Fossil-hunting

Today we drove up to my parents' cabin on Lake Texoma in southern Oklahoma. My grandparents and my cousins met us there and we went fossil-hunting along the lakeshore in Kingston, Oklahoma. Here's what we found:







Cool, huh? According to the Smithsonian, these particular creatures can only be found here and in one other place in the US. I don't know what they're called, but they look a lot like nautilus shells when you find them whole.

UPDATE: BlogDog asks if they're Ammonites and I believe that to be correct. I knew I could count on one of my brilliant readers to help me out.

We also found a few other kinds; here's an example:



This one looks like an ordinary seashell to me. They say that this whole area was covered by an ocean at one time. There's definitely a lot of limestone, and right now is a great time to fossil-hunt because the lake-level is extremely low (no rain at all here since March) and lots of places are uncovered that are usually underwater.

All the kids had a great time; Erica and Martha found a few fossils for themselves, I think. I had a great time, too, but the hike and the drive have left me weary. I shall sleep well tonight, that's what.