 Mark your Calendar for FossilFest 2026 March 21 - 22 |
TBFC Season 2025-2026 updates: Next Club Meeting is Jan. 10, 2026 @ 7pm EDT (Second Saturday!) New Irvingtonian Site with Dr. Bob Sinibaldi and Joseph Branin in the USF Behavioral Science Room #103 (In-Person) Next Peace River Monthly Trip: Jan. 10, 2025 [Yes, the same day as the meeting] (Paid, Active Members only and water levels permitting) - Zolfo Springs Guage Next CEMEX Center Hill Trip: Jan. 14, 2025 (Paid, Active Members only. 18 or older. Limit 20 People) - Check the Chronicles for Details Next Brooksville Trip: Jan. 7, 2025 (Paid, Active Members only. 18 or older. Limit 20 People) - Check the Chronicles for Details Next Bone Valley Fossil Farm Trip: Jan. 24, 2026 [SOLD OUT], Feb. 21, 2026 (Sign up during the Jan 10 meeting!) (Paid, Active Members only. Limit 20 Adults) Crystal River Holcim Mine: Apr. 25, 2026 (Paid, Active Members only. 18 or older. Limit 20 People) - Check the Chronicles for Details For any updates you can check the Field Trips page or the Calendar for details! contact us or send us a Facebook message if you have questions. |
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Interested in being a Vendor for our 2026 FossilFest show on March 21 & 22?
Find more info on our new FossilFest Vendor page. View FossilFest information, send us your questions, access the application form and sign-up today! |
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Be sure to renew your Fossil
Permits! Never Dig into the River banks! Collection of Artifacts is Illegal on Florida state owned land!
President's Message
2025-2026 Season
Closing Out 2025
And just like that, 2025 is coming to a close. For the past few years, my December messages have carried a familiar theme: “Get out there and hunt for some fossils!” The summer rains have once again helped uncover fossils long hidden beneath the riverbeds. It’s one of the few benefits we gain from the rough weather many of you endure during Florida’s lengthy rainy season. If we’re spared any more major storms, I believe we’re in for an excellent winter and spring fossil-hunting season with plenty of exciting finds. The rain has finally eased, water levels are dropping, and the Peace River is already knee-deep in several areas.
TBFC’s river trips are the second Saturday of the month (water levels permitting) and are for active club members only. I look forward to seeing the fossils you’ve uncovered during “show and tell” at the January meeting. There’s no better time to start planning your river excursions, whether for SCUBA diving or screen-washing. Join one of TBFC’s field trips or connect with other fossil hunters through our Facebook page to coordinate outings. And remember to keep those hunting permits up to date!
We had an outstanding scholarship auction at the November meeting with a fantastic turnout. We raised a solid amount to support scholarships in the coming year. My sincere thanks to Dr. Bob Sinibaldi for serving as auctioneer, and to Luke Gruender for keeping everything running smoothly on the floor. A special thank you as well to John and Cheryl Jacobs for managing the auction logistics, tracking bidders and winners, and crunching the numbers at the end of the night. It was a long evening, and I appreciate everyone who attended, donated, bid, and helped make the event a success. Thank you all.
New Members! - Over the last few meetings, we’ve been thrilled to welcome an increasing number of new members. It’s genuinely exciting to see fresh faces in the crowd, and we look forward to getting to know each of you, both at our meetings and out in the field. If you’re new to TBFC, thank you for choosing to join us. You are now part of a community of almost 600 fossil enthusiasts who share a passion for discovery, science, and Florida’s rich prehistoric past.
We meet monthly (except July and August), typically on the first Saturday. Schedule updates to the website will be made, as occasional schedule changes do occur. Field trips are also listed here and discussed at each meeting. We encourage you to attend regularly and join us afterward for a late dinner, where the conversation continues, usually about fossils, but not always, until the restaurant finally asks us to leave.
FossilFest 2026: - A reminder that FossilFest 2026 is right around the corner (March 21 & 22, with setup on March 20). Please mark your calendars and plan to volunteer for our biggest event of the year. Volunteer scheduling will begin in January. As we wrap up the year, I wish all TBFC members peace, joy, and togetherness this holiday season. Merry Christmas and Happy Everything! I also wish you all a prosperous—and fossiliferous—2026.
Be good to one another and stay safe out there.
Good Hunting,
Missed a meeting or just want to watch it again? You can view our past meeting recordings or live streams in the playlist below (Also found in the About section):
Announcements
Next Meeting Presentation
Jan. 10, 2026 (Second Saturday)An Equus Dominated Middle Irvingtonian Site Dr. Bob Sinibaldi and Joseph Branin
(or Joe and Dr. Bob Go Diving)
7PM IN-PERSON CLUB MEETING at USF Behavioral Science Room #103
About half a million years ago, several horses, sloths, armadillos
and other animals fell into a sinkhole in Florida’s Big Bend region
and died. Over time, sediment filled the pit, preserving the animals
until fossil collectors Dr. Bob Sinibaldi and Joe Branin discovered
them in 2022 while diving in the Steinhatchee River.
The tannin-filled water makes visibility extremely poor. “It’s like
diving in coffee,” Dr. Bob explained. After an unproductive day of
hunting, Joe spotted horse teeth, followed by a hoof core and a
tapir skull. The discoveries quickly multiplied, many in pristine condition.
“It wasn’t just quantity, it was quality,” Dr. Bob said.
As the Steinhatchee River slowly shifted course over thousands of
years, it eventually eroded into the ancient sinkhole, washing fossils
onto the riverbed. Paleontologists at the Florida Museum of Natural History
determined the fossils date to the middle Irvingtonian, a
poorly documented period of the Pleistocene ice ages. Before this
discovery, only one Florida site had yielded fossils from this time
period.
“The fossil record everywhere is lacking this interval,” says Rachel
Narducci of the Florida Museum. The site helps fill a major evolutionary gap,
particularly for animals that changed size and form
during this period.
One example is the extinct armadillo-like genus Holmesina. Earlier
species averaged 150 pounds, while later ones grew to nearly 475
pounds. Fossils from the site show animals with the larger body
size but older skeletal features, revealing that size increased before
bone structure adapted.
Roughly three-quarters of the 552 fossils recovered so far belong to
early caballine horses. Their abundance suggests the area was once
open grassland, unlike today’s wooded landscape. The horse fossils
are unusually complete, allowing scientists to study teeth and diet
in ways rarely possible.
The site also produced an unusual tapir skull with mixed features.
While it may represent a new species, researchers say more material is needed.
Dr. Richard Hulbert emphasized that the discovery highlights the
importance of collaboration between hobby collectors and scientists.
Further excavation will be slow due to the underwater conditions, but
researchers believe many more fossils remain to be uncovered.
Come to the January 10 meeting to see Dr. Bob and Joe’s presenta-
tion on this Middle Irvingtonian site and to see some of the fossils
coming out of the location.
Tampa Bay Fossil Chronicles
Hopefully you’ve noticed that TBFC has stepped up its game with the newsletter each month.
Please check out all of the articles in each issue. Only TBFC members receive the Chronicles, we don’t post it online or on Facebook.
Be sure to renew your Fossil
Permits! Never Dig into the River banks! Collection of Artifacts is Illegal on Florida state owned land!
