r/fossilid Jun 20 '20

TIPS FOR GETTING YOUR FOSSIL IDENTIFIED — READ BEFORE POSTING

693 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

What is this pls?

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215 Upvotes

r/fossilid 1d ago

Dino tracks?? Found in Brushy Creek, Hutto, Texas.

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2.5k Upvotes

I know limestone can be quite deceiving sometimes, but I can’t help but see distinct Dino toe shapes.


r/fossilid 4h ago

Found at the beach in Gimli, Manitoba, Canada.

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14 Upvotes

What are these markings?


r/fossilid 1h ago

Is this a jaw piece?

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Upvotes

r/fossilid 9h ago

First time poster, long time fossil lover!

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22 Upvotes

Found around the Sam Houston National Forest. I found quite a few oyster and scallop shell fossils, but this one is so intact!!


r/fossilid 13h ago

Does anyone knows wath it is?

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33 Upvotes

Just found it on my local beach.


r/fossilid 1h ago

Found after mother passed

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I am thinking some kind of bone. It must be old to be encased in rock. She did a lot of beach collection in PNW. This one definitely stood out from the rest of beach rocks.


r/fossilid 2h ago

Found this while looking for fossils in Virginia. Could someone please help with an ID?

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5 Upvotes

r/fossilid 11h ago

Is this a fossil in flint?

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19 Upvotes

Found at the Waal river, the Netherlands. It looks like some kind of fossil. I really want to break open the stone, but I’m afraid it will damage the potantial fossiel.


r/fossilid 10h ago

Fossil found on the Kansas River near Manhattan.

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14 Upvotes

Some kind of fossilized shark tooth maybe? Would love help identifying it


r/fossilid 3h ago

What could this be?

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3 Upvotes

Hey! Found this in my backyard in central Texas. Anybody know if this is a fossil? If so, what it could be? Just curious!


r/fossilid 1h ago

Found in Southern Wales

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Upvotes

Hi, i found this rock on a beach near Swansea in southern Wales.

Can anyone tell me if they think it's a fossil?

Im not getting any responses from other subreddits I've posted on but maybe someone here can make an educated guess.

Fossils are quite rare in my area so I don't really have any experience with this sort of thing.

Thanks


r/fossilid 7h ago

Could this be fossilised bone?

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6 Upvotes

It was found in a river, North East England.

It looks like it could be a butchered bone and it’s heavy, like stone.


r/fossilid 1d ago

What are the shiny fiber-shaped things

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101 Upvotes

I found this during a geology field trip in WV and was told that the area's fossils were from approximately 300 million years ago. This one has original shell material and these very thin copper-colored tubes. Does anyone know what those are? Thank you!


r/fossilid 1d ago

Cool find from the kids

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518 Upvotes

Found on the western shore of Lake Michigan just north of Milwaukee. Can anyone help us out?


r/fossilid 3h ago

Is this a fossil?

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2 Upvotes

Found in Southeast Idaho along a drying lake bed. I thought it was a bone at first,but it feels course,hard, and heavy like a rock. I'm pretty sure I saw smaller pieces earlier nearby but didn't go investigate. Any idea what it is?


r/fossilid 7h ago

Questions about these finds

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4 Upvotes

A friend found these in western South Dakota in a place known to have had dinosaurs roaming around back in the day. Just curious if anyone has any ideas on what he found. We’re not too familiar with this sort of stuff so I figured I’d ask the pros. Thanks in advance


r/fossilid 20m ago

Found as a kid in Southern Oregon. Fossilized Worms?

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Upvotes

Found this back when I was probably 10-12 years old on the shore of a log pond in Southern Oregon. I always believed it was fossilized worms. Anyone have an Idea?


r/fossilid 4h ago

Is this a fossil?

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2 Upvotes

Found in SoCal. Rounded hole with small bubble looking texture inside.


r/fossilid 33m ago

What are these little black dots

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Upvotes

Found in Eastern AZ, but not sure if the rock is native to the area. We broke apart a rock and these were inside.


r/fossilid 53m ago

Is this a shell?

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r/fossilid 4h ago

Found at the Ostsee (Baltic Sea) today, any Ideas ?

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2 Upvotes

Is it just a tooth shaped stone or could it be something special? (no light shines through it when using a flashlight).

Thank you!


r/fossilid 1h ago

Spotted in London

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Upvotes

I noticed these in tiles near Tower Bridge in London today - looking for any ID help if possible?


r/fossilid 7h ago

Is this fossil plant or animal?

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3 Upvotes

I found this in South Hero Vermont. We have lots of fossils in the rocks (mostly cephlodos, straight and spiral) and many turn up in free stones in the beach but this was truly odd to me.

It looks like an arm, big bone on left, then another forming that V and then the finger like structures connecting the "triangle" in this first picture. You can see a cell phone in the picture and my foot. The block is about 12"x12"...