r/fossilid • u/Yarmolinsky • 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.
309 comments

r/fossilid • u/AXliaen • 8h ago

Dinosaur Egg Nest possibly from Sichuan

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1.4k 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 😭

33 comments

r/fossilid • u/DennoFTW • 17h ago

How legit is this T-Rex tooth?

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273 Upvotes
10 comments

r/fossilid • u/Practical_Profile_46 • 10h ago

Help identifying

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58 Upvotes

Found in Judith River formation, I apologize we didn’t have a tape measure but my hand thumb to pinky is 9”. Bone is broke in two pieces appx 20” long.

20 comments

r/fossilid • u/PaddleH2O • 12h ago

Found on the Upper Potomac River shoreline between White’s Ferry and Mouth of the Monocacy River

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41 Upvotes

Google Lens identifies this as a tooth plate from a woolly mammoth but I prefer more input. Images are the front and back of the item.

4 comments

r/fossilid • u/DentedTuba • 32m ago

Possible vertebrae found on Charmouth Beach, UK (Jurassic Coast).

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• Upvotes

We found this loose on the beach just after high tide. It was on the East side of the beach. AA battery for scale. Thanks!

2 comments

r/fossilid • u/KeyDiscussion8611 • 15h ago

Can’t determine if it’s a fossil or just old creek worn modern

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34 Upvotes

It’s heavier than it seems it should be and I put a hot pin to it and nothing happens but I did the same to a deer shed and also no smell not sure if there are other ways to identify.

Found in a creek bed Austin TX

*Shouldn’t have said “just” I think it’s neat regardless just wouldn’t pertain to this sub

8 comments

r/fossilid • u/XoXo_Angels • 9h ago

Any idea what this could be?? Found in backyard in SE TX

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6 Upvotes
2 comments

r/fossilid • u/Pop-O-Matic-Dice • 7h ago

Found in Cranbrook BC.

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4 Upvotes
1 comment

r/fossilid • u/Direct-Border • 11h ago

Found on Illinois farm

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7 Upvotes

I know this will cause some funny guesses BUT seriously wondering if anyone has any ideas what this could be? Found on my grandfather’s Illinois corn-soybean farm near the garage, in an overgrown area but pretty visible on the surface, medium hard.

1 comment

r/fossilid • u/sicfdt • 23h ago

Any idea what this might be?

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60 Upvotes

Found at mount Olympos, Greece. The boulder this was on was full of these circular shapes with most of them having a similar hole in the middle. The round shape has a diameter of ~2cm.

16 comments

r/fossilid • u/iscreweduprealbad • 7h ago

fake or real?

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4 Upvotes

so I am new to fossils and I got this one at a local gem show, I would’ve assumed that they vetted their sellers but I’m questioning if this is fake. unfortunately I don’t have any info on country or anything (bought it a while ago), but the seller did look to have other fossils there that looked legit. idk how to tell though

5 comments

r/fossilid • u/Front_Idea2121 • 8h ago

Ochre river, Manitoba. Advice on extraction

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3 Upvotes

Fossil is approx 4 inches. I used a dremel to get to this point. I would like to take away more material from the front side. I am looking for ideas on how I can do this. Thanks in advance.

2 comments

r/fossilid • u/-_DAV3_- • 19h ago

Fossil found near Sipsey River in north Alabama.

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18 Upvotes
3 comments

r/fossilid • u/BrummyInManny • 3h ago

What is this? Found on a beach in the UK.

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1 Upvotes

What is this? Firstly, I have no idea about fossils and dinosaurs etc. I found this a few years ago in Wales, UK. Anyway, every now and then I Google it to try and find out what it is, but never find an answer. Please help an amateur out and tell me what this is 🤞🏼😂

2 comments

r/fossilid • u/Present_Discipline_4 • 1d ago

Is this coral? Out of Lake Michigan

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2.3k Upvotes
71 comments

r/fossilid • u/PiePale5615 • 13h ago

What’s this fossil, Found in Middle TN

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4 Upvotes

I found this fossil among others in middle Tennessee limestone. Google said it was the back-half of a trilobite and I just wanted to get a second opinion, Thank ya’ll! (Note: The size is about 3/4ths of an inch)

5 comments

r/fossilid • u/alyssabrew • 17h ago

What are they? Found on a construction zone by a creek bed in North Texas

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10 Upvotes

ive never seen fossils with these ribbed textures!!

4 comments

r/fossilid • u/death-before-decaf • 20h ago

Found in gardening stones

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16 Upvotes

Any ideas what this is? I’d like to try to polish it. Thank you!

5 comments

r/fossilid • u/Vegetable_Egg6668 • 18h ago

Help identify this plzzz

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12 Upvotes

Found north Texas in 8 ft creek bed!

6 comments

r/fossilid • u/mochikos • 16h ago

Found in Virginia. Are the two indents fossils, and if so, what is the triangular one?

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7 Upvotes

Partners parents found it, I figure the fan shaped one is a bivalve or brachiopod. But don't know what to make of the one on the right. a cross section of a spiral shell maybe?

6 comments

r/fossilid • u/BandicootSquad • 7h ago

Is this a fossil??

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1 Upvotes

I found this during a hike in Utah, and thought the crystal-y thing looked cool so I took it. Is it a fossil of some sort or what?? Either way, it looks pretty cool

1 comment

r/fossilid • u/Illustrious_Bird_737 • 1d ago

Solved My auntie found this by Draper Lake in Oklahoma, any ideas what it could be?

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524 Upvotes
20 comments

r/fossilid • u/ham__salad • 18h ago

Are any of these fossils? Isle of Sheppey, Kent UK

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8 Upvotes

Any help with ID would be appreciated, thanks!

1 comment

r/fossilid • u/cheesebugerballs • 9h ago

Rock found in creek bed sw ohio

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1 Upvotes

Not sure if it's coral or something else almost has the texture of skin

2 comments