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Check the entries below carefully and cast your vote! PM me if you notice any errors with the entries. The poll ends October 9th. Be sure to vote in our other FOTM poll, HERE 1. Dolphin/small cetacean vertebra - Round Mountain Silt Member, Temblor Formation (Mid-Miocene 15 mya) - Bakersfield, CA 2. Associated cetacean tympanic bulla and periotic - Round Mountain Silt Member, Temblor Formation (Mid-Miocene 15 mya) - Bakersfield, CA 3. Ichthyosaur remains - Whitby Mudstone Formation (Toarcian, Lower Jurassic) - Yorkshire Coast, Whitby, England 4. Knightia alta with Knightia eocaena - Sandwich Beds (Split-fish Layer), Green River Formation, Eocene - Kemmerer, WY 5. Mawdoniidae coelacanth scale - Middle Jurassic - Dauksiai Village, Northern Lithuania 6. Phaneropleuridae lungfish dental plate - Lochkovian (Stoniskiai Formation), Lower Devonian - Dauksiai Village, Northern Lithuania

The winner of the August 2018 VFOTM goes to... the Orthacanthus compressus (Shark) from the Upper Pennsylvanian, Upper Freeport #7 Coal of Linton Mine, SE Ohio, USA! Congratulations to @fossilcrazy!

Digging up bones: Unearthing the past at Gray Fossil Site Diane Hughes, Explore Tennessee, The Tennessean, Sept. 10, 2018 https://www.tennessean.com/story/exploretennessee/2018/09/10/unearthing-past-gray-fossil-site/1215351002/ Gray Fossil Site http://gfs.visithandson.org https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray_Fossil_Site Some publications found using Google Scholar are: Gong, F., Karsai, I. and Liu, Y.S.C., 2010. Vitis seeds (Vitaceae) from the late Neogene Gray fossil site, northeastern Tennessee, USA. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, 162(1), pp.71-83. https://dc.etsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C19&q=gray+fossil+site&btnG=&httpsredir=1&article=3171&context=etd http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.1000.9259&rep=rep1&type=pdf Zobaa, M.K., Zavada, M.S., Whitelaw, M.J., Shunk, A.J. and Oboh-Ikuenobe, F.E., 2011. Palynology and palynofacies analyses of the Gray Fossil Site, eastern Tennessee: their role in understanding the basin-fill history. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 308(3-4), pp.433-444. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/3e1a/1ed4b8c0eb716d82dfa966b0f95f03d7d681.pdf https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mohamed_Zobaa https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Michael_Zavada Worobiec E., Liu Y.-S., Zavada M. S. 2013. Paleoenvironment of the late Neogene lacustrine sediments at the Gray Fossil Site, Tennessee, USA. Annales Societatis Geologorum Poloniae, 83(1): 51–63. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Michael_Zavada https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258226231_Worobiec_E_Liu_Y-S_Zavada_M_S_2013_Paleoenvironment_of_the_late_Neogene_lacustrine_sediments_at_the_Gray_Fossil_Site_Tennessee_USA_Annales_Societatis_Geologorum_Poloniae_831_51-63 Also, there is this unrelated shor, "fluff" article. How Long Does Something Have to Be In the Ground Before It's Considered a Fossil? http://mentalfloss.com/article/556730/how-long-does-something-have-to-be-in-ground-to-be-a-fossil Yours, Paul H.

Check the entries below carefully and cast your vote! PM me if you notice any errors with the entries. The poll ends September 9th. Be sure to vote in our other FOTM poll, HERE 1. Ornithocheirid pterosaur (cf. Caulkicephalus or Coloborhynchus) Tooth - Early Cretaceous - Isle of Wight, UK 2. Orthacanthus compressus (Shark) - Upper Pennsylvanian, Upper Freeport #7 Coal - Linton Mine, SE Ohio, USA 3. Ctenodus cristatus (Lungfish) Scale - Francis Creek Shale, Middle Pennsylvanian - (Mazon Creek) Wilmington, Illinois, USA

Please help me identify this fossil found yesterday on a hike Door County. It was found among very common fossils like corals.

So I found these fossil toe (possibly hand) bones at an antique store, they're allegedly the toe bones from a ground sloth, unfortunately there is no location for these specimens, while my instinct tells me they're from around the area; Florida, with no documentation I'm not sure. They were very lowly priced so even if they can't be ID'd I figured I might as well buy them, any ideas? Specimen 1 Specimen 2 (Note the blue mark was just an eraser shaving, my bad!)

Check the entries below carefully and cast your vote! PM me if you notice any errors with the entries. The poll ends August 9th. Be sure to vote in our other FOTM poll, HERE. 1. Orthacanthus Shark Tooth - Upper Pennsylvanian - LaSalle County, Illinois, USA 2. Ichthyosaur Skull Bones, Ribs and Vertebrae - Lower Jurassic - Quarry Kromer, Holzmaden, Germany 3. Thecachampsa sericodon Tooth - Early to Mid Miocene - Matoaka Beach, Calvert County, Maryland, USA 4. Rhabdoderma exiguum Coelacanth Fish - Middle Pennsylvanian - Mazon Creek, Braceville, Illinois, USA 5. Mammuthus columbi Mammoth Tooth - Pleistocene - Bone Valley, Florida, USA 6. Steneosaurus Crocodile Tooth - Upper Jurassic - Solnhofen, Germany 7. Scapanorynchus texanus Shark Tooth - Cretaceous - Monmouth County, New Jersey, USA 8. Neochoerus pinckneyi Capybara Lower Jaw - Pleistocene - Savannah River, Georgia, USA 9. Cowralepis mclachlani Placoderm - Middle Devonian - West of Cowra, NSW Australia 10. Tyrannosaur Tooth - Late Cretaceous - Dinosaur Park Formation, Alberta, Australia 11. Xiphactinus audax Fish Tooth - Late Cretaceous - Russel County, Alabama, USA 12. Dakotaraptor steini Tooth - Upper Cretaceous - Near Newcastle, Wyoming, USA 13. Parotodus benedenii Shark Tooth - Plio-Plestocene - Florida, USA

I'm pretty sure its a caudal fin of some prehistoric fish, but I'm not sure. Anybody know?

My son and I are avid bottle collectors and have decided to keep an eye out for fossils too. Have seen plenty of them along the rivers and creeks that we explore.hopimg to make friends and to learn something new.

Hello. While vacationing along Lake Huron in Michigan, I found a rather impressive, and likely rare, fossil (see image). It is clearly a vertebrate with skull, spine, appendages, and pelvic region relatively intact and clearly visible. The specimen is approximately 2 inches by 2 inches in size. Any advice or direction, as to whom I should contact to identify/analyze my find would be most appreciated. Thank you very much for your time.

Check the entries below carefully and cast your vote! PM me if you notice any errors with the entries. The poll ends July 9th. Be sure to vote in our other FOTM poll, HERE. 1. Elonichthys peligerus Fish - Middle Pennsylvanian - Wilmington, Illinois, USA 2. Leptoceratops gracilis Tooth - Late Cretaceous - Niobrara County, Wyoming, USA 3. Crocodilian Vertebra - Paleocene - Purse State Park, Charles County, Maryland, USA 4. Palaeoxyris prendeli Shark Egg Capsule - Pennsylvanian - Vermilion County, Illinois, USA 5. Indeterminate Placoderm Plate Fragment - Devonian - Thedford, Ontario, Canada

Took our first trip to Big Brook Preserve in NJ. Great day finding small shark teeth and inkpens. Came across this bone. My first thought is that it is a modern day vertebrate, even thought it looks like a face lol. It is light in weight as well. It looks to have matrix attactined it some areas, but it may just be clay from the stream bed. Any input would be helpful. Thanks

Hi All, An acquaintance of mine noticed this fossil, embedded in a step stone in his parents’ garden, after many years it sat there unacknowledged... I don’t have a lot of information about it, but what I do know is that it’s in Israel, the stone’s origin is most likely from a strip mine 5km west of Jerusalem (Kfar Shaul), the total length of the fossil is 6.7 cm (~2.64 inches) and that it’s a limestone with a reddish hue… unfortunately that’s about it. Personally, I’m not even able to determine whether this is a fish or not… but I’m definitely curious… Can anyone help me identify it or at least narrow the options a bit? Thank you!

Check the entries below carefully and cast your vote! PM me if you notice any errors with the entries. The poll ends June 9th. Be sure to vote in our other FOTM poll, HERE. 1. Archosauria Indeterminate Tooth - Late Cretaceous - Varena Town, South Lithuania 2. Elopomorpha Indeterminate Scale- Late Cretaceous - Paleocene - Varena town, South Lithuania 3. Cow Shark Tooth - Mid Miocene, Mountain Silt Formation - Bakersfield, California, USA 4. Cretodus crassidens Shark Tooth with Fish Vertebra - Upper Cretaceous, Eutaw Formation - Catoma Creek, Montgomery, Montgomery Co., Alabama, USA 5. Notorynchus cepedianus Cow Shark Symphyseal Tooth - Early-mid Miocene, Calvert Formation - Brownies Beach, Calvert County, Maryland, USA 6. Palaeotherium magnum Skull and Mandible - Upper Eocene - Southwest France 7. Morus peninsularis Gannet Bird Ulna Bone - Pliocene, Yorktown Formation - Tar River, Edgecomb County, North Carolina, USA 8. Cretodus crassidins Shark Tooth - Cretaceous, Eagle Ford Formation - Travis County, Austin, Texas USA 9. Coprolite with Marks of Predation - Upper cretaceous, Maastritchian Formation - Southwest of France 10. Alligator Jaw - Eocene, Wasatch Formation - Southwest Wyoming, USA 11. Mammoth Medial Phalange - Pleistocene - East Runton Beach, Norfolk, Great Britain

The winner of the Aprtil 2018 VFOTM is... the Thylacoleo carnifex (Marsupial Lion) Skull from the Pleistocene of Queensland, Australia! A huge congrats to @Ash for finding such an incredible fossil.

I am on a Trip to University of Florida at Gainesville Research & Collections Laboratory for Vertebrate, Invertebrate, and Paleobiology. This was today. Pretty busy with a Haile Quarry trip in the morning and then on Sunday a volunteer at a University of Florida fossil dig. Enough time to share some of the best photos... Most of this will be delayed until I am back home on Monday Photo #1 Teleoceras Photo# 2 Gomphothere Photo# 3 Possibly new ancestor of Gomphothere Photo# 4 Gomphothere Photo# 5 Baby Teleoceras Photo# 6 Rhizosmilodon fiteae skull held by Richard Hulbert, Director of Vertebrate Collection Lab Photo #7 Rhizosmilodon fiteae Photo #8 Bear_dog Photo #9 River Otter mandible There are details that will have to wait... Enjoy, Jack

I put this before on the FB page but like to try here as well. This partly eroded bone was found in Jurassic sediments in the Boulonnais area in the North of France. The sediments are marine but the sea was not far from the beach and sometimes terrestrial animals (dinosaurs) can be found. I thought this a vertebra; but no neural arch showing and the shape is weird; it looks a bit like a carpal/ tarsal bone of a big animal but I may be seeing to much. Perhaps a paddle bone of a marine animal is another option? Hope you can help me. Regards, Niels

Check the entries below carefully and cast your vote! PM me if you notice any errors with the entries. The poll ends May 7th. Be sure to vote in our other FOTM poll, HERE. 1. Bison priscus Digit - Sandy Dune Layers, Uppermost Pleistocene - Varena town, South Lithuania 2. Antelope Humerus - Sandy Dune Layers, Uppermost Pleistocene - Varena town, South Lithuania 3. Thylacoleo carnifex Marsupial Lion Skull - Pleistocene - Queensland, Australia 4. Carcharodon planus Shark Tooth - Round Mountain Silt Formation, Mid Miocene - Ant Hill, Bakerfield, California, USA 5. Ichthyosaur Ribs and Verts - Jurassic - Yorkshire, UK 6. Palaeohypotodus rutoti Juvenile Shark Tooth - Eocene - Beltinge, near Herne Bay, Kent, Great Britain 8. Xiphactinus Fish Jaws and Vertebrae - Late Cretaceous, Atco Formation, Austin Group - Dallas, Texas, USA

So I've been working on what I thought originally was 1 Edmontosaurus rib. It has since turned out to be what appears to be an opposing pair of ribs. I thought I would share some of my photos as I go. Please be kind to me, as this is my first vertebrate prep work. Photo I took upon arrival. First rib, top 1/2 complete Top 1/2 with a seemingly extraneous tip, or other unrelated bone. (Not sure.) Working on the head end of the 2nd rib: Matching the other remaining unprepped halves

This one's a bit of an odd critter; an ancient monitor lizard with eyes in the back of its head: http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/04/four-eyed-lizard-walked-earth-49-million-years-ago

March is coming in like a Lion, for some of us in the Northeastern US. The pounding rain insures we won't be fossil-hunting for a few days, at the very least! But others around the country or world can get out there and make some fantastic finds. I suggest you do so! ************************************************************* Remember...PLEASE carefully read all of the rules below, ... make sure you include all the required information, in the requested format, and submit your fossil! If you have a question about a possible entry, please send me a PM. Please pay special attention to Rule #5: Before and After Preparation photos must be submitted for Prepped specimens not found during the Month of the Contest. In addition to keeping the contest fair, this new qualification will encourage better documentation of our spectacular past finds. Best of success to all, and good hunting! Entries will be taken until midnight on March 31st. Please let us know if you have any questions, and thanks for sharing more of your fossils and research this month. To view the Winning Fossils from past contests visit the Find Of The Month Winner's Gallery. *********************************** Rules for The Fossil Forum's Vertebrate and Invertebrate/Plant Find of the Month Contests 1. You find a great Vertebrate Fossil or Invertebrate/Plant Fossil! Only fossils found by you. NO PURCHASED FOSSILS. 2. Post your entry in the Find of the Month topic. Use a separate post for each entry. (Only two entries per contest category.) 3. Your Fossil must have been found during the Month of the Contest, or most of the significant Preparation of your Fossil must have been completed during the Month of the Contest. 4. You must include the Date of your Discovery (when found in the contest month); or the Date of Preparation Completion and Discovery date (if not found in the contest month). 5. Before and After Preparation photos must be submitted for prepped specimens not found during the Month of the Contest. 6. You must include the common or scientific name. 7. You must include the Geologic Age or Geologic Formation where the Fossil was found. 8. You must include the State, Province, or region where the Fossil was found. 9. Play fair and honest. No bought fossils. No false claims. Shortly after the end of the Month, separate Polls will be created for the Vertebrate and Invertebrate/Plant Find of the Month. In addition to the fun of a contest, we also want to learn more about the fossils. So, only entries posted with a CLEAR photo and that meet the other guidelines will be placed into the Poll. *******Please use the following format for the required information:******* Date of discovery Scientific or Common name Geologic Age or Geologic Formation State, Province, or Region found Photos (if prepped, before and after photos, please.) Photos of the winning specimens may be posted to TFF's Facebook page. Once the Contest Submission period has ended, after all the votes are tallied, and the Polls for both categories are closed, we will know the two winning Finds of the Month for MARCH 2018 ! Now, go find your fossil, do your research, and make an entry! Good luck!

This fossil was dug up fishing recently in Kankakee County, Illinois, where the bedrock is Silurian, but this fossil would have to be Pleistocene. Any help with ID is appreciated. I do not have possession so these are the only photos I have. If you provide an ID, please provide your reasoning. Thanks!

Well, the Groundhogs have spoken, - 6 more weeks of Winter are in store for North America. Not the best of hunting weather, but we do have some hardcore folks who go out, no matter the temperatures or ground/water conditions! I salute all of you who do go out, and find amazing things in the winter. For those of you who have finished prep in a nice warm lab, or hunted for microfossils by the roaring fire, it is time to post up whatever you have found or completed prepping. Read the rules carefully, and post away! ************************************************************* Remember...PLEASE carefully read all of the rules below, ... make sure you include all the required information, in the requested format, and submit your fossil! If you have a question about a possible entry, please send me a PM. Please pay special attention to Rule #5: Before and After Preparation photos must be submitted for Prepped specimens not found during the Month of the Contest. In addition to keeping the contest fair, this new qualification will encourage better documentation of our spectacular past finds. Best of success to all, and good hunting! Entries will be taken until midnight on FEBRUARY 28th. Please let us know if you have any questions, and thanks for sharing more of your fossils and research this month. To view the Winning Fossils from past contests visit the Find Of The Month Winner's Gallery. *********************************** Rules for The Fossil Forum's Vertebrate and Invertebrate/Plant Find of the Month Contests 1. You find a great Vertebrate Fossil or Invertebrate/Plant Fossil! Only fossils found by you. NO PURCHASED FOSSILS. 2. Post your entry in the Find of the Month topic. Use a separate post for each entry. (Only two entries per contest category.) 3. Your Fossil must have been found during the Month of the Contest, or most of the significant Preparation of your Fossil must have been completed during the Month of the Contest. 4. You must include the Date of your Discovery (when found in the contest month); or the Date of Preparation Completion and Discovery date (if not found in the contest month). 5. Before and After Preparation photos must be submitted for prepped specimens not found during the Month of the Contest. 6. You must include the common or scientific name. 7. You must include the Geologic Age or Geologic Formation where the Fossil was found. 8. You must include the State, Province, or region where the Fossil was found. 9. Play fair and honest. No bought fossils. No false claims. Shortly after the end of the Month, separate Polls will be created for the Vertebrate and Invertebrate/Plant Find of the Month. In addition to the fun of a contest, we also want to learn more about the fossils. So, only entries posted with a CLEAR photo and that meet the other guidelines will be placed into the Poll. *******Please use the following format for the required information:******* Date of discovery Scientific or Common name Geologic Age or Geologic Formation State, Province, or Region found Photos (if prepped, before and after photos, please.) Photos of the winning specimens may be posted to TFF's Facebook page. Once the Contest Submission period has ended, after all the votes are tallied, and the Polls for both categories are closed, we will know the two winning Finds of the Month for FEBRUARY 2018 ! Now, go find your fossil, do your research, and make an entry! Good luck!

A friend wanted to see if you guys could ID this vertebra he found from the hills of Wyoming. He sees a lot of Moose nearby. Thanks!

The winner of the 2017 vertebrate fossil of the year goes to... @jcbshark's incredible Giant Tortoise (Hesperotestudo) Foot and Associated Osteoderms from the Pleistocene of Sarasota County, Florida! This was a hard fought contest with a lot of incredible fossils, but this emerged the clear winner after well over 100 members cast their votes. Congratulations @jcbshark!