Compiled from decades of visiting beaches along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts collecting fossils and conducting extensive research, A Beachcomber's Guide to Fossils is the definitive guide for amateur collectors and professionals interested in learning more about the deep history they tread on during their vacations. Authored by Bob, Pam, and Ashby Gale, this guide offers over twelve hundred high-quality color photographs and detailed descriptions of more than three hundred fossil specimens found on beaches from Texas, east to Florida, and north to New Jersey.
The book includes descriptions and identifying information for the fossil remains of mammals, reptiles, birds, and fish. Because the tides provide a new beach to explore every day, and beachcombers need immediate comparison for identification, the
Beachcomber's Guide is essential for quick and easy reference. And while the seemingly infinite varieties of shark teeth form much of what beachcombers find on their sandy strolls, this guide also illuminates the fossilized remains of species that walked in a different world. From glyptodonts (a giant, prehistoric armadillo) and giant sloths to the intricately patterned remains of the ancestors of manta rays and pufferfish, this book not only teaches its readers not only what treasures to look for but how to look for them.
Gale, Ashby: - Ashby Gale dreamed of being a paleontologist from an early age, and received a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from Appalachian State University, in Boone, NC. Ashby performed much research for the classification and identification of the specimens in this book. In his free time, he enjoys searching for fossils, wildlife photography, and playing his saxophone. Ashby is currently a Ranger with the South Carolina State Park Service, where he manages the Edisto Beach State Park Environmental Learning Center. His work includes offering interpretive programs, managing the center's wildlife aquariums and fossil collection, and leading hikes on the beach and in the maritime forest.
Gale, Ashby: - ASHBY GALE is a paleontologist and the principal of Charleston Fossil Adventures, LLC, in Charleston, South Carolina. He previously served as an interpretive ranger and a program specialist at Edisto Beach State Park, South Carolina, where he became the park's authority on coastal paleontology, adding to its fossil exhibits and designs. He has authored multiple articles for Explore Edisto magazine and provided photographs for their natural history segments.
Gale, Bob: - Bob and Pam Gale have collected fossils since 1986, when they enlisted the help of naturalist Rudy Mancke to lead a guided beach walk at Edisto Island, SC. Along with seashells and other beach life, they were introduced to the fossil world and immediately became hooked. Since that time, they have built a significant collection and added to their fossil expertise with repeated site visits and research.
Bob holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Geology and Biology from the University of South Carolina and serves as Ecologist & Public Lands Director for MountainTrue, an environmental nonprofit organization in Asheville, NC. Much of the writing for this book was artfully penned by Bob, who has written for South Carolina Wildlife, American Forests, Sea Kayaker, Hilton Head Monthly, Islander, and co-authored The Highroad Guide to the North Carolina Mountains. He has featured fossils in some of his articles.
Gale, Bob: - BOB GALE is the Ecologist and Public Lands Director for MountainTrue, an environmental nonprofit organization in the mountain region of North Carolina. He spent fifteen years as a nature photojournalist, and his articles on forest, river, beach, and saltmarsh ecology, as well as paleontology, have appeared in South Carolina Wildlife, American Forests, Islander, and other publications. He also authored the natural history sections for the Highroad Guide to the North Carolina Mountains.
Gale, Pam: - Pam Gale is a dedicated artist with a Bachelor of Art in Art Education from Limestone College and is a National Board Certified Teacher. Pam founded and directed "Kreation Station" on Hilton Head Island, and has taught at numerous elementary schools, as well as on site teaching at the Westin Resort and the Hilton, Hilton Head Is., SC. She now enjoys making handmade paper and marbled products for local stores, craft fairs, and online businesses. She continues to research, illustrate, and collect fossil specimens.
Gale, Pam: - PAM GALE, a working professional artist, taught art for many years in elementary schools in the Carolinas. She is the founder of Kreation Station, an art instruction studio on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. She also founded and runs Majik Studios, LLC, in Asheville, North Carolina, a teaching studio of professional artists, from which she produces her own art and illustrations.
Mancke, Rudy: - RUDY MANCKE is past curator of natural history at the South Carolina State Museum, founder of the South Carolina Association of Naturalists, host of the award-winning television series Nature Scene, and is naturalist in residence at the University of South Carolina.
