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Hi, I was wondering if it is possible to identify what animal a vertebrae came from. I'm pretty confident it is a small back boan. It's just over a cm in diameter, and 4mm 'high' and was found at low tide on Monmouth beach in the UK. UK 5p for size reference.

I am back with another one I cant quite work out! Being quite amateur I am still learning, so apologies if I'm mistaken on rock type etc. This was found on the jurassic coast of the UK, on the beach near Charmouth and is in shale/mudstone so already trying to break apart as you can see. I've been wondering if it's a sponge or root of some kind, or just mineral like pyrite as it has a goldy metallic sheen in some light, although it seems too brittle for that and has got what looks like more calci(?) layers when I look at the ends. Any help from all of you lovely lot would be greatly appreciated! Side note: if it is a fossil is there a good way to preserve these delicate shale ones to avoid the crumbling? I've been looking at the guides but there is so much information I might be tying myself in knots a little

Hi all, Bought this tooth online a while back. It was sold to me as "Ichthyosaurus platyodon" (which I understand to mean Temnodontosaurus platyodon) from Lyme Regis. Likely found by the seller themselves, as I know they occasionally collect fossils there. However, for the following reasons, I'm not sure about this attribution: Overall, the tooth doesn't look like your typical ichthyosaur tooth to me: It has more of an oval rather than round cross-section It's labolingually flattened Messial and distal carinae run the full length of the crown and divide the tooth into labial and lingual parts While fine striations can be seen on one side of the tooth (presumably the lingual side), the other side (which would be the labial) seems entirely smooth - though some traces of rare striations can be seen on the photographs The striations are much more similar to those of crocodile or pliosaur teeth than to the plicidentine condition so typical of ichthyosaurs The horizontal banding on the tooth surface is unfamiliar to me with respect to most marine reptile teeth I have seen, but occurs much more frequently on crocodile teeth of various species I also bought another tooth with the same attribution from the seller, more or less around the same time. This one has no striations whatsoever, has a more rounded base, is less flattened and has a more rounded tip. It also has carinae. I therefore reclassified it as a probable Goniopholis sp. crocodile tooth. Now I know that not having the root makes it more difficult to identify this particular specimen, but I was hoping someone on this forum might be able to help me, as currently it goes without label. I've considered crocodile, plesiosaur and even pliosaur, but all of these have some reservations that prevent final classification. For one, none of these groups have teeth that are typically flattened like this, nor do plesiosaurs (sensu lato, thus including pliosaurs) have carinae. Crocodiles, then again, would either have or not have striations all around the tooth. And what to make of the banding: is this just preservational, or does it reflect the internal structure of the tooth - i.e. outcome of the tooth's ontological growth? Tooth measures 18 mm and is missing the tip. Thanks in advance for your help!

Hi, I am Angie and I've been fossil hunting for about 6 years now and as with most ( I am sure) starting to look for the more elusive and difficult to find! I try to search around the jurassic coast in Dorset, thankfully a manageable 1.5 hour drive from my hometown in mid Cornwall. I try to get there as much as possibly during the colder months, and I'm not adverse to the summer too (there's always something to find!) Getting snowed in at Seatown for the beast from the east, was .... an experience! So far I've made a few friendly fossiling contacts via Instagram (319cornishexplorer) and they are really helpful. I've already spotted a few on this site from there too! Another friend suggested trying this site to get more help, advice and guidance with my finds. So thanks in advance.

Hi all, I had a little trip to the Jurassic coast this weekend gone. During that time I found a lovely bit of iridescent ammonite poking out of a rock that had slipped down. There are a number of other ammonites in the rock too. I was wondering if anyone had advice/criticisms of my prep plan. I've not worked with iridescent ammonites before but understand them to be quite flaky. Step 1 Soak to reduce salt water content. I've given it a good soak in tap water last night. Not sure if more is required but on previous fossils from the coast I've never had any issues doing it that way. Step 2 10% paraloid solution on the exposed iridescent section. Step 3 Use a prepping pick to carefully remove the matrix and as I go, add further paraloid to freshly exposed ammonite. I want to avoid using my Dremel as I think the vibration could cause damage potentially. Do this sound ok to you all?

Mary Anning: Lyme Regis fossil hunter's rare biography published BBC News, January 12, 2023 The open access paper is: Taylor, M.A. and Benton, M.J., 2023. The Life of Mary Anning, Fossil Collector of Lyme Regis: a Contemporary Biographical Memoir by George Roberts. Journal of the Geological Society, pp.jgs2022-053. Yours, Paul H.

My aim for the last year or so has been to find a Nautilus on the jurassic coast in Dorset Uk. On my last visit I did find a few chunks, that feel like I am barking up the right tree! I know the first photo is of just a section, but am I looking at the right sort of thing to hit my Nautilus goal? It is approximately 15inches across. And the second image is a reverse side which has been heavily eroded but the shell is protruding around the entire outer edge of the stone. If so, what would anyone suggest regarding prepping these and even if they are suitable/ worth attempting? I only have basic tools i.e. my dremel with fossil tips from zoic palaeo, and the standard pointy tools for manual picking, etc 20221130_140810.mp4

A priceless fossil destroyed in WWII has resurfaced in an unusual way Ashley Strickland, November 4, 2022 "The original fossil was highly significant in being the very first complete skeleton of any prehistoric reptile fossil ever found at the time,..." The open access paper is: Lomax, D.R. and Massare, J.A., 2022. Rediscovery of two casts of the historically important ‘Proteo-saurus’, the first complete ichthyosaur skeleton. Royal Society Open Science, 9(11), p.220966. Your, Paul H.

I found this stone while hiking along clay cliffs in the Jurassic Coast England after heavy rain. Hoping to confirm if it is indeed a fossil or just an unusual looking stone.

By looking at this image where, in your opinions, is best to start fossil hunting? The base of the Sierra de Los Filabres was the Iberian coastline until around 8 million years ago when the rest emerged from the sea. We live 15 minutes from Almeria on the coast and have a fascination with sealife. As this sedimentary area was under the ancient sea, it would seem a good large region, minus any protected areas of course, to make a start. Opinions from your knowledge or experience is appreciated.

Hello all! My name is Rafa and this is the first time writing in the forum. Instead of posting in the introduction section, I figure it was more entertaining to do it by my first field trip report and finds, in this case to the Jurassic Coast in Dorset. I am sure nothing new to the members of the group as it is a mega famous place, but I had the most amazing weekend taking my first steps into this amazing world and would like to share! About me, I am a Uruguayan living in Munich, Germany since 6-7 years, and with some family in the UK. I am a total beginner in this from both the paleontology and fossil collecting sides. I have always been interested in Paleontology but what really pushed me out there was a wonderful video of the NZ guy "Malambo Fossils" in which he shows his adventures collecting and preparing (mostly) crabs. That intensified my desire to get deeper into this fascinating world and start to collect and learn. So, during a visit to my family in London last week I decided to take a weekend trip to Lyme Regis. There are plenty of reports and information on this area but here are my thoughts: Lyme Regis and Charmouth are very nice towns, even for non-fossil people but quite expensive! a single bed room was 80 Euros/night even in these months. It was totally worth it though. Staying in the nearby towns inland is cheaper, many well connected with buses (including the "Jurassic Coaster"). Careful with logistics on Sunday as surprisingly the buses run very few routes, and getting a taxi to the nearest train station was even a challenge. Having a car makes everything easier. The closest hostel I could find is in the town of Beer (awesome name) but it was unavailable and the prices I could check are also quite expensive. It is possible to do it from London by train, and the best route I found was a direct train to Axminster and then a bus to Lyme Regis. The direct trains are not very common though. Google maps is very accurate and perfect for planning. Being a total beginner and ignorant in these topics, it was amazing to be able to find lots of fossils to get even more motivated about this activity. The Lyme Regis museum (house of Mary Anning) is perfect, the right size and with so much interesting stuff to experience. The guided tours I would say are also a must, but since I failed to book in advance I could not take one. Many of the fossil shops, which are also amazing, are owned by old time fossil collectors from the town/region, and the once I met are amazing to talk to, have million stories and are very generous to share the knowledge and passion. They also do guided tours. All fossils can be collected as long as you don't abuse, so chiseling the walls or big blocks is not allowed and I heard that also one cannot use trollies or wheelbarrows to take stuff home, so basically you can take whatever you can carry. even in the short length of coast from Pinhay Bay to Charmouth, the layers that are exposed changes therefor "producing" different type of fossils, and knowing this in advance can target you in the desired direction, something I was (and still are) totally ignorant about. the beach right out of Lyme Regis to the east is packed with small "fools gold" amonites that are very easy to find, and a great thing for kids or people that just want to find fossils without chopping rock etc Pinhay Bay, which I loved, was completely deserted even in the weekend. In my case it produced less "free" fossils than Lyme Regis beach towards Charmouth, but exiting ones inside nodules or rocks which meant less fossils in my case (since I have zero experience) but also more rewarding when one starts to learn to read the marks and shapes that reveal that a fossil is inside, or the type of rock etc. I had no luck with Ichthyosaurus vertebrae, but apparently they are quire common finds. I was unlucky or most likely not eye-trained enough. Some pics of Lyme Regis Now on to the finds. I spent two half days, and one full day over a weekend and with excellent weather. Upon arrival at Lyme Regis I went straight to Lyme Regis Beach in direction to Charmouth which I did in roughly 5-6 hours, then took the last bus to Lyme Regis. Did not find much at the beginning of the walk as the tide was already out for a couple of hours when I got there, and the first part of the beach gets "combed" by lots of people, or maybe I am too much of a beginner who knows...One thing that I also find interesting is the Victorian times artifacts that you can find such as coins, silverware and parts of ceramics and glass. As I got closer to the "Black Ven" I either started to get luckier or better trained and found several amonites and belemnites, in some cases cracking a rock open here and there. I also collected some rocks, and what I think might be a coprolite? I also got a bunch of amonites from a fellow hunter. The good thing about being a beginner, even the smallest trace of fossil is a worthy keep! Now the next steps is to continue learning, identify my finds and eventually start testing some prep work on some. Any tips or questions welcomed! (was actually on day 2) Surfing seagulls

Hi all, A couple of years ago I acquired a lovely pair of plesiosaur propodial bones from Lyme Regis. It was a matched pair of both humerus and femur. Today, when I was looking to make space in my cabinet for a new acquisition I had made, I discovered some odd dust next to the humerus that, on inspection and to my horror turned out to be pyrite bloom! I immediately removed the specimen from the cabinet, checked the other podial and nearby fossils, and used a tooth brush to brush of the most direct traces of pyrite decay. But the question is: what now? How do I ensure the propodial's preservation, and make it safe for display again. Should I store affected piece in an open or closed container? I suspect the latter, together with silica beads to consume any excess moisture might be best right now. But how do I get to the point where I can take it out again? Any suggestions are welcome. From my own thread on this topic I know of the existence of pyrite stopper, which sounds ideal for this situation. But I've also been warned that this is quite a hazardous solution and am therefore afraid of trying this out myself. So, part of the question would be whether someone offers pyrite treatment as a service, of knows of someone who does. Thanks in advance for your help! @Ptychodus04 @DanJeavs @paulgdls @RuMert and others

Hello all. This is my first post & I was hoping someone could help me with identification please. Thankyou.

Hi All, Glad I came across this forum as I found this whilst on the beach at Charmouth with the kids. We picked up the usual ammonites and belemnites but something about this looked interesting when I plucked it out of the mud at the bottom of the cliff. I have no idea what it could be the shapes looked potentially 'bone like'. Any ideas or is it just a funny shaped rock...?

Evening everyone, new to the forum and completely new to anything fossil related. I've always had an interest in paleontology from a very young age. So a family trip to the Jurassic Coast for a week I had to scour the beach for something. I still have tomorrow to go, so any tips on what to look for would be great, I'm staying at Seatown for any locals with information. I came across 3 'possibly' interesting things, now I'm sure the first picture is something, however the 2nd and 3rd I'm sure are nothing, just a stone and who knows what else. So any information would be great on my images. Thanks.

I just saw this from yesterday about a huge landslide in Dorset https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9467211/Biggest-rockfall-60-years-sees-4-000-ton-chunk-430ft-high-cliff-collapse.html?fbclid=IwAR2FzWq4RK5cNiT9gxQgaURCcj9D6GGEpgUMfF14e-QGw1mzp01-l2W1pLo One might think out loud... now is a good time to go look for fossils in all that fresh rock, but I am sure that this thing indicates that the area is generally less stable than we would all want it to be, as spoken by this official (from the posted link) below. My question is.. when do beach collectors in the UK and otherplaces get back out to these sorts f palces after a landslide? I guess the local officials make these decisions? 'It is a huge landslip, certainly the biggest one I've seen in my 40 years in Bridport. 'I was chatting to some of the people who live by the beach and one man who's been here for 60 years said it's the biggest one he's ever seen. 'By the looks of things there could well be more to come so people need to stay away from that area of the beach.' Dorset Council has warned that further falls are expected - and urged residents to stay clear of the area.

Jurassic Coast: Wildlife trust stops operating attraction BBC News March 17, 2021 Changed link in response to below comment. Thanks for the heads up. Yours, Paul H.

I have come across a fossil and i’m curious to know a bit more about it with the help from you guys! Many thanks

New 'sea dragon' species discovered by amateur fossil hunter off English coast By Jack Guy, CNN, December 10, 2020 The open access paper is: Jacobs, M.L. and Martill, D.M., 2020. A new ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaur from the Upper Jurassic (Early Tithonian) Kimmeridge Clay of Dorset, UK, with implications for Late Jurassic ichthyosaur diversity. Plos one, 15(12), p.e0241700. Yours, Paul H.

Hello, please excuse my lack of knowledge in this area. This is the first time we’ve ever hunted for fossils and while we have collected a lot of lovely ones we can identify, these we’re not sure of. they were found at charmouth and seatown in the U.K. we’ve started trying to use an engraver on the stone, we’re guessing ammonite?