VIRTUAL TOUR

PRIVATE SHARK & FOSSIL MUSEUM

of GEORGE POWELL, NORTH CAROLINA

August of 2009, George kindly allowed us to take photos of the entire museum to share with you.  Photo of George with Heidi below:

and George with Netherlands friends Mark and his son  Luuk showing off one of the teeth George found at the PCS Phosphate mine, and with Laura, Mark's fiancé, who were thrilled to view his special collections.

He is a National Treasure, due to his attitude towards the preservation of fossils for future generations, the many years he spent collecting the fossils he loves, and his working relationship with the Smithsonian Institute.

Another news article about George, and how he shares his knowledge of fossils, using some of his 100,000 fossils from his collection.

(Ancient toothed whale) Squalodon atlanticus/Shark Tooth Whale

This skeleton was reconstructed to show the 20 associated spinal vertebrae as they would have been arranged in life.  Collected over 2 days in Nov. 1990 from the Calvert Formation, a Miocene age sedimentary formation found along the Potomac River in Westmoreland County, Virginia.  It took six months to repair and reconstruct this six foot section of the spine.  The specimen is missing its skull, which may have been 3-4 feet long, and about 4' of tail; so altogeether the whale would have been about 14' in length.

Drawing of Squalodon, by Jayson Kowinsky

Squalodon toothed whale teeth, a tray full

RECONSTRUCTED DENTITIONS (i.e. Putting a jaw of teeth back together again in the right spots) - of Isurus xiphodon (Extinct mako), Nototynchus (Cow shark), Hemipristis serra (Snaggletooth shark), Galeocerdo cuvier (Tiger shark), and Carcharhinus sp. (Gray, dusky & bull shark)

Fossil Megalodon shark teeth - Trays of Carcharocles Megalodon

FALSE MAKO SHARK, Pacotodus benedini, Pliocene, Yorktown Formation, Lee Creek

Associated sets of fossil shark teeth in matrix, Morocco

9 sets of Shark teeth show a side view of how a row of teeth moves from back to front of the jaw.  Each tooth that grows is 1-3% larger than the tooth in front of it.  Each file (set) is independent of the others and moves up as needed.  The front teeth are called "Functional teeth", all of the others are called "unerupted" or "replacement" teeth.

Isurus Hastalis (Mako), Notorynchus Primigenius (cow shark), Hemipristis serra (

FOSSIL MAKO Shark teeth, in sets

Isurus Xiphodon (Mako), Isurus Hastalis (Big-tooth Mako)

Carcharocles Megalodon

Odontaspis Hope Winkleri (sand tiger shark), Galeocerdo Contorus (Extinct tiger shark),  Carcharhinus leucas (bull shark), Galeocerdo Cuvier (tiger shark) shark teeth

and a well endowed fossil coral that is a sure conversation piece to all visitors

Fossil SEAL and WALRUS bones

Fossil Walrus tusk, male

Fossil FISH JAWS and GILL PLATES

Fossil FISH TAILS and COPROLITE

FISH VERTEBRAE

Ray Dental plate, Aetobatus sp. Narinari, Yorktown formation, Pliocene, Lee Creek Mine

A new species, the only type of bone of its kind

Aurora Fossil Fair, May, 2010

George estimates the sperm whale was 30-40 feet long in its entirety, at an age of 8-12 million years old.  Paleontologists normally use Ear formation to ID the type of whale.