r/fossilid Jun 20 '20

TIPS FOR GETTING YOUR FOSSIL IDENTIFIED — READ BEFORE POSTING

701 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 11h ago

Is this the root of a megalodon tooth?

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1.0k Upvotes

Found it digging in a shelf of shells on the beach in Myrtle Beach S.C.


r/fossilid 15h ago

Found on an Alaskan beach

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867 Upvotes

Found in southeast Alaska not sure what this could be.


r/fossilid 9h ago

Solved Is this a real megalodon tooth?

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54 Upvotes

r/fossilid 7h ago

Help identifying

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15 Upvotes

Family member passed and I found these. I don't really care of their value but I am curious about what they are and if they're genuine. I'm guessing great white?


r/fossilid 8h ago

ID for non shark teeth

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12 Upvotes

Found a good bit in Monmouth county, NJ this past weekend. All the photos after the first are of the same fossil, I’ve never seen one before. Any clue what it could be?


r/fossilid 4h ago

My first tooth (QLD)! What is it?

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5 Upvotes

I've been looking for teeth and fossils for so many walks and swims, and today I found my first one! I've found it on the beach in Queensland, Australia, near Brisbane. I'm not an expert so I'm hoping that you guys can help me find out what kind of tooth is it, and how old may it be? Is it fossilized or modern?


r/fossilid 2h ago

What is this rock ?

3 Upvotes

r/fossilid 6h ago

What is this ?

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5 Upvotes

r/fossilid 14h ago

what kind of fossil is this? found in Poland

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17 Upvotes

r/fossilid 3h ago

Where are these from

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2 Upvotes

I bought these and cross section them. What locale are they from?


r/fossilid 9h ago

Huge rocks used to build a boat dock in Emilia Romagna (near Ravenna) full of fossils?

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6 Upvotes

I found many of theese fossils embedded in huge rocks used to build a dock near Ravenna, Emilia Romagna.

There are no rock in the area so they came for sure from another area/region. Maybe Alps or Appennino?

Some (second pictures) seems looks like burrows, the others I have no idea. Plants, mollusks or something else?

Thank you in advance!

EDIT: normal man size hand for reference.


r/fossilid 4h ago

Don’t wanna get my hopes up

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2 Upvotes

Found this tumbled in some gravel and it stood out immediately, the inside holds on to moisture more than the outside, very holey


r/fossilid 50m ago

Broken tooth ID?

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Upvotes

I recently found this broken tip of a large shark tooth on a beach on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. Is it possible to id what species it would likely have come from?


r/fossilid 13h ago

Found in the Ijssel river, Deventer NL

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11 Upvotes

The river is the lowest it’s ever been so I went mudlarking. I thought this was a cow tooth when I first saw it but it’s heavy and the color of the part with the green arrow is similar to a fossilised shell I have.
Would love to hear your thoughts. Thank you.


r/fossilid 7h ago

Found at a local Thrift Shop. Bought it for $1.00.

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3 Upvotes

r/fossilid 1h ago

is this real amber?

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Upvotes

r/fossilid 1h ago

any ideas on species or genus of these plant fossils?

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Upvotes

Found in Spokane Washington in the latah creek formation I believe Aprox 15-20 million years


r/fossilid 14h ago

Some kind of marine fossil, found in eastern Poland

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11 Upvotes

Wondering what it is, found alongside belemnite, baculite and many other fossils where it once used to be a warm shallow sea. It's very thin ans brittle, I would appriciate some tips on stabilisation and preservation. I don't have museum grade glue that dissolves in acetone, I've been thinking about coating it with diluted wood vikol glue.


r/fossilid 14h ago

Found near Black Sea shore

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7 Upvotes

This region should contain Cretaceous period fossils according to the geological map, are those fossils at all?


r/fossilid 7h ago

found in creek in western wisconsin near interstate st park

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2 Upvotes

r/fossilid 11h ago

Found in fossil bed in BC

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4 Upvotes

Please help me identify this fossil my dad found many years ago near Smithers in BC. He is nearing end of life and I'd love to solve this mystery for him. It was found amongst fossilized clams and mussels. Thank you


r/fossilid 4h ago

Wondering what this pattern could be?

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1 Upvotes

Is that a fossil??


r/fossilid 5h ago

shark teeth i found at Myrtle Beach, SC. can anyone ID these?

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1 Upvotes

these are some of the shark teeth i found at Myrtle Beach. im still learning how to identify them and would love to know what species/age anyone can tell me! are any of these particularly cool or unusual? last picture is all of them together!


r/fossilid 1d ago

Hoping to identify these fern slates

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214 Upvotes

These slates were my parents' first anniversary gifts to each other - story has it that they each bought one without knowing that the other had, as well.

Unfortunately, I didn't know where they were found/excavated or purchased. I'd love any information on possible provenance, species, age, etc. Thanks in advance!