Dr. John M. Turner, an optometrist from Hattiesburg, MS, grew up in the Panama Canal Zone. As a youth he collected fossils as a hobby. Dr. Turner shared his fossils, including the tooth of a Gomphotherium (extinct relative of the elephant) during a chance encounter with PCP PIRE Principal Investigator Bruce MacFadden.

This exciting new find, and the story behind it, was profiled in two parts in the PCP PIRE eNewsletter (Part 1 | Part 2).  Dr. Turner’s fossil finds were also recently profiled in the Hattiesburg American. We are grateful to Dr. Turner for his generosity with his fossil finds and his willingness to tell his story.

Check out this Flickr album provided by Dr. Turner from his time in Panama.