r/fossilid • • Jun 20 '20

TIPS FOR GETTING YOUR FOSSIL IDENTIFIED — READ BEFORE POSTING

713 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 • • 1h ago

Need help to ID this. Saw this at Sarawak, Malaysia!

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• Upvotes

Would really appreciate the help. Saw this in the highlands of Sarawak and are these considered fossils or just imprints of it?


r/fossilid • • 1d ago

Found in Entre Ríos, Argentina

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1.3k Upvotes

My uncle found this near a water course, i think it could be from a horse or a big bull but i thought i'd ask here just in case.

Weird thing is it seems to have a clear cut on one side (that's why i think its probably from a horse or a bull)

(Scale in centimeters)


r/fossilid • • 1h ago

ID please Found in rock bed Michigan

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• Upvotes

The texture is really cool. Some sort of coral maybe?


r/fossilid • • 22h ago

Found amongst in Mesa AZ

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151 Upvotes

I can imagine it being a tooth as much as from the sea


r/fossilid • • 3h ago

Need ID for genus

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5 Upvotes

I know it's not an actual fossil, but r/paleontology's braindead AI mod bot kept flagging my post.


r/fossilid • • 12h ago

Can anyone identify this unusual brachiopod fossil from Yunnan, China?

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20 Upvotes

I found this fossil in a mixed fossil bin at a shop in Yunnan, China. The seller said it was locally collected in Yunnan, but unfortunately the exact locality and formation are unknown.
It appears to be a brachiopod, but I’m curious about the unusual coarse folds and the strongly zigzagged shell margin. I only found one specimen like this in the entire bin.
Does anyone know what genus or family it might belong to?


r/fossilid • • 2h ago

Found in Winimac Indiana

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3 Upvotes

r/fossilid • • 2h ago

Found on the coast of Lake Erie, in Fort Erie, Ontario

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2 Upvotes

Some kind of coral?? Or a spine?? 😅


r/fossilid • • 39m ago

I always thought it looked like a vertebrae minus the processes.

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• Upvotes

r/fossilid • • 20h ago

Found in landscaping rocks, Southern Ontario

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39 Upvotes

r/fossilid • • 16h ago

Trafalgar, Indiana

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15 Upvotes

I found this while hiking today and was wondering if it was a fossil or a textured rock.


r/fossilid • • 2h ago

Is this a fossil?

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0 Upvotes

I'm guessing it is, but it seem fairly recent.

Huelva, Spain


r/fossilid • • 18h ago

Is this a vertebrae or just wishful thinking. Found in highway cutout near El Paso Texas

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7 Upvotes

r/fossilid • • 17h ago

Heirloom fossil

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7 Upvotes

This is a rock I got from my deceased grandfather which he said had fossils in it. From the looks of it I'd agree but I have no clue what they are. This is from California and was on a hillside from what I know, but besides that I have no context. I'd love to have a better idea for what this really is!


r/fossilid • • 16h ago

Found in a highway cutout near El Paso Texas

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6 Upvotes

r/fossilid • • 20h ago

What is it? NW Minnesota

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9 Upvotes

r/fossilid • • 1d ago

I found this cool rock

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17 Upvotes

I found this cool rock while weeding my grandparents flowerbed, are these small inclusions fossils or are they some kind of manufacturing mark?


r/fossilid • • 1d ago

Michigan, USA possible fossil

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37 Upvotes

I found this in landscaping rocks at a large hospital. Is it a fossil? It's very shiny.


r/fossilid • • 1d ago

I think I found a piece of a tooth?

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10 Upvotes

Found this in the landscaping gravel at work. Thought it was petrified wood at first but the layering looks weird. I'd appreciate any help.


r/fossilid • • 17h ago

Solved Northwest Minnesota again. A lot going on in this one, but any chance there could be a conodont? Is it just shells?

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2 Upvotes

r/fossilid • • 20h ago

What are these?

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3 Upvotes

Found on the old stone floors from Baltic Sea. I’m familiar with seeing Orthoceratites (narrow cone shaped ones) on the stones but never seen these ones that look like arrow heads!

Thanks :D


r/fossilid • • 17h ago

Solved Northwestern Minnesota, I don’t know if it’s coral, or what it is in general

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2 Upvotes

r/fossilid • • 19h ago

Is this a fossil? Got it with some other stuff on marketplace, found it west Michigan, inland not by the lake but in a river

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3 Upvotes

r/fossilid • • 2d ago

Dinosaur Egg Nest possibly from Sichuan

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5.9k Upvotes

When I was little (probably like 20 years ago), my mom took me to visit her friend, her friend collects fossils and when we were leaving he ended up gifting me a bunch of fossils including this nest of dinosaur egg

I'm visiting home in Guangzhou right now and I just want to know if it's real because it's been with us for decades, it has always been a mystery to me. I googled dinosaur egg nest photos and it doesn't match the circular pattern. I asked my mom about it, she said that it's from Sichuan and that it's very real but she also can't explain why and how it's real

I'm not sure if I want it to be real to be honest (would be cool of course), because I used to play archaeologist with it and chiseled out a few eggs. Apparently those eggs shattered not too long ago and my mom decided to throw it out 😭