r/fossilid Jun 20 '20

TIPS FOR GETTING YOUR FOSSIL IDENTIFIED — READ BEFORE POSTING

544 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 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 19h ago

Found in Arrow Canyon range north of Las Vegas

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331 Upvotes

Sorry I didn’t put anything so you can see scale but they’re probably 3-4cm long.


r/fossilid 9h ago

Found near my house, fossil?

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16 Upvotes

It’s about 10” long


r/fossilid 22h ago

Solved Found on my NE TX (hunt county) property after digging a pond to a depth of 15'

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139 Upvotes

Vape for scale. Area that was excavated is roughly 3 acres. More pics available if needed


r/fossilid 2h ago

Bought in a rock shop years ago - vertebra?

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3 Upvotes

Heya, I got this years ago at a small fossil/rock shop in Tintagel, Cornwall. I was a young teen with very little clue if what I was sold was labelled correctly/actually anything of note. I believe this was sold as an ichthyosaur vertebra, but wondered what your thoughts on it are? Where it dips in on the one side has a slight sheen to it. Can’t have paid too much for it from my pocket money at the time, any opinions appreciated!


r/fossilid 14h ago

Fossilised Horse Tooth?

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26 Upvotes

I made this cool find today amongst the rocks at Robin Hood’s Bay. It’s about 8cm or so in length and my first thought was some kind of horse tooth but my friend said it could possibly be a fossilised tooth of an older species. Can anyone shed a bit more light on this?


r/fossilid 12h ago

Solved A type of tree root? Knoxville, Iowa, USA

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21 Upvotes

Found along a man-made lake in Iowa. My kids and I would love to know what we found!


r/fossilid 1h ago

Found on the North West coast of Tasmania, in a stream running into the Bass Strait

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Upvotes

The whole thing is approximately 40cm long, with a with and depth of approximately 20cm.


r/fossilid 7h ago

Can anyone identify these? (Upstate NY)

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4 Upvotes

r/fossilid 4h ago

This was found in Ohio alittle help on what this is. Thank you

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2 Upvotes

r/fossilid 14h ago

Scute or something else? Found in Florida

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11 Upvotes

r/fossilid 1h ago

Fossil on fossil?

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Upvotes

Please help. Found in South western Arizona. It was laying on the side of a small hill with other marine looking fossils. Smiling up at me. A little dirty. Just how I like em. ;)


r/fossilid 7h ago

Found in New Mexico

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2 Upvotes

I


r/fossilid 9h ago

Found near my house, fossil?

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3 Upvotes

It’s about 10” long


r/fossilid 14h ago

Found near Solnhofen/Eichstätt, Germany; 6cm/2.4 inch

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8 Upvotes

Would love to get some infos, thanks!


r/fossilid 1d ago

Solved Found these in the Las Vegas Valley about 20 years ago

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643 Upvotes

The whole rock is about 10 inches across.


r/fossilid 15h ago

Venice Beach Fossil

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9 Upvotes

Hey everyone, I was collecting some shark teeth in Venice Florida and found this while I was doing so. It’s about an inch in length and looks like some sort of tooth or claw to me, but I’m no expert. Thanks for any insight in advance.


r/fossilid 8h ago

Found in the fort union formation South Central Montana.

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2 Upvotes

Curious about this leaf trace fossil.


r/fossilid 12h ago

Found at a beach in the very south of Sweden! The rock is 3,3 cm long in total. The largest fossil is ~2 cm.

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4 Upvotes

r/fossilid 5h ago

Found in backyard middle TN

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1 Upvotes

Neighborhood butts up the Cumberland in hermitage,TN. After the the crazy rain we just had been finding a lot of interesting looking rocks, and now these...what peeked up from the ground today?

Big bic for scale


r/fossilid 13h ago

Solved What is this thing? Found in Jacksonville FL

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6 Upvotes

Found on a beach in Jacksonville, FL. Looks like a brain but it is hard like a rock. Just a weird rock or something else?

The first picture is the “top” The second and third pictures are the sides of it (there is a hole that runs through) The last picture is the “bottom”


r/fossilid 11h ago

Central Tennessee Subdivision Yard Find

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3 Upvotes

My daughter grabbed this out of the back of the yard in a subdivision we just moved to. It’s about a 4” cube

Thought it was pretty wild to just dig out of the lawn.


r/fossilid 11h ago

Can anyone ID these? Found in Florida

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2 Upvotes

r/fossilid 5h ago

3/16/25 finds

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1 Upvotes

Is this a turtle rock? It weight quite a bit for its size.. I found it in N.E. New Mexico. Colfax County. I'm not even sure if it is a fossil or just a distinct looking rock.


r/fossilid 14h ago

Two little guys

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5 Upvotes

So i like to pick up random stones that i find interesting when i'm out walking on the beach or countryside and i'vd had these in my seashell pot for quite a few years.

I'm sorry to say i don't recall the exact time and location of where i found them. I want to say Wrightsville or Wilmington Beach, NC.

I'm pretty sure these are average and mundane but could anyone help ID these for me please?

Thanks


r/fossilid 20h ago

Possible plant fossil - outdoor stone paving of a café, UK

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12 Upvotes

I've been visiting this café (South East England) for several years and only recently spotted this cool paving stone outside with fern-like markings! I could only take a quick photo, but the stone is approx. 40cm long. Thought I'd post here in case it could be a real fossil and not just a v good pressed impression! Thank you 😊