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Last summer, on the last day of a long weekend of backcountry fossil hunting around Lake Diefenbaker, Saskatchewan, my friend and I decided to stop our canoe at a beach where on a previous morning I had found a large baculites cuneatus specimen. This beach was an outcropping of a unit of the Bearpaw formation known as the Demaine sand, and dated roughly to the late Campanian. The locality was chock full of golfball to softball-sized nodules, each with a delicate, coalified fossil inside, ranging from crustacean parts, chips of driftwood, to loose vertebrae. It wasn't long before I was looking down at a split nodule containing the symmetrical lines I knew were a skull. So of course, I assembled it together as best as I could, wrapped it in a sock, and we loaded back into the boat to head home. Some typical terrain in the area. The formerly glacial South Saskatchewan River carves deep into the marine clays and sands of the Bearpaw formation: The nodule, rather unceremoniously wrapped in a wool sock: And unwrapped. Note the cervical vertebra just above the posterior end of the skull, and how part of the end of the snout is missing (sorry about the lack of scale bar, there's a photo further down the post with proper scale): I sent a photo to a paleontologist friend, and was quickly referred to the Royal Saskatchewan Museum, who of course were eager to accept the fossil (not to mention that I was technically legally obliged to hand it over, per the Saskatchewan Heritage Property Act... But it's what I wanted to do anyway!). About a month later, my friend and I met with two other paleontologists down at Lake Diefenbaker to deliver the fossil (this time more carefully wrapped in a shoebox...) and to show them the site where we had found it. One long and wet trip in the zodiac raft later, we were there. We assisted in the collection of more samples, this time coming up with an even broader variety of flora and fauna, including a small crinoid, some wood chips with amber, and some more decapods. One of the two paleontologists was excited to suggest that the locality probably represented a near-shore lagoon environment, and that the museum would likely be back to do some more work there at a later date. Unfortunately, we were unable to do so that summer because of the seasonally rising water levels of the lake, which flooded the site, but I've been told that my friend and I will be invited to assist with the operation again this following season. As for the fossil, it has since been delivered to McGill University to be CT scanned. Apparently, distinguishing the bone from the matrix has been long and tedious work, and not much news has reached us since the specimen was delivered some time last September. Here is an individual slice from the CT scan, from near the back of the braincase - notice how porous the bone material is, which is apparently another indicator that this skull belonged to a juvenile: I have been in close correspondence with the paleontologist from the Royal Sask. Museum who will be writing the paper to describe the find, but everything is more or less at a standstill until the work on the CT scan is finished. It's been a rather long wait, but I'm looking forward to its publication - I have been told that the museum intends to hold a press conference after the specimen has been described, and that my friend and I will be credited and involved in the reveal. So far, the museum has kept everything about the discovery deliberately vague, aside from a brief mention in a press conference, which informed an article that circulated around the Canadian media late last summer: https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/scientists-in-saskatchewan-discover-new-multimillion-year-old-fossils It's been an exciting and fulfilling experience overall, and I can't wait to get back into the field, this time with a more meticulous and careful attitude, knowing that there's scientific potential to be had from my future contributions. Anyway, here are some more photos from the lab at the RSM, with scale bar: Decapod claw: Crinoid crown: Thanks for your attention.

Hi everyone! New member here. I am very excited to make my first post. So I came across a vendor today with some cool stuff, but I wanted to run some photos by the forum members first to see: 1) if you think they are real or fake. 2) how much would you expect to pay for a piece like that. Thanks for the help! Item #1 - Mosasaur Jaw To my eyes, this item looks legit as the teeth don't seem to be floating above the jaw with composite all around it, or teeth pointed in different directions. BUT...I know fakes are good and I am relatively new to educating myself to fakes vs real. Item #2 - Another Mosasaur Jaw (top and bottom) Also looks pretty legit to my newb eyes. But I am worried both top and bottom jaws in that position are too good to be true. Item #3 - Croc Skull? My gut reaction is fake...mostly due to the matrix looking like it was smeared on like cream cheese. Item #4 - Plesiosaur Skull and Neck It's apparently from goulmima southern morocco. Sadly I don't have more pics, as I didn't want to handle it and move it around. But I was able to get down low and see that it does have it's teeth. I just couldn't a good picture of it. :-\ The closest comparison I could find was this plesiosaur head/neck from an archived auction house website image. But the matrix around it seems the same.

Hello everyone, this is my first thread on this forum. I found this community while doing some research about a possible bird skull fossil. The piece was found by me in the Sea of Lima, Peru, in the 2018 summer. I can take more pictures if needed. I see myself a peack and some eyes sockets ..

Hi, I started this thread because I was kinda surprised that one didn’t exist already at this forum. I myself love replica’s to enhance my collection or to use as educational props when I visit schools, musea use them too so why shouldn’t we. And let’s be honest not all fossils are available for the common fossil collector, not all of us can affort a T-rex skull or a mounted dinosaur skeleton and rare fossils like Archaeopteryx are only to be found in museum collections, so that’s when replica’s come into play. So show us your fossil replica’s, casts and reconstructions in this thread, I am very curious to see what you guys have to show! I will kick this topic off myself with the replica's that I currently have in my collection. A replica of the famous Berlin specimen of Archaeopteryx lithographica, the original was found in the Solnhofen limestone formations of Bavaria in Germany and now resides in the collection of the Natural History Museum of Berlin A cast of a Eophrynus prestvicii, the original was found in the West Midlands in the UK and now resides in the collection of the Museo di Paleontologia in Rome Replica of an Iguanodon thumb spike, the original was found in Cuckfield, Sussex in the UK and now resides in the Natural History Museum of London A replica of a Velociraptor mongoliensis killing claw Eotyrannus lengi claw replica, the original was found on the Isle of Wight in the UK An Allosaurus fragilis thumb claw replica, the original was found in the Morrison formation in Shell, Wyoming in the USA A Baryonyx walkeri claw replica, the original was found on the Isle of Wight in the UK An Australovenator claw reconstruction A Spinosaurus aegyptiacus thumb claw reconstruction Simolestes vorax tooth replica, the original was found during the Victorian era in the Kimmeridgian clay in the UK A Tyrannosaurus rex tooth replica based on the largest T-rex tooth ever found A Juvenile Spinosaurus aegyptiacus skull reconstruction A Grallator footprint replica, the original was found in the south of France A Megalodon tooth cast, the original was found in South Carolina, USA Pterodactylus spectabilis replica, the original was found in the Solnhofen limestone in Germany and now resides in the collection of the Teylers museum in Haarlem in the Netherlands A Plesiosaurus 1/2 scale skull replica

Hi, I recently purchased this fossil on everyone's favorite auction site. The seller didn't know where it was found or of its provenance. I was thinking it could be by its size and teeth, however I would like input from others on the site. I've been collecting fossil for some time now and haven't seen anything like it. Thanks!

Finally got around to prepping out and making a stand for the Hyracodon skull. It was in pretty rough shape and not complete, but I think it displays well. What are your guys thoughts?

Complete prehistoric buffalo skull found in Cambridgeshire quarry by Jamie from Fossils Galore in March By Sarah Cliss Fenland Citizen, January 16, 2019 https://www.fenlandcitizen.co.uk/news/complete-prehistoric-buffalo-skull-found-in-cambridgeshire-quarry-by-jamie-from-fossils-galore-in-march-9059305/ Yours, Paul H.

This smallish skull was given to me several years ago by a high school science teacher, as a bequest. At first, I entertained the idea that it may be that of a young reptile, of a larger variety. Now, I wonder whether it is perhaps some mammal instead. Have a look.

Hi everyone, I was given this fragment of a bone by my friend which he got from Morocco. He was told that it is part of a skull from spinosaurus but I am sceptical about it. I don't have any experience in identifying fossils but done some research on the net and it looks to me like a part of a skull from crocodile. Like I said I am a newbie so it might be something completely different. Can anyone help me, is it even possible from these photos?

Hello this is being listed as a Adcrocuta Canine Hyaenidae skull real fossil from HeilongjiangProvince China in Glacial period. What do you guys think? Thanks in advance.

Found on dirt road in upturned mud in woods of Rhinelander Wisconsin. Looks to have rooted flat upper and lower teeth. I believe if it is a fossil it is glacial washout from somewhere else. Sorry the image quality is terrible and I know it decreases identification chances but it's all I have to send. If it is a fossil skull what might it be?

I took delivery of my next major prep job today from @StevenJD. Man, he can sniff out some cool stuff. It is quite a beast! A nice phytosaur from New Mexico. This appears to have most of the skull and a fair bit of postcranial material. This is only what fit on on the table in my shop. There are 3 more boxes of puzzlesaurus as well! I think I’m in for the long haul on this. If the skull comes together well, I will ultimately be mounting this guy.

Hi, definitivly need help with this opinions welcome! Is this fake or different from what it is claimed to be: Part of Skull Plate or vertebra pachycephalosaurus. I can Not identify such a bone on fotos from Fossils from this genus Thanks to all

Back again guys! I wanted to thank you all again for your help in ID'ing the Oreodont skull that my Grandmother gave me when I was a child. Thanks to everyone's help I was able to secure the two halves together and will hopefully be able to get it mounted, but honestly its great as it is. You guys are freakin' awesome. And on to more good news! I found another shoe box that we were literally going to throw in the dumpster, opened it up to find (you guessed it, especially if you read the title) more skull/jaw parts! One looks maybe like a carnivore/omnivore? And the other maybe a lower jaw bone of a herbivore? No clue, so I thought I'd ask you experts! The first looks like she had more of the top of the skull from residue from resin or glue, but I didn't find anything that would attach to it. Its about three and a half inches long and about the same in width judging by whats left of the orbitals area.

I found these mystery jawbone fragments in Post Oak Creek near Sherman, Texas. I was wondering if I anyone could help me identify them. If closer shots of the teeth would help, or you need another angle don't hesitate to ask! edit: longer fragment is about 8mm long I'm used to only finding unidentifiable bone fragments out there so these were a neat little surprise! (in fact i only picked up one knowingly, the other I must have thought was a tooth when I picked it up. I only noticed it after coming home to rinse stuff off haha)

Hi, my partner and I came across these, ??, don't know what they are, they weigh around 10kg, we originally bought them off a stack of quartz Crystal rocks, we bought 3, my girl is into crystals and their healing properties. They are quite bizarre, never seen anything like them and was hoping some one here knows, 1.what they are, 2.are they real or just rocks that look like animals, one looks so much like a dog. I'll let you all decide.