highway 17, passing a grapefruit tree and crossing a single wooden piling that bridged a ditch on the way to his “office” where he had stashed the supplies we’d need: screens, shovels and pocketed aprons for stashing fossils. He has made significant contributions of unusual fossils to both the New Jersey State Museum and the Florida Museum of Natural History. Fossil Hunting on the Peace River is a popular past time. The fill material is used for driveways, parking lots, road beds, and beach replenishment. The area close to Punta Gorda is a gorgeous location for canoes and kayaks. Many people choose to go where others can’t and will dive rivers and ocean bottoms. Florida residents and visitors need a Florida hunting license, (in addition to other required permits) unless they are exempt. Mastodon Tooth Segment recovered in 2017. Shark teeth, invertebrates, and plant fossils may be kept by individuals. In the 1950’s and 1960’s it used to be quite common to come across a 2-kg (4.4lb) tooth of an ice age mammoth in the Ichnetucknee or Withlacoochee River. This layer of sediment is composed of gravels, sands and clays and is mined locally for fertilizer. In Florida it is illegal to collect vertebrate fossils (excluding shark teeth) without a permit from lands owned by the state. Other rivers and creeks in central and north Florida are family-friendly as well – check our fossil guide map. Most importantly he has been a reliable resource throughout an extensive network of both amateur and professional paleontologists. It’s possible to get lucky and hit the jackpot on your first try but usually it requires diligence and effort to find a good site. The region offers both invertebrate collecting, particularly in quarries and along river banks, and vertebrate fossils in river beds, on beaches and in sinkhole fill material from quarries. Great fossils are out there, doing your homework, asking questions and getting yourself out there in likely locations will go a long way to fossil finding success. Nokomis Beach and Jetty Park are the only two locations for public access. Limestone in the Florida Keys consists mainly of fossilized corals. You can find a plethora of teeth by just walking their beaches or even sifting for them in … Another popular locations for rockhounding in Florida are rivers. Shell Creek Fossil Hunting Shell Creek is considered one of the best places for fossil hunting in the state. are more commonly found mixed into the shells. Paleo Discoveries takes people on guided fossil hunting tours to help find fossils from different locations in central Florida including the Peace River. There are a wealth of sites for both vertebrate and invertebrate fossils from the last 44 million years of earth history at or near (within 50 ft) the surface. Brownville Park is a 75 acre county park and campground in Arcadia, Florida located directly on the Peace River. Florida Fossil Hunters events may change dependent on COVID-19 facility closings. Immediately, upon diving … Gardner (Arcadia, FL) The boat ramp at Gardner is one of the best places for fossil hunting if you don’t have a boat. Plus mammoth, mastodon, dire wolf, tapir, horse, camel, whale, dolphin and shark teeth and more. A deposit is not required. For instance, the area in which I live in east-central Florida has marine rocks and sands from the Pleistocene epoch (2 million- 10,000 yrs old) near the surface. Peace River is another hotspot to hunt fossils in Florida just as long as the water isn’t running too high. Freshly eroded Mastodon Ivory. Screen sift in shallow twisting & winding creeks and streams To discover a piece of fossil history of mammoths, whales, sharks, camels, horses, ancient cats and much more. Check out Florida’s fossil history on our Fossil Hunting Tours!! BY Virginia Claire McGuire. Peace River Fossil Hunting in Florida, Florida (Miocene/Pleistocene; Ice Age Mammals) Fossil mammal jaw. Look for something dark and shiny, especially in places where the creek bends. Call to Learn More: 772-539-7005 or email – fredmazza at paleodiscoveries dot com . Fossil hunters have always been a combination of … Unlike the fossils of the American Northwest, few Florida fossils are encased in rock. You will also find plenty of shark teeth, including Megalodones). www.floridafossilhunters.com For more information please email us at info@floridafossilshunters.com for questions about membership, club field trips, meetings, and other events. The Peace River area, for another example, is in west-central Florida. Fossil shark teeth are also fairly easy to find in streams and rivers, and enormous numbers of them turn up on the beaches of southwestern Florida. Version 0810 current as of OCT 2008. Phone: 239-368-3252. Fossil hunting is one of those experiences. Scanning almost any shelly looking material anywhere away from the beach will turn up some invertebrate fossils. Limestone in the Florida Keys consists mainly of fossilized corals. Many of the fossils easily found are invertebrate shells, snails and sand dollars. iStock. The Peace River washes out this same layer from it’s banks and bottom and in some areas is full of fossils. The gravel is composed of  phosphate rock, which is highly organic and good for this purpose. Please call (772) 539-7005 or email- fredmazza at paleodiscoveries dot com  for more info or visit www.paleodiscoveries.com or http://scottg17.sg-host.com. Most of these localities are of marine origin and span the length and width of the state. Listed below are some locations megalodon teeth have been found. A Guide to Metal-Detecting in Florida: The Thrill of the Hunt. Most of the fossils here are found while wading in the water or snorkeling under its surface, and many people will rent a canoe and go along the river for some more mundane recreation while they’re on … Mixed in with or above the marine rocks are terrestrial (land-based) fossils from the Oligocene epoch up until recent times. Florida Locations. 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