Monthly Archives: December 2020

Finding fossils is certainly exciting — you found traces of something that existed millions of years ago. But preserving them is difficult, as they are quite delicate, demanding your utmost attention. To keep them safe as historical items, it’s vital to put proper care in place, and this stands true even for the fossils that you buy, whether it’s Hemipristis shark tooth for sale or an extinct pine cone.

Here’s your quick guide to caring for fossils:

Clean them before storage

The first step to preserving fossils is to clean them to get rid of dirt and residue. For fossils found on the land, you can use a soft brush for cleaning. For those discovered from a sea setting, use a mild solution of bleach and water. Soak them in the solution for a few minutes and then brush them to remove salt residues. Make sure to handle and brush them gently, as they are fragile.

Fix broken parts

Fossils are millions of years old, which makes them susceptible to breakage and developing cracks. Most fossils that are found are broken or have pieces missing. And the chances are that the one you found may also be in a similar state. To ensure they remain intact, it’s vital to put every broken piece together and glue them. However, be careful when gluing them and apply glue only to the area that needs to be fixed or strengthened.

Put them in a box

Whether you found a fossil yourself or bought a Hemipristis shark tooth for sale, you need to store it in a specialized box that keeps moisture and dust at bay. A fossil box should have different compartments so that you can organize your fossils properly and avoid

We all have seen them, touched them, and wondered about them, but not a lot of us know what actually happens within a female pine cone. We are specifically talking about the female pine cone not because we have anything against the male cones. The truth is, the majority of the visible cones in the forest are mostly female ones. The reason behind this is male cones’ smaller size, which makes them less conspicuous than its counterpart.

In this article, we’ll explain to you in brief what happens inside the female cone. We’ve listed down some points for this purpose. Let’s take a look at them.

• Let’s start with female pine cone formation. In the months of spring, mostly in the uppermost branches of the pine tree branches, small, green female pine cones begin to form. They come out of those branches that instead of adapting leaves, have formed scale-like structures. In these scales, you will find on the upper side, two ovules, both of which turn into a seed. All of this happen when the female pine cone is still small in size. Cell division begins to occur near the ovule’s base known as nucellus. After a while, it gets split up to create female sex cell
  
  
• Now, comes the pollination stage. We all know that male cones do the job of producing pollen. They do this on a nearby tree. This pollen then flies with the help of wind and makes its way to the female cone’s sticky fluid, situated close to the scale’s tip. This tip opens up a bit to let the pollen enter inside it. There, the pollen stays for about a year. Keep in mind that fertilization does not happen until the next spring but throughout the summer, the female cone continues to grow into a solid green structure. In the meantime, the process of breaking up of cells into sperm and eggs continue to happen, which eventually come together to create seeds
  
  
• Then, we reach the fertilization stage. Both female and male

Sperm whale, also known as cachalot, is the world’s largest toothed whale and is easily recognized by its enormous head and narrow jaw. These active predators, who prey on squids and bony fishes, are dark blue, brown, and grayish with white patches on their belly.

Despite big, square head, sperm whales are good at catching their preferred prey with their large conical teeth. Not only do they have large brains, but they also have the most powerful sonar that they use to find prey in the deep ocean. They have an incredible ability to dive to incredible depths in the sea. They can even stay down for several hours, which increases the likelihood of catching prey in the deep. Due to this predatory behavior, sperm whales generally live in deep water and are rarely seen along the coast.

Specialized sonar organ, known as a melon, and very large brain contribute to sperm whale’s characteristic block-shaped head, which is easy to identify. Their lifecycle is similar to that of humans, but female sperm whales do not reproduce until they reach their forties and give birth to only one calf at a time. As baby sperm whales cannot dive too deep, the group of mothers form a tight bond and share responsibility for protecting calves at the surface. While some mothers dive, others stay with the young until they return.

A Few Fun Facts About Sperm Whales

• The lower jaw of sperm whales is equipped with 36 to 50 conical teeth, while the upper jaw has a variety of vestigial teeth that do not erupt. Tooth collectors buy sperm whale tooth as their cone-shaped teeth ca be about 7.1 to 7.9 inches (18 to 20 cm) long and weigh up to 1 kilogram.
• Sperm whales can grow to a maximum length of 52 ft and weigh up to 90,000 pounds. Male sperm whales grow much larger than female wha

When Steven Spielberg made his 1993 blockbuster, Jurassic Park, not much was known about the Tyrannosaurus rex, or T. rex, as it is more popularly known. Back then, there were only around eight skeletal remains in the fossil record. But since then, more skeletons have been unearthed, which have changed paleontologists’ and even the general public’s understanding of the “king of dinosaurs”. In the recent years, there are numerous findings that have upended the preconceived ideas of how this creature looked, behaved and ate. Here aresome of these ideas that have been proved to be wrong.

When we think of sinister creatures lurking in the vast oceans, the shark is probably the first name to come to mind. Sharks are the ultimate predators, but they are also one of the most ancient creatures to ever live on Earth. They first evolved around 450 to 455 million years ago, and are far more ancient than even the first dinosaurs. They were there when all five mass extinction events took place and wiped almost all life off the planet, starting from the Ordovician - Silurian extinction to the Cretaceous - Paleogene extinction, but sharks survived it all. Here are some of the top prehistoric ancestors of the modern-day sharks (in no particular order):

1. Scissor-toothed shark

Scissor-toothed sharks lived around 300 million years ago, and the largest, named E. giganteus, would grow into the size of the modern great white. The shark was characterized by a uniquely curved jaw that it used to not just bite but also create slashing wounds on its prey.

2. Buzzsaw shark

The Buzzsaw shark or the Helicoprion survived the Great Permian Extinction, which was the deadliest mass extinction event on Earth. This shark is famously recognized for its spiraled tooth-whorl, which was once mistaken to be ammonite fossil. This shark was one of the first to develop the ability to regrow lost teeth.

3. Anvil shark

Known for its one-of-a-kind dorsal fin that is shaped like an anvil, the Anvil shark lived around 350 million years ago. Scientists believe that since the anvil was only found in male sharks, they may have been used for mating.

4. Ginsu shark

The Ginsu shark ruled the waters 100 million years ago. The name Ginsu came

Loved the Jurassic Park franchise as a child? Watched the terrifying Red Claw dinosaur in awe in ‘The Land Before Time’ and was fascinated by his size? Then chances are that you are still interested in these prehistoric creatures that ruled the land and the seas millions of years ago.

Given that popular culture is so interested in these reptiles, we need not really go into the details regarding why dinosaur fossils are so much in demand! However, buying dinosaur fossils can be a formidable challenge as so many fakes are doing the rounds. Where to buy one from? How do I know that a fossil is original? Will I end up paying too much? These are just some of the questions that run through the average buyer’s minds, which is justifiable since fossils are rare collector’s items.

But not to worry. In this blog, we will share a few tips with the help of which you can start the perfect collection:

1. Decide what type of fossil you want

Focus on one specific geologic time period to narrow down your search. Experts also believe that not just focusing on the popular ones may help you land a prized catch for yourself. Moreover, the ones that steal all the limelight, such as the velociraptor, or the tyrannosaurus rex can be quite pricey.

2. Research is crucial

Remember that the fossils you buy are an investment. So, spend a substantial amount of time researching their characteristics and categories. You are more likely to get a really good deal if you know your fossils well!

3. The price depends on a number of factors

You can find dinosaur claws, teeth, bones, and more in the form of fossils that can range anywhere from $30 to millions of doll

When you think about creatures residing in the deep that spark your primal fear, sharks definitely come to mind. From dangerous extinct species like Megalodon to prehistoric Mako sharks, the list is long. Let’s not forget about the modern sharks or those oceanic predators that began to appear close to 100 million years ago. Modern Mako sharks are closely related to the Great White shark and are one of the most powerful predators to prowl the vast ocean waters today. But did you know they have been featured in The Old Man and the Sea, one of Ernest Hemingway’s works? Want to know more about Mako sharks? Read on! 

Do you know the fourth-largest shark to prowl our oceans? It is the Tiger shark. Weighing approximately 1300 pounds, the Tiger shark grows up to 15 feet. Only Great Whites, Whale sharks, and Basking sharks are bigger. Good news for fossils collectors, we have Tiger shark teeth for sale!

Apart from being huge, Tiger sharks are bizarre! Want to know why we said that? Read the following facts about these creatures, and you will feel the same way.

You can call them swimming garbage disposals.

Remember the scene from Jaws in which a Louisiana plate is pulled out by Hooper from a dead Tiger shark’s stomach? That is scientifically accurate. Tiger sharks have an insatiable appetite. They eat everything, from other sharks, venomous sea snakes, and albatrosses to manmade objects like rubber tires, leather jackets, paint cans, and even license plates!

Their teeth are notched.

When you take a close look at a Tiger shark’s jaws, you will notice their teeth have dramatic notch tips pointing sideways. Another interesting fact is that their teeth on the right and left halves appear to be mirror images. They serve dual functionality! They allow the shark to grasp onto its prey and shear even the thickest of hides. So, Tiger sharks can go after just about any available prey.

Female Tiger sharks give birth to massive litters.

Females are pregnant for 14-16 months and give birth to at least 10 pups at a time. The average is 30! The newborns usually weigh between 6 to 13 pounds.

All of them don’t have stripes.

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