Serious rock hounds from all over Texas and Oklahoma visit Lake Texoma and they don't bring their boats or bathing suits. They are not really interested in the water. They come for the rocks only. Lake Texoma is home to some exciting fossils, if you are a collector. Some of the fossils most commonly seen on Lake Texoma's rocky shores are called Ammonites. Ammonites are found in sedimentary (sediment deposited in water) rocks all around the world and they are easy to identify by their ridged, spiral shape. Ammonites are creatures that are no longer living on earth. They represent an extinct group of cephalopods, otherwise known as squids, whose bodies are contained in spiral shells. Although the chambered nautilus is still alive on earth today and it is recognizable by a spiral shell, it is not a member of the same group that became extinct during the same period as dinosaurs, about 65 million years ago. Look around by the Denison Dam,near Eisenhower Park and you may very well find these lovely fossils yourself. Some of them are small, but some can weigh 50 lbs or more. Ammonites the size of dinner plates are not uncommon. Naturally, more fossils are exposed in dry seasons, so now is a good time to go fossil hunting. Take your hiking boots and bring your water shoes or sandals along as well, since you might find yourself wading in the lake before your collection adventure is over. There are loads of great photos posted online in posts and articles about fossil-hunting trips going back many years. People have been coming to collect Ammonites and other fossils along the Red River long before Lake Texoma was formed. All the limestone deposits that include fossils were deposited out of a huge ocean that covered this area millions of years ago. Type "Lake Texoma fossils" into your search bar and you will find many hours of interesting reading. PLEASE NOTE - Under Title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, 327.14- Destruction, injury, defacement, removal or any alteration of public property including, but not limited to, developed facilities, natural formations, mineral deposits, historical and archaeological features, paleontological resources, boundary monuments or markers, and vegetative growth, is prohibited except when in accordance with written permission from the district engineer. See this document for more info.