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Thank you everyone for your patience and helping me learn. This one looks like the right shape and seems to have some level of porousness to it. It is heavier than it looks which supports fossil. It's from Southwest Washington which I don't believe is really known for this kind of fossils, but I might be mistaken. It was weirdly just sitting in the gravel of a drainage ditch. There was some evidence of a small washout and it had been exceptionally rainy/stormy within a few weeks prior. Still was a bit odd. It's not a modern bone, at least not recently. Father in law ran a funeral home. I've had some experience with modern ones. Please help me understand what I am missing if incorrect. Thank you all. This place is amazing.

I found this near a train track in the mountains east of Tacoma, WA. There is lots of black bears in this area and aside from a dog I don't know what else it would be. I looked at some pictures of black bear skulls and I noticed there's a lot of variety in how they look. Some pictures make me think it is a bear skull and some don't look like it. I looked up some kanine skulls and I didn't find any that look as similar as the bear skulls.

I know this is not a fossil but... Is this large joint bone a whale humerus? Or sea lion? Orcas, humpbacks, Stellars and California sea lions are common around here. The shaft has been sawn off the epiphysis. A beach combing find on the shore of the north Salish sea. Thanks. Roger

Hi there, I believe I found a brachiopod fossil (pedicle valve). I'm hoping for some help identifying it more specifically - family, genus, or species? It was buried a few feet deep on an eroding, sandy hillside about 30 meters above sea level. The hill is about 2 kilometers from an inlet around the Puget Sound region of Washington state (glacial till). Please see attached photos. It looks like there might be other shells fossilized within the cavity. Please let me know if you need more info/different angle photos. Thank you in advance for any help!

Good afternoon everyone, Attached you will find some photos of a bone that I found. Here's the story: I live in the Cascade foothills of northwest Washington. Shortly after purchasing our property I began minor ground work to install a simple shed. When digging I found this bone. It appeared to me to be a human thumb bone. I assume it's old due to the excessive wear on the back joint. I stopped digging at that spot and moved elsewhere to place the shed. My questions for the forum are: Is it human?? Is it animal?? What is this bone I dug up? I do know many, many years ago that the first known travelers to North America came through the region the property is located. Also, the property is in an area where multiple Native American tribes used to roam. I must also note that the property is located on the south side of a small mountain (1200') that has 2 non-man made landings with views of the valley below. ANY help in identifying this will be greatly appreciated! Thanks, Jay and Michelle

I picked up this curious, largish piece at an estate sale. I have no formal --or informal! -- fossil knowledge but have always collected interesting rocks and frequently have a few in my pocket. The owner had labeled this item as being from NE-central Oregon and they had mounted it with fence wire to a board. (It obviously struck them as interesting, too.) Judging from other items, the family did some elk hunting. I thought they might know bone when they saw it. Thanks for any help!

I found this in the river rock that was used to landscape the house I just moved into north of Portland Oregon. It has features on it that remind me of bone and light shines through like an agate. Any ideas??

I can't find much history or geological information of the Seattle area in Washington State before the people started settling there. I get lots of history about how everyone settled, who they were, dates of events, and the beginning of industries. Is there a easier way to find out through other resources about actual formations of the land and geological events that have happened in the past throughout the centuries? Is that made available to the public for research in their findings of fossils? There's more then I thought to learn about when it comes to fossils, and when it comes to fossils being found in or out of profound areas where you don't know how it may have got there, takes you more on a history hunt for answers to the how? question, and the when? question. Finding a fossil in someplace that makes you scratch your head???.. I'm sure this has happened many times. Hasnt it?.. Ocean animal fossils no where near the ocean? I believe that would be evidence of a past tsunami. Could there be any reason why sea fossils would be found in the middle of a populated city not really that close to a Ocean but close to a man made lake. Half salt water half fresh water. I think there should be a key importance to explore more of city populated areas before major construction. Seattle is a place that has never been explored geologically so much other then the beach along the coastlines. I find no evidence of geological history of Washington but of our volcanoes, not so much tsunamis at all. Seattle has just been built on top of so quickly, that Seattle hides a whole lot more beneath the high rolling hills and valleys surrounding then we think. There are less and less places to explore in a growing city and I'm not a expert, but when I can notice something out of the ordinary and you know it's of importance, how can it not excite you enough to find out more about it! So who's the first one I would call to report a geological formation of importance? How are those steps determined in the concept of discoveries ownership and so on? The laws are so twisted and much goes into it. The reward it's self in fossil hunting or just stumbling upon one is the past answers they give us, but they are our future answers too!

Hello, I live on the Clackamas River near Oregon City, OR, USA. There are some really neat things that wash up on the shore but this one grabbed my eye. I have no knowledge of fossils or bones but that is why I am here, seeking help in identification. I found it along the bank of the river, just laying there, did not have to dig it out or anything. The curvature, proportion and internal structures of this object did not necessarily look like wood to me so I am wondering if this is in fact some sort of tusk or tooth and if so, what animal it may be from? I have tried to provide some clear, informative pictures to give an idea of the size and features of interest. Thanks in advance for your help!