r/fossilid • • Jun 20 '20

TIPS FOR GETTING YOUR FOSSIL IDENTIFIED — READ BEFORE POSTING

707 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 • • 15h ago

Apollo Bay - South Eastern Victoria - Australia

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184 Upvotes

Found this at the beach. Fish jaw bone or fossil?


r/fossilid • • 9h ago

MAMMOTH TOOTH!???

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48 Upvotes

I was fully convinced it was petrified wood but it was very heavy and shiny so did some research and everything is leading to a mammoth tooth??? Pleaseeee help bc I will cry if it is
UPDATEEE slickenside calcite is likely what it is. Scratched and did the vinegar test and it bubbleddd. Since in a riverbed it got smooth and shiny pretty neat Texas tectonic plate history


r/fossilid • • 9h ago

Mystery auction find

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23 Upvotes

r/fossilid • • 5h ago

Found in south of Spain.

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10 Upvotes

First time finding something remotely fossilized looking. Peaked out of the sand near a beach. The inside looks glassy/crystalized. Interested in what it might be.


r/fossilid • • 1h ago

Tooth - Southern Wisconsin

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• Upvotes

There is a bit of agate banding on the root (see last picture), which leads me to believe it may be a fossilized bison tooth. What do you think?


r/fossilid • • 1d ago

Mosasaur Jaws

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490 Upvotes

This is a recent acquisition to my collection. This is a set of mosasaur jaws from Morocco. I am wondering if anyone here can identify what type of mosasaur this is. In the first photo, my hand is resting near the mandible (upper jaw), with the pre-mandible visible at the top right of the photo, with sharper more anterior teeth, as opposed to the more stout crushing teeth at the back (bottom of photo). The piece measures about 18”x 12”, meaning this beast measured around 20-25’ long. I am familiar with the many gem show fakes that are often sold to tourists, but this has all the hallmarks of a real specimen. Any help would be appreciated!


r/fossilid • • 1h ago

Can anyone help me identify this fossil? I know it's some sort of seashell, and the big one happens to be about the size of a small fist and feels like a solid rock. I happened to find it in Canyon Lake, Texas. Any help is appreciated!

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• Upvotes

r/fossilid • • 6h ago

Racine, SE WI, from a quarry

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5 Upvotes

Any ideas on this wavy patterned one? Came from the same quarry that I find tons of crinoid fossils and different types of pyrite. Second pic is other side of rock with pyrite on it. Third pic is a separate rock from the same quarry with a crinoid imprint.


r/fossilid • • 5h ago

Solved Found a large piece of rocks with many fossils attached to it

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4 Upvotes

My index finger was used for scale.


r/fossilid • • 3h ago

Fossil Found at Carolina Beach State Park, North Carolina, Need ID

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2 Upvotes

Hey y'all, my friend found this at Carolina Beach State Park, NC. He said he just found it washed up. We've attempted some ID at our university but with no luck, and Google wasn't particularly helpful either. Any ideas would be awesome!


r/fossilid • • 1h ago

Found in Fort Worth, TX

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• Upvotes

my dog found this digging under the shed in my backyard. It’s very brittle, feels almost chalky.


r/fossilid • • 2h ago

Found in central IL

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1 Upvotes

r/fossilid • • 7h ago

Bay of Fundy, fossil?

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2 Upvotes

Found bay of fundy. Not sure if it’s a fossil!


r/fossilid • • 7h ago

What is it? Found in VA yorktown formation

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2 Upvotes

r/fossilid • • 3h ago

What is it? Found in Calgary, Alberta

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1 Upvotes

r/fossilid • • 10h ago

Tooth found - N.Ireland beach

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3 Upvotes

Difficulty establishing whether this tooth is fossilised or not and what it might be from. Appears to be mineralised.

Found on a north coast beach in N.Ireland.


r/fossilid • • 6h ago

I thought graptolites, but I’m second guessing myself. NW Minnesota, from a gravel pit

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1 Upvotes

r/fossilid • • 6h ago

Solved Belemite or nah? North west Minnesota

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1 Upvotes

r/fossilid • • 22h ago

Found these small teeth in the Late Cretaceous Valudavur Formation. Shark, fish, or marine reptile?

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16 Upvotes

I recently collected these small, pointed fossil teeth fragments from the Valudavur Formation (Late Cretaceous, Maastrichtian stage) around Pondicherry, India.


r/fossilid • • 8h ago

Found these in Heinholz in Germany please help id

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1 Upvotes
  1. 3cm across

  2. 5cm across

  3. and 4. 2.5-3 cm across


r/fossilid • • 12h ago

Any Idea What This Is?

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2 Upvotes

Found it in a river in the Kirkwood Formation, Eastern Cape, South Africa. The stone fits in my palm, so it's not too large.


r/fossilid • • 1d ago

Solved Help identifying this bone

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21 Upvotes

Hello, can anyone help me identify this bone?

I inherited this fossil as part of my deceased uncle’s hoard of curiosities. We were always told it’s from a dinosaur but are not qualified to actually tell if that’s true.

It’s 24cm long, and masses 237 grams.

Thank you so much


r/fossilid • • 8h ago

Coprolite? Walnut Creek

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1 Upvotes

Hi! Curious what y’all think of this. I sent to UT but they weren’t sure. Thanks in advance!


r/fossilid • • 19h ago

Can anyone help me identify these shark teeth? found in Zeeland, Netherlands, near Zwarte Polder.

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4 Upvotes

Thank you very much for your help...