Pictured: Fossil Recovery Exploration offers a dry dig tour during summer months. Photo courtesy of Fossil Recover Exploration.

For most people, a day spent digging through the mud, sand and dirt wouldn’t be ideal–that is, of course, unless you’re hunting for fossils along the banks of the Peace River. Located just east of Sarasota, the muddy riverbed and surrounding land of this blackwater river hold the keys to an entryway to Florida’s past. Deep within the layers of sediment is a unique array of fossils, dating back tens of millions of years to the time when the Floridian peninsula was covered in ocean. Fluctuating sea levels have made the region a haven for fossil hunting–Megalodon teeth can be found in the same area as remnants of land mammals such as mammoths, mastodons, giant-sloths and saber-toothed cats.

Located in nearby Arcadia, Fossil Recovery Exploration is the outfit with the expertise and resources available to provide an unforgettable fossil hunting experience. “A tour begins in the morning. Folks arrive and we give them a little lecture on the history of the area and show them examples of the different types of fossils they’ll encounter,” says tour guide and owner Chris Mandell. “Then you board your vehicle of choice, be it a swamp buggy or airboat or whatever we may offer, and take it to the area of choice where we begin the dig. We dig alongside the participants all day long and give away everything we find, educating as we go.”

While the fossil hunting season is typically at its peak from December to May–lower river levels make digging for fossils a whole lot easier–Fossil Recovery Expeditions has recently expanded its offering to the summer months as well. In the case where river levels are too high to properly dig, the company offers a dry dig in the surrounding area, the only raw land site fossil layer dig available in Florida. “A little while back, we discovered an abandoned retention pond and after digging around found fossils buried into the sides of it. We’ve ended up making that our dry dig, which has become our main summer option,” says Mandell. “Because the location is just 500 feet back from the river bank we can safely airboat customers directly to the dry dig which is an awesome experience.”

2208 Calusa Lakes Blvd, Nokomis, 585-880-3150, www.fossilrecoveryexploration.com.

Pictured: Fossil Recovery Exploration offers a dry dig tour during summer months. Photo courtesy of Fossil Recover Exploration.

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