Gainesville is home to Hogtown Creek, one of the area’s largest watersheds. The small tributaries that make up the larger creek are small treasure troves. Well, sort of. If your idea of a treasure trove is a waterway full of fossilized shark teeth, then you’re in luck.
As you may or may not know, Florida was once submerged completely underwater. As time passed, layers of limestone and phosphate began to build up, and the Florida peninsula finally emerged.
Fossils are found in phosphate layers, mostly because these layers are made up of the remains of decomposing animals. According to resident shark teeth expert, Dr. Gordon Hubbell, the Gainesville creeks actually cut into a phosphate layer. These exposed layers could be over 10 million years old.
What you’ll need:
To start your adventure, you’ll need a cheap colander or sifter. We suggest heading to Walmart or Target. If you don’t want to spend money, you can always borrow your least favorite roommate’s pasta strainer. You’ll also want a pair of water shoes, a shovel and a medium sized container to hold your toothy treasures. And that’s pretty much it.
If you’re worried about maneuvering the Gainesville waterways? Don’t be. Bethany Gaffey, the president of UF’s Marine Biology club, offered up some tips and tricks for shark teeth hunting newbies.
1. Look for areas where there are pebbles or rocky debris visible on top of the sand.
2. Use a shovel to dig into those areas and dump it into a colander.
3. Sift all of the sand and clay out,grab a handful of pebbles and rocks and look through that.
“You will find a shark tooth every time,” said Gaffey. “Sometimes, you can even find a few teeth just sitting on top of the pebbles in the water.”
Some great spots to hunt include Alfred A. Ring Park, Rattlesnake Creek and Possum Creek. In just one hour, I was able to collect almost 40 teeth at Ring Park. Who knows, you might just get lucky and find a megalodon tooth.
Florida’s waters are home to many different types of sharks, including the blacktip, bull, nurse, tiger and (scalloped) hammerhead. Since these waters used to teem with a wide variety of sharks, the fossilized shark teeth you find tend to be intermixed – making them difficult to identify.
Uncovering the identity of your finds may seem like a daunting task, but the Florida Museum of Natural History’’s Ichthyology (fish zoology) Department has started to compile an identification guide to help you identify the genus of the tooth. If you’re dying to know more about your tooth, or can’t seem to find an exact match, you can email a picture of your tooth (or teeth) to Dana Ehret at deherat@monmouth.edu.
What’s Next?
So you’ve found a bunch of fossilized teeth, what now? Instead of letting your finds sit in a box or bag under your bed until move-out day, there are plenty of cool ways to display your treasures. You can make a shadow box, craft a one-of-a-kind necklace or even sell your collection on Etsy for a profit.
There are a ton of amazing natural wonders to explore in Gainesville, so close your laptop and get out there. Adventure into the forgotten past of Hogtown and remember the words of our favorite “Finding Nemo” friends: Sharkbait! Hoo ha ha!
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