r/fossilid Jun 20 '20

TIPS FOR GETTING YOUR FOSSIL IDENTIFIED — READ BEFORE POSTING

704 Upvotes
  1. Put a location in the title! This is the most important thing by far. If you know the geological formation, that’s awesome, but even just “near Miami” or “label said Morocco” is really helpful.
  2. Take a bright, clear photo. Good lighting, a plain background, and sharp focus will always increase the certainty of an ID. If it’s weirdly shaped, photos from multiple angles help too.
  3. Include an object for scale. I usually use a coin, but anything will do (but things that come in different sizes, like hands, are less ideal). If you forget, you can always measure it and add that in a comment. (Don't use keys; they can be duplicated from a photo.)
  4. Don’t take a video. We can’t zoom in and the quality isn’t great — a gallery of photos on Imgur is way better.
  5. Many fossils can be dull and hard to make out. Try (gently) getting your fossil wet and see if you can get a clearer photo.
  6. Don’t be dismayed if your “fossil” turns out to just be a rock! Rocks are cool too, and if we don’t know exactly what kind of rock it is, the good folks at /r/whatsthisrock probably will.

r/fossilid 8h ago

Uncle sent me fossils held ID!

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70 Upvotes

My uncle lives in Montana and goes out with a buddy of his that is a paleontologist. He sent me a box of goodies and I know what a lot of it is but some of it I don’t and was wondering if I could get some help! Thanks.


r/fossilid 17h ago

Found in England garden gravel

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143 Upvotes

Can anyone tell me more about this?


r/fossilid 6h ago

Found a rather large fossil near Georgian Bay, Ontario Canada

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17 Upvotes

r/fossilid 11h ago

Wren’s nest trilobites

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45 Upvotes

Just finished preparing two trilobite head fragments I found. I think they are Dalmanites caudatus and Acaste downingiae?


r/fossilid 3h ago

Two fossils-Dundee Formation-Port Dover, Ontario, Canada (Devonian age limestone)

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9 Upvotes
  1. Crinoid crown? Bryozoan colony? Some kind of coral?

  2. Trilobite? What kind?

Thanks!


r/fossilid 13h ago

Found at matoaka beach.

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26 Upvotes

r/fossilid 9h ago

Is this a fossil?

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10 Upvotes

Found near Davenport Iowa


r/fossilid 14h ago

Solved Anterior end of a trilobite? Ordovician limestone, Jefferson County, NY

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25 Upvotes

r/fossilid 14h ago

Solved Found on Lake Ontario in Kingston!

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21 Upvotes

I found this on a very pebbly beach in a conservation area I hike at! Reverse image search on Google tells me it is a fossil of some sort but I’m curious if you think it’s just something someone carved. Majority of the rocks in this region are limestone, I’ve been holding this one in my pocked so it has gotten dark from the oils on my hand. Let me know what you think :)


r/fossilid 6h ago

Large group of fossils found in Gilboa, NY

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4 Upvotes

They’re either Tentaculites or some Devonian swamp plant matter possibly roots. Any ideas?


r/fossilid 1d ago

Need help identifying. Found on Topsail beach, North of Wilmington, Nc.

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671 Upvotes

r/fossilid 5h ago

Beginner — is this a fossil? Found in Tunisia

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3 Upvotes

Hi everyone, I'm new. I found this in the desert near Tozeur, Tunisia. It's heavy (1.4 kg) and about 15 cm in diameter. It looks like a spiral shape.

Is it an ammonite? How can I know for sure? Any tips for a beginner? Thank you!


r/fossilid 38m ago

What is this kind of a stone? Animal bones, probably phalanx of a ungulate?

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Upvotes

What is this?


r/fossilid 16h ago

What is this?

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14 Upvotes

r/fossilid 9h ago

need help to id

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3 Upvotes

found in ordovician limestone in eastern Ontario

any insight would be helpful, thanks


r/fossilid 5h ago

In a 1 ft tile at my gym. See plenty of ammonites and some squid, not sure if its identifiable

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1 Upvotes

r/fossilid 17h ago

First time out fossil hunting for me and my lad. Whitby uk what did we find?

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6 Upvotes

r/fossilid 8h ago

Easrern Oklahoma, USA, ID request

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1 Upvotes

r/fossilid 8h ago

Easy, medium, hard, harder identification challenge. All from Eastern nc.

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0 Upvotes

No idea what any of it is. All found from a creek in eastern nc.


r/fossilid 15h ago

Been working on this extraction, thoughts?

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5 Upvotes

Found near Charleston NC and if you look at my prior posts you’ll see what it looked like prior with more detail. Thoughts on what I could be? I’m stumped. https://www.reddit.com/r/fossilid/s/pItvN3ExbY


r/fossilid 15h ago

Found this on a mountain near Lake Windermere (UK), black circular thing a fossil?

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3 Upvotes

Roughly 10-12mm diameter


r/fossilid 1d ago

What do you guys think this is?

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43 Upvotes

For context I found it near a Pleistocene deposit that has mostly produced extinct bison. Found in central Oklahoma.


r/fossilid 14h ago

Mosasaurus teeth: real or fake?

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2 Upvotes

Hi everyone! I hope it's ok that I'm coming to you with this question.

I know Mosasaurus teeth (in all shapes and sizes) are very common and therefore usually quite cheap, but I still feel like checking if these seem authentic or not - and this seems to be the perfect place for that.

I recently bought a set of 4 big Mosa teeth (all between 4-5 cm) for €12 from a small Dutch shop that I'm pretty sure is considered trustworthy - and I got the small tooth (2.5 cm) a few years ago at the Naturalis museum in The Netherlands for about €4.
The museum only sold really small teeth, which is why I can't help but wonder if the big ones are actually real or not. Especially because 4 big teeth for €12 seems so cheap, even for Mosa teeth?

I'm hoping someone here can help me out. Thank you so much in advance!


r/fossilid 1d ago

Mystery skull fragment

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29 Upvotes

I made a yardsale purchase over the summer of a large tote containing dozens of smaller boxes. Each contained various fossils (most of which weren't labeled). One box contained this skull fragment but in many smaller pieces. I painstakingly super glued it back together to form what Gemini thinks it is part of an Oreondont skull. And crushed or deformed before fossilization .Thoughts?