r/fossilid • • Jun 20 '20

TIPS FOR GETTING YOUR FOSSIL IDENTIFIED — READ BEFORE POSTING

713 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 • • 3h ago

Ice Age Mammalian Fossil?

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40 Upvotes

Found this very large bone while exploring a cave in a sinkhole plain in Missouri. It was found about 60 to 80 feet down in a pebble based stream bed with light mud covering it. Found on private land with land owners permission. Looking to ID what species it’s from. From the research I’ve been able to do I suspect it’s from the ice age. Weighs approximately 3 kg. 13 inches in length, 6 inches at its smallest diameter 10 inches in diameter at the largest part before the “knuckle”


r/fossilid • • 7h ago

Soft-bodied fossil found in the Wheeler Ampitheater in Utah USA alongside these trilobites (Perenopsis and Kingii I assume)

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23 Upvotes

r/fossilid • • 15h ago

Found in Germany at a lake in Brandenburg

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44 Upvotes

What is that? Does anybody know?


r/fossilid • • 1d ago

Fossil ID? Found in a creek bed in Texas

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236 Upvotes

What is this fossil??


r/fossilid • • 3h ago

Hey, Everyone. Does this look like crinoid to you, or something else? Found in Montana.

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3 Upvotes

I’m new to this. I have lots to learn. Would appreciate any insights. :)


r/fossilid • • 5h ago

These were found at Kinnickinnic State Park in Wisconsin along the St Croix River. Wondering if they are fossils, and if so what they might be

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5 Upvotes

r/fossilid • • 7m ago

What is this??

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• Upvotes

What is this? I picked up from auction. Check the pic with tags for details.

It sounds like wood when I knock on it.

It all seems to be one piece and strangely smoot.

The “tooth” is somehow fused.
What


r/fossilid • • 9m ago

SW Ohio Fossil Find

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• Upvotes

I am at a loss with what to label this. There is a pair of curved pieces with indents in them layered on top of each other, but looking almost shorn apart, like cards being fanned out in a deck. My first thought was some cephalopod remains that were damaged before or after fossilization. Im also wondering...the area around the deep indent at the bottom of pic 1...is that matrix to be removed or part of the organism/fossil? Im wanting to ID this primarily to understand how to approach this specimen. I find the mated curves very intriguing and id hate to mess that up. Trammel Fossil Park, lower Corryville formation area. Southwestern Ohio.


r/fossilid • • 11h ago

I think it's a sea urchin fossil or something? What do you think? At the Maasvlakte in the Netherlands

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7 Upvotes

r/fossilid • • 23h ago

Solved Found in the river today Southeast US, thought crinoid but now I’m not sure.

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65 Upvotes

Pictured - Front/Back


r/fossilid • • 1h ago

Tooth? Bone?

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• Upvotes

r/fossilid • • 9h ago

Fossil ID and removal

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5 Upvotes

r/fossilid • • 10h ago

Is this a fossil?

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5 Upvotes

I found it in the northwest of las vegas. Ai tells me it could be an ancient horn coral when the valley was a sea


r/fossilid • • 3h ago

Shark tooth found in Manasquan NJ

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1 Upvotes

r/fossilid • • 1d ago

Is this a worm?

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236 Upvotes

Found this in Nice, France on the beach!


r/fossilid • • 8h ago

Fossil found need help identifying

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2 Upvotes

Found in southern Ottawa , Ontario, Canada


r/fossilid • • 8h ago

Shark teeth from Morris Island ID request

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2 Upvotes

r/fossilid • • 17h ago

Marine fossil id

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12 Upvotes

Found in lower hunter nsw Australia


r/fossilid • • 20h ago

Is this a mosquito?

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17 Upvotes

r/fossilid • • 11h ago

Something is fossilized in this rock right?

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3 Upvotes

Rock & fossil idiot here but my kid is obsessed with them. What do you all think?


r/fossilid • • 5h ago

I found this interesting piece and just wanted to share.

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1 Upvotes

r/fossilid • • 9h ago

Gravel mix fossils?

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2 Upvotes

Just like the title, I found these 2 rocks in some gravel mix and they are about 30-40mm long. The formation looks organic, but I'm not sure! Any ideas?


r/fossilid • • 1d ago

Footprint found in Canyonlands National Park

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24 Upvotes

r/fossilid • • 18h ago

How do you rate this piece?

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6 Upvotes

This is a piece I really care about! It was given to me as a gift, but I don't understand its value or whether it can be fixed :(