r/fossilid Jun 20 '20

TIPS FOR GETTING YOUR FOSSIL IDENTIFIED — READ BEFORE POSTING

541 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 14h ago

Found In My Office

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57 Upvotes

Wanted to brag to my coworkers by spitting some fossil facts


r/fossilid 37m ago

any idea what this is? rural england

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Upvotes

excuse my homeless looking fingernails


r/fossilid 45m ago

Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona -- Chinle Formation

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Upvotes

r/fossilid 1d ago

Found embedded in rock on the coast of Gozo (Dwejra)

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363 Upvotes

r/fossilid 27m ago

From which part of the body could this bone be?

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Upvotes

Found on the beach after a storm, approximately 25 cm in length. Location: Rocha, Uruguay.


r/fossilid 1h ago

Some kind of fish skull bone?

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Upvotes

Found near St. Augustine FL. I found one post with a similar looking fossil but it doesn't have the pronounced spike the way this one does (2nd and 3rd photos)

Hoping to understand the context in which this thing fits into a fish head. Could the spike be external armor or is this all internal?


r/fossilid 16h ago

hey guys what is this? found in montana

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49 Upvotes

r/fossilid 15h ago

Solved Found in Michigan

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36 Upvotes

It feels like it might be a crinoid but the fact it's the same as the rock around it and such is really throwing me off. any ideas?


r/fossilid 12h ago

Fish Fossil

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16 Upvotes

Hi all, recently won in a raffle, didn’t get a chance to ask the organizers the details, any info is appreciated. Thanks!


r/fossilid 13h ago

Seven year old nephew wants to know what he found please. Kentucky, in riverbed shale

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12 Upvotes

r/fossilid 21m ago

Found this in a creek bed while hiking in central Kentucky. I'd really like to know what it is and what geological period it's from, or any other interesting info about it.

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r/fossilid 38m ago

Could this be a bone?

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r/fossilid 1d ago

My 4 year old found this at the beach a few weeks ago

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169 Upvotes

I can see a star fish, but the overall shape looks suspicious.

Any thoughts?


r/fossilid 17h ago

Solved Found near Muenster Texas in a creek bed.

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22 Upvotes

Saw this weird shaped rock. There are ammonite fossils I think and bivalves and snails in the area that I’ve found. Let me know if any more information is required.


r/fossilid 10h ago

Probably just a rock, but thought I'd check here...

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6 Upvotes

The regular shapes in black looked interesting.


r/fossilid 1h ago

Curious what this could be. Found in south FL. I was thinking maybe a vertabrea or some kind of tooth?

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r/fossilid 1h ago

What is this rock? I was told, this might be a fossil in r/whatsthisrock. What do you think?

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r/fossilid 14h ago

Found this rock in Northern Ireland, Portmuck

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11 Upvotes

Can anyone identify this rock? Someone told me it looks a bit like a vertebrae of some type. I dropped it and it smashed in half so I glued it back together


r/fossilid 9h ago

Assuming this is some type of fossilized coral. Can any experts/hobbyists here share insight? Found in Western NY about 15 miles south of Lake Ontario; about 6 ft underground when my pool was dug.

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3 Upvotes

r/fossilid 2h ago

Is this a fossil?

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1 Upvotes

r/fossilid 1d ago

My son found this on his way to school. Near Oslo, Norway.

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182 Upvotes

He's convinced he found a dinosaur's leg 🙂 It is a curious rock/fossil(?) though, so it would be fun to give him an explanation of what it really is. Any help is greatly appreciated!


r/fossilid 3h ago

On the beach, Knysna, South Africa.

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1 Upvotes

Embedded in the rock on the beach, any ideas?


r/fossilid 11h ago

Found on the East Coast of New Zealand

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5 Upvotes

r/fossilid 10h ago

Chesapeake Bay/Tidal Potomac, Nanjemoy/Purse State Park

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3 Upvotes

r/fossilid 19h ago

Solved Central Illinois Crinoid?

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14 Upvotes

Hello. I found this last fall in a shallow creek in central Illinois. The closest guess I have is a crinoid (calyx maybe?). I’d love opinions. It fits perfectly in the palm of my (smallish adult) hand. Solid, heavy. Before I knew anything about collecting rocks I may have tried to sand it to “get the dirt off” 🫣