Sea Fossil - Templeton, CA
Posted by: 
saopaulo1
N 35° 33.016 W 120° 42.259
10S E 708091 N 3936492
Fossil in front of the Templeton Historical Museum.
Waymark Code: WM140JV
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 03/23/2021
Views: 2
"Many, many, many years ago, the area where we now live was covered by the oceans, and they were inhabited by various creatures, including this one. From the shape, most thought it was a fossilized sea turtle. Dr. Dean Enderlin, a historical anthropologist, identified it as a baleen whale skull with part of the spine and shoulder blades. Its age range is guessed to be from 7 to 18 mil-lion years old! Dr. Enderlin explained most fossils are encased in sandstone , concretions like this example. He also `- ' stated that baleen whales have no teeth, so the jaw bones are tricky to identify. He believes that this fossil is actually upside-down as currently displayed. This specimen is definitely a rare find.
This balen whale fossil was discovered around 1999 by Johnny Maduena of Paso Robles in a ditch bank on the Gates' Ranch in Shadow Canyon off Highway 46 West. It was placed in the yard of Mrs. Maria (Busi) Gates. The fossil was donated to the museum by the children of the late Mrs. Gates on December 17, 2007. "
What kinds of fossils are found here:
whale fossil
Admission Fee: no
Link for more information about this site: Not listed
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