PAGE 1:  Moose poop ornaments, coral; emerald beetle brooch and earrings, Silver wire tree, Boar's tusk necklace; largest Cave bear skull,  gator foot coffee mugs, giant cave crystal, Paddlefish bill, Kangaroo paw back scratcher, sting ray skin, Albino Chinese box turtle, great tooth sawfish blade, small tooth sawfish blade, carrier shell, Fissil wolf tooth necklaces, Coyote tooth necklaces, Water buffalo tooth necklaces and earrings, badger claw necklaces, Sperm whale tooth necklace, Dinosaur Bone House!, Mr. Turtle, shrunken heads, buffalo vertebrae, three-eyed alligator head AND the world's only deformed gator head collection, Oosik, Ostrich, stuff from our "weird museum", glass sponge, heart cockle shell, Elephant teak trunk carving, brain and mushroom coral, fossil mud, and more!

PAGE 2:  Dinosaur embryo, Penis gourds, Frog Nesting doll, Amethyst stalactite, Ammonite jewelry, scorpion,  Jade Pillowcases, Shark in a bottle, Giant shark tooth, Mystery ivory, snake bite boxes, shark skin, fossil turtle poop, Fossil hamburger,  fossil tree branches & a mystery rock, and more!

PAGE 3:  Taxidermy Newborn Deer fawn, Skeletons of: tortoise, royal python eating shrew; Black scorpions, frog, rat, Sliced Moose horn jewelry, Skeletons of: Eastern painted turtle, cottonmouth snake, twig snake, Western Diamondback rattlesnake, White throated monitor, Gila monster, weasel attacking mole, Mamushi venomous snake, four horned ram photo, croc monitor, Gar fish, spider crab photo, shark made of fossil shark teeth, giant shell, hog island boa with rat skeleton, gimungous iguana, giboon viper skeleton, Pterois Volitans fish skeleton, Rock Python eating Uromastyx Lizard, Ugly Face Pottery 

This is an exquisite specimen of brain coral we acquired (April 2003)...but this is no ORDINARY coral .. this is a coral with a moral - Glenn says behind every BRAIN (sarcastically speaking)...there's a....(see the bottom of the page...)

Talk about being green, why not wear a bug?  

What's so weird about that?  Well, it's an Emerald Beetle from Thailand, about 1-1/2" long.  

The Thai people catch them and EAT THEM.  They pull off the wings and scoop out the nutty flavored white meat - the long-fingered ladies in particular scoop the meat out easily with their nails.  

These beetles died naturally after reproducing, then are made into pins with brass pieces with legs, glued to the bottom, and then sold as lovely insect jewelry!  

Average 1-1/2" long

Stock photo

 

#W-1  

WING EARRINGS

Average 2" long wings, on silver color French wires

Stock photo (18 pairs available) 

#W-1-A 

Average 1 to 1-1/4" long wings, on silver color hypoallergenic French wires

Individually photographed

Made of twisted sterling silver wire, on a solid rock base, hung with numerous little silver bells.  Hand made by a jewelry teacher whose class Glenn took.  Measures 21" tall and 21" wide.   A one-of-a-kind item!

Reverse side also shown here:

#W-BOAR-1.  Teeth are from 6.5" long at the bottom to 3" long at the top, measuring along the curve.  Rattan necklace is 32" long (no clasp, it just fits over the head).  A special weird thing to display, wear and own!

 (4 are available)

Phacochoerus aethiopicus

#W-BOAR-10

Skull measures 13" long x 7" wide x 7" tall; 7" tusks

#W-BOAR-11

Skull measures 13-1/2" long x 7" wide x 6" tall; 5" tusks

#W-BOAR-12

Skull measures 14-1/2" long x 7-1/2" wide x 8-1/2" tall; 9" tusks

GATOR FOOT COFFEE MUG?  

What a hoot of a conversation piece, and functional too, if you wish, as a mug, beer stein or even a pen holder for your desk.  Available exclusively from us.  Mug is black ceramic or clear glass.  Hand wash only.

This size comes from MONSTER gators over 11 feet long to get this size.  Priced as shown.

Go to the GATORS PAGE 3, item #G343 series to view them ALL, with the prices:

Gator Page 6

#W-2.  Giant cave crystal from China.  Size is 15" high x 24" wide x 4 1/2" thick.  Solid, and an incredible natural work of art.  

AMERICAN PADDLEFISH or SPOONBILL 

BILL

(Polyodon spathula)

The paddlefish is a popular sport fish with a distinctive snout that's elongated and flattened into the paddle shape, for which is it named.  The paddle is used to detect prey, and to migrate back to spawning grounds.  Paddlefish is also the oldest living species in North America.

  According to fossil records, it's OLDER THAN THE DINOSAURS!

#W-3  Genuine Paddlefish bill is 3-1/4" wide x 16" long, modern not fossil

$400  SOLD

 

#W-900-100  Genuine kangaroo paw back scratcher!  13" long, partially wrapped and sewn roo hide from paw down the bamboo stick about 6".  Keep in mind the kangaroos are hunted by government permit only, if they did not keep the numbers down they would starve in the winter, which is worse.  Then 100% of the roo is recycled (the meat is eaten, the hide is used, even the feet as you see here, much as deer here in the U.S.)  Information card comes with it.  

 $34.00 SOLD OUT

ON

#W-4-B.  Bet you'll never guess what kind of skin this is (shown top, bottom and close up, measures 19" long x 7" wide)  SOLD OUT

#W-5

This is one of our new treasures, a taxidermy of an Albino Chinese Box Turtle, 6-1/2" long x 4" wide x 1-5/8" tall, shell is 4-3/4" long x 3-1/2" wide.

(also called Leichhardt's sawfish, Freshwater sawfish, Large tooth sawfish); (Pristis microdon), 

now an endangered species.  These specimens come from collections long pre-dating the endangered status.

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Chondrichthyes

Subclass:  Elasmobranchii

Order:  Pristiformes

Family: Pristidae

Genus: Pristis

Genuine saw fish bills from northern Australia. The largetooth sawfish is a heavily-bodied sawfish with a short but massive saw which is broad-based, strongly tapering and with 14 to 22 very large teeth on each side - the space between the last two saw-teeth on the sides are less than twice the space between the first two teeth.  found in shallow tropical Indo-West Pacific oceans from East Africa to Papua New Guinea, north to the Philippines & Viet Nam, Bangladesh, coast of India, and south to Australia. 

All of these bills were imported from Bangladesh during the spring and summer of 2005.  We have certified customs documents to verify this information.

The sizes of these blades make a SPECTACULAR wall display

U.S. shipping only, Fedex ground insured shipping will be calculated to 48 states, Fedex Express to Alaska & Hawaii

#W-6-D  Juvenile Great Tooth Sawfish bill

Bill is 19-5/8" long x 1-1/2" wide base, 1-1/8" wide at tip; 1/2" thick; 37 teeth plus 1 partial tooth; average size of teeth: 5/8"

#W-6-E  Juvenile Great Tooth Sawfish bill

Bill is 20-3/4" long, x 1-1/2" wide base, 7/8" wide at tip; 1/2" thick, 39 teeth, average size of teeth: 7/8"

   

#W-6-F  Juvenile Great Tooth Sawfish bill

Measures 17-3/4" long x 3-3/4" wide base, 1-3/4" across tip; 5/8" thickest; 35 teeth plus 2 broken teeth; largest teeth are 7/8" long

#W-6-G  Beautiful great tooth sawfish bill measures 32-1/4" long, widest at base: 8-1/2", width at tip: 3-1/4", average length of teeth: 1-1/2", small strip of bill missing over one tooth root (bite mark) on back side.  Superb wide bill.  17 teeth on right, 19 teeth on left, no teeth missing, one nicked tooth tip.

#W-6-H

Bill measures 23" long x 4-1/2" widest; 30 teeth + 4 damaged

#W-6-I

Bill measures 24" long x 5-1/2" widest; 41 teeth, worn but not broken; white & red striped bottom painted on both sides

#W-6-J

Bill measures 25-3/4" long x 5-1/2" widest; 29 teeth + 5 broken; red, white & black stripes painted on front

#W-6-K

Bill measures 23-1/2" long x 2-1/2" widest; 38 teeth + 2 broken teeth *teeth appear to be deformed, highly unusual

#W-6-L

Bill measures 15-1/2" long x 1-7/8" widest; 41 teeth, slightly worn

#W-6-M

Bill measures 14-1/2" long x 1-1/2" wide; 44 teeth, slightly worn

#W-6-N

Bill measures 14-1/2" long x 1-5/8" widest; 41 teeth, slightly worn

#W-6-O

Bill measures 13-5/8" long x 2-3/4" widest; 31 teeth + 4 broken

 

Sawfish bill is 31" tall x 10" widest.  32 complete teeth (each 2-3" long)

Sawfish bill is 41" long x 11" widest; 22 complete teeth, 7 partial teeth (each 2-4" long)

Sawfish bill is 42" long x 7-3/8" across tip,12-3/8" across base, rough tip.

Sawfish bill is 44" long x 8-1/4" across tip,12" across base, rough tip.  

SOLD to Alexandria

         

It is COMPLETE, shown front and back.  It measures a full 4 foot 3" long; 34 teeth average size 2"+; bill is 10" across at the base, 4" across at the tip, 1-1/2" thick.  Superb specimen!  

Sawfish bill is 52" long x 6-3/8" across tip,12-5/8" across base. Superb specimen!    

Sawfish bill is 46-1/2" long x 4" across tip, 11-1/2" across base and width of the bill is 7-1/2, rough tip.

(Pristis pectinata) 23-34 teeth per side

The sizes of these blades make a terrific wall display.  More information below.

Actual Fedex ground insured shipping to 48 states will apply, or Fedex express to Alaska & Hawaii.  

NO SHIPPING OUTSIDE THE U.S. for these items.

          

#W-6-1.  Sawfish bill shown front and back.  It measures a full 40" long; 23 pairs of teeth average size 1-1/4"; bill is 6-1/2" across at the base, 4-1/2" across at the tip, 1" thick.    

#W-6-2.  Sawfish bill shown front and back.  It measures a full 31-1/4" long; 29 pairs of teeth average size 7/8"; bill is 4-1/2" across at the base, 3-1/4" across at the tip, 15/16" thick. 

#W-6-3.  Sawfish bill shown front and back.  It measures a full 44-1/2" long; 27 pairs of teeth average size -1-1/2"; bill is 6-1/2" across at the base, 5" across at the tip, 3/4" thick.

#W-6-4

Bill is 34-1/4" long x 6-1/8" wide at base, 2-1/4" wide at tip, 1-3/8" thickest; 52 teeth (3 missing teeth); average size of teeth: 1-1/8"

#W-6-5  MUSEUM QUALITY BILL

Bill is 52-1/4" long x 6-3/4" wide at base, 2-5/8" wide at tip; 1-1/8" thickest; 

61 teeth (none missing), average size of teeth 1-1/4"

#W6-6  Pristine sawfish bill 

Measures 37-1/4" long x 4-3/4" wide at base, 2-1/2" wide at the tip.  

26 sets of teeth, none chipped or missing.  Complete.  

Two small holes on the back for eyehooks.  

Provenance written on the back: 

"Sgt. William W. Reed

City of Palacios Key

From "boat" Cpl. W. L. Bornaur

Patterson Co.

Complements" (the best we can decipher)

#W6-7

Bill (painted green on both sides) measures 19-1/2" long x 2-3/4" wide; 40 teeth + 2 broken; tip missing

#W6-8  

Bill measures 34-3/4" long x 4-3/8" across base, 2-1/4" across tip

24 sets of teeth; 1 damaged tooth, upper right; base rough

$1500

Sawfishes belong to a group of fishes called elasmobranch that includes sharks, rays, and skates.  All Elasmobranch species have a skeleton made of cartilage like sharks.  Sawfishes are actually a type of ray.  Sawfishes all fit into one family known as Pristidae, derived from a Greek term meaning "saw".  Sawfishes possess the characteristic long, flattened, toothed saw, a flattened head and trunk, and a shark-like appearance and manner of swimming.  Once lost, the teeth along the saw are not replaced.  Sawfishes worldwide are poorly studied and no one knows for sure the number of living species, but there are an estimated four to seven species worldwide.  

Smalltooth sawfish (Pristis pectinata) 23-34 teeth per side

Largetooth sawfish (Pristis perotteti).  17-22 teeth per side

 The ranges of both species have been reported to include Florida, but only three specimens of the largetooth sawfish have ever been reported from Florida.  The typical range of the largetooth sawfish is further south and west of the state.  The smalltooth sawfish is by far the most often reported species of sawfish on both coasts of Florida.  Hundreds of specimens have been reported throughout Florida, today  more in southwest FL.

Here is a photo of a sawfish at the Ripley's Aquarium in Myrtle Beach:

(Masters of disguise)

(Xenophora Palidula, Phillipines)

Heidi's favorite, the Master of Disguise in the shell family.  As they grow, they attach a variety of objects to themselves, ranging from dead shells and coral, to pebbles and even bits of garbage left by humans (see the glass bottle top in the photo below, from a shell book).  These items slowly twirl to the center top of the shell as the shell grows larger.  A deepwater shell in most of the world's warm seas

Genuine water buffalo tooth, drilled and made into a pendant and made into a necklace.  They are worn for STRENGTH and STAMINA (very much like the Water Buffalo itself).  The water buffalo or domestic Asian water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) is a large bovine animal, frequently used as livestock in Asia, and also widely in South America, Southern Europe, North Africa, elsewhere.  There are 158 million water buffalo worldwide, 97% of the population is in Asia.

Natural teeth may be smooth or have incomplete enamel but there are no cracks, all are stable & strong.

#W35-1

#W35-3

#W35-4

#W35-5

#W35-6

#W35-8

#W35-11

#W35-13

#W35-14

#W35-15

Three tooth necklace ( 1 2-1/4" and 2 1-7/8" teeth) with white bone with red glass beads

$50

#W35-21

Black cotton cord necklace with silver tone beads

#W40-4 

One 2" badger claw on 20" brown bone bead necklace with red glass accents

#W-40-7  THREE badger claw (one 1-5/8" and two 1-1/2" long) on antiqued cow bone beads and tiger-eye beads, 20" long  $38  SOLD

#W-40-18  ONE RARE white badger claw 2" long on antiqued cow bone beads and tiger-eye beads, 19" long  $36

SPERM WHALE TOOTH NECKLACE 

FROM  FIJI TRIBAL CHIEFTAIN, 

worn by a smiling Glenn !

The ultimate Valentine's Day "Gift", Glenn was using the hot glue gun and accidently touched the side of his hand into two drops of hot glue which made a heart, around Jan. 31, 2004, close enough to Feb. 14 to make it an interesting coincidence.  

This is a house made entirely of genuine DINOSAUR BONE!  No kidding!  It's in Medicine Bow, Wyoming.  Look on either side of the "Fossil Cabin" sign for dinosaur leg bones that are the most obvious, but we checked it out and it's for real!  Ripley's calls it the "Oldest House in the World", the house that "walked 175 million years ago".  Is that cool or what?

This is a GIGANTIC 650 pound carving of a dragon turtle within the boulder, still attached inside!  Chinese artwork, estimated circa 1950's by Tsui Tsan Pin of Chekiang Providence.  Measures about a yard long, 18" wide and high.  WOWS every single person that stepped into our store (we no longer have a storefront, he now graces the foyer of our home as you can see on our home page).  Detail of carving, natural color contrasts from outside to inside of boulder (Chinese native soapstone) and sheer SIZE commands your attention!  We call it "The Ancient One".  Extremely important good luck symbol for  the Chinese -  they generally leave money at his feet and sometimes bow and back away when leaving.  The dragon turtle is also considered an important feng shui symbolism.  It was carved in an isolated area in the Province of Chekiang.

Valued at: $28,000 (this is in our personal collection, not for sale)

If you enjoy Mr. Turtle as much as we do, you can now purchase a reconstituted marble, molded mini version that is REMARKABLE on our Gem Animals page 5, click here:  Gem Animals Page 5

Shrunken heads from Ecuador (actually it's goatskin that's been dampened and stretched over a wooden face form where it shrunk and dried, was cut away from the form, and hair shaved away, lips sewn shut.  Pretty weird, wouldn't you say?)  Here's more photos of museum quality goat skin shrunken heads we have handled in the past:

We no longer sell Shrunken Heads, but we recommend you go to this site to buy:

http://www.salangome.com/ 

THERE REALLY ARE SHRUNKEN HEADS, BUT THEY'RE IN MUSEUMS

Shrinking a head to the size of a baseball is a grisly but fascinating custom. The people of South America known as the "Jivaro" in Ecuador, Peru and Brazil are well known for shrinking the heads of their enemies.  This practice dates back to 200 B.C.  Raids on alien tribes are carried out specifically to secure "tsantsas", or shrunken head trophies.  The attacks are usually small and carried out on one house where the victim may be caught unawares.  Although the heads of men, women and children are taken, it is more frequently an adult warrior's head that is sought.  The trophies bring prestige to the head takers and trap the "avenging" or "miusak" souls of their victims, giving the taker power and prevention of vengeance against them.

The first step is the removal of the head.  The skin is cut around the top parts of the chest and back, and the head is cut off close to the collar bone.  The head taker then passes a vine through the head to carry it, and makes a fast retreat.  The head is prepared over 5 or 6 days during brief stops on the return home.  A slit is made in the back of the head, and the skin is carefully removed from the skull.  The skull is thrown into the river as a "gift to the anaconda".  The skin is then boiled in plain water or an herbal solution for half an hour.  By now it is half its original size.  It is then placed over a stick and left to dry.

The skin is now turned inside out, and any remaining flesh is scraped away.  It is turned right side out again, and the slip in the back is sewn together and the mouth is tied shut, sometimes the eyes being sewn shut as well.  Several small rocks are heated in a fire and placed into the skin.  They are rolled around inside until cool, dumped, and the process is repeated until the tsantsa has shrunk too much to accommodate the stones.  Hot sand is used to continue the shrinking.  It may be hung over a smoldering fire overnight which turns the color from yellowish to black.  It may be polished with ash as well.  At this time, the head is shaped and a hot knife pressed against the mouth to dry it.  Throughout the shrinking process, the neck must be drawn closed with a string that has been sewn through it, so it will remain proportionate to the head.

The warriors enter the home village with the shrunken heads tied around their necks.  Then the tsantsa rituals begin again...there was a time when these warriors found a commercial gain from selling the heads, and made forays to other tribes for this purpose.  Governments worldwide wisely banned the sale or purchase of real shrunken heads, except for the purpose of display in limited museums.  

So now you know the story of the REAL shrunken heads!

Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum in Myrtle Beach, SC, a genuine shrunken head:

I apologize for the low quality of the picture, but it was quite dark - I should have used a flash!  But you get the idea.  Ripley's owns the largest collection of genuine shrunken heads in the world.  

Here's a better photo of a REAL shrunken head...

There's even a comprehensive book available now about genuine shrunken heads (runs about $75) that can be obtained from the Malter Galleries Inc. (go online to find the company).

Finally, if you want to see MORE REAL SHRUNKEN HEADS...

http://www.angelfire.com/id2/tower7/BwanaMuseum.htm

This is an old buffalo vertebrae with a genuine Indian arrowhead protruding from the spinal column.  Good shot!  

$135.00  SOLD

 Three-eyed Wally - our freeze-dried gator head from the bayous in Louisiana (part of our personal collection, this one is not for sale).  

Deformities such as this (a Siamese twin - see the extra upper jaw? --even an extra hole where the 4th eye would have been?) occurred when the oil companies in the 1930's took the byproduct of oil (dioxin), put it in barrels and buried it in the swamps.  It leaked into the water and caused this and other oddities.  

Glenn actually has about 380 heads in the collection  that documents this pollution by man.  We can learn from this!   See more close up photos of the collection on the Gators page 6  

Fossilized juvenile walrus oosik, polished, 9" long.   (penis bone).  Some animals, such as seal, sea lion, polar bear, walrus and raccoon do have a real bone, as you see.  How odd is that?  SOLD.    More available on the Oosiks  page (Fossils page 6).

   This is a REAL ostrich chick, taxidermied when it died at birth at an ostrich farm in California.  It is mounted on a composite base with the egg, and is 17" long x 10" wide x 7" high.  SOLD 3/18/02.  We'll leave the picture for you to enjoy!

This is one of our oddity displays in our store to give you an idea of what we have - FIRST photo - a genuine dinosaur egg, mud concretions from a glacier, strange stones formed by lightning, deformed gator feet & our famous 3-eyed Wally gator, also a blind gator; 

SECOND photo - Pre-Columbian terra cotta necklaces and also beads used in their SLUG worship, human tooth beads; and..are those REAL modern human teeth there?..only the store owners know for sure...then there's our buffalo vertebrae with the arrowhead through to the spinal column, and fossil tree branches from Alaska;

THIRD photo - Our famous Mugwump formation from Area 51 (inverted, it was caused from rainfall that solidified the sand into a type of concretion - but we like to think it was an alien creation to keep the mystery alive!); also our menacing black scorpion, and the emerald beetle made into jewelry after it's eaten.

FOURTH photo - Our Sperm whale tooth chieftan's necklace with etchings made by the natives, and giant stingray barbs (fresh) from Australia.

We've got another large display of identified fossils, (see Fossils pages) and another of unusual gemstones (Rocks & Minerals pages). 

 

You'll never guess what this is in a million years! .... give up?  It's the bleached skeleton of a GLASS SPONGE called the Venus Flower Basket (Euplectella aspergillum, phylum Porifera), belonging to a small group of glass sponges (Hexactinellida).  

This sponge lives 1500 to 15,000 feet under the waters of the western Pacific around the Phillipine Islands and Japan.  With a cruel twist of fate, pairs of small shrimp (spongicola) swim through the sieve in the top into the "bridal chamber" and enjoy meals that come through the sieve.  However, the shrimp couple grow too big to get out - the home becomes a jail - but they live happily there, producing young that leave the "home" and find a sponge of their own with their own "bride" or "groom".  The shrimp couple dies together in the sponge, so it becomes their burial coffin as well. 

For centuries, this skeleton of the glass sponge, with its pair of tiny dried shrimp imprisoned inside, was prized as a wedding gift in Japan.  Newlyweds regarded it as a symbol of a long life together into old age and into the same grave.  

One of the more unusual "wedding gifts" we've seen!

How does it form this glass? The sponge extracts silicic acid from seawater and converts it into silica, then forms it into an elaborate skeleton of glass fibers. The sponge's low-temperature process for creating and arranging such fibers may be a useful technology in the fiber optics industry, due to the fact that only high temperature methods are used in this industry now.

RARE LARGE SIZE of between 8 and 10-1/2"; there is a natural mud/sand base where it was removed from the sea floor; considerable variation in curvature and how it stands on the table or lays down.  Suitable for display in a glass dome or low two-prong display stand (not included).  

(We were erroneously told a few months ago that these were endangered, however, they are NOT endangered, they are thriving well.)

   

#W-90 

TRUE HEART COCKLE SHELL 

(Corculum cardissa)
An amazing, delicate-looking but extremely sturdy shell in the natural shape of a heart, often given as an appropriately romantic gift.  The family Cardiidae is one of the largest and best-known of bivalves. There are over 200 living cockle species and many more fossil forms.

 

Shell features are: completely symmetrical and equal sized valves; prominent umbones; strong radial ribs, which in some species carry spines; equal size muscle scars; no pallial sinus; and, two cardinal teeth in each valve. The internal margin of the lip may vary from lightly serrated to the definitely crenulated edge view, shown in the two species at right.

Found:  Indo-Pacific

Classification: Bivalvia

Subclass: Pteriomorphia

Order:  Veneroida

Superfamily: Cardiacea

Family:  Cardiidae

One of my favorite shells, a lovely natural heart shape.   It is quite flat with a bulge in the center, totally flat on the back, really no opening to speak of. 

#W-182.  This tree trunk of solid teak is NINE FEET long x Two feet high x 5 to 11" thick variation.  It was carved in Thailand with 20 elephants, all still part of the tree trunk.  We estimate its weight at 300 pounds.  We have mounted it on our bedroom wall on a custom made oak book case with a solid wood top to support its weight:

BRAIN CORAL

#W-183.  (continued from above).  Behind every BRAIN, there's a (hmmm)...a YOU-KNOW WHAT!  I'm sure we'll get a lot of mileage out of this highly unusual, natural specimen of brain coral, don't you think?   Valued at $275.00 but not for sale

#W-184. Formed when mud oozed into a bubble formed under the glacial ice, then hardened and fossilized into this bubble shape.  Photos show top and bottom.  Measures 4" x 4-3/4" x 2".

She relates: "The flowers grow wild everywhere and have big, flat heads with tons of tiny petals on top.  I was walking one day and found one that was fluorescent orange.  I picked it because I was afraid they would come mow and it would be lost.  It almost looked like it had been spray painted, but closer inspection showed it was the real color.  I called a botanist at the University of Akron about it, but no one returned my call.

The second flower down on that stalk was already showing the same orange color, but more muted.  I don't know what could be in the soil, it is near buried power lines, and close to a natural wetland area.  When I looked it up in the flower book and saw that it was in the carrot family

I've always thought you and Glenn must have the best jobs on the planet.  Sure it's work but just the experiences and learning...makes my mind spin!"  (Indeed we feel lucky, Sandra, and we learn from our customers every single day.  Thanks!  Heidi)

She also gave links to the Carrot Museum for further investigation:

http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/qal.html

Our friend Hal brought us a framed set of two shell specimens that no one in the Fossil Shell club here in Myrtle Beach can identify.  It was found on the Atlantic shore of North Carolina, both are about 5" long, the operculums intact on both.  If you know what it is, by all means let us know!  whatnext@sccoast.net :

2/24/07 update!  Research by one in the Myrtle Beach Fossil Club brought up the following:

It is a Hippoporidra-edax

Bryozoa/Cleidochasmatidae (found 120 to 180 feet in Florida waters.  Hermit crabs live in them).  Here's a link to a photo of that specimen found through internet research:

http://www.specimenshells.de/bilder/bryozoa/edax_1749.htm

This is a rare BUSYCON CANALICULATUM CHANNELED WHELK.  The rare part is that it is LEFT-HANDED (or sinistral).  It measures a linear 6-1/4" long x 3-3/4" wide.  It just sold for $380, we are honored to have been part of the transferrance of this rare item to an appreciative new owner.

Here is a photo of the usual Right-handed Channeled whelk in the Seashells of North America book:

The only left-handed whelks we know of are the Lightning Whelk and the Perverse Whelk, as shown in this publication: "Seashells of North America":

We sold it for $380 to Mark in Charleston.  Here is Hal, a friend of Helen Tilley who owns the shell, transferring it to Heidi to ship out to Mark today (2/27/07.

Friends found these bones on the shores of an island near Myrtle Beach SC.  Are the turtle plastrons (belly bones) or what?  They measure 3-5" across.

If you know for sure, give us a shout!

====================

MYSTERY SOLVED, THANKS TO TOM

This website shows many pictures and sketches of very similar plastrons. 

http://www.oceansofkansas.com/Turtles.html

http://www.oceansofkansas.com/Turtles/hayarch1.jpg

You can see that what they found were two Hyo plastrons and one Hypo.  Now,
from what species of turtle these are, I do not know.

A detailed website for ANYONE interested in turtles.  

THANKS TOM!