Fossil Fabrications

[Praefectus]

I was browsing some of our favorite websites and I noticed a whole bunch of fossil fakes. Below are some fossil fabrications to be on the lookout for. 

 

 

While authentic looking, something bugged me when I saw this Carcharodontosaurid tooth. The overall shape near the tip is off. It is slightly too recurved and pointed. Upon closer examination, I noticed this tooth is a composite of multiple teeth. The glued section is the exact right color to match both the top and bottom tooth. It is scary how good some of the fakes are.

 

 

 

Here is another Carcharodontosaurid tooth. This one has a really long fake root. 

 

 

A spino tooth with a similarly fabricated root. 

 

 

[Praefectus]

Indonesian megalodon teeth often suffer from eroded roots. Sellers try to hide the eroded root by sculpting new ones. This is an example of one of the better fake roots.

 

 

 

Here is an example where a sand mixture was used to reconstruct the root. 

 

 

Otodus obliquus teeth are often the victims of unnecessary reconstruction/restoration. The below tooth was broken in three pieces and glued back together. 

 

 

Here is an O. obliquus tooth that has been glued to a piece of matrix. 

 

 

These brittlestars have been carved. 

[Praefectus]

This trilobite is a mold, not an authentic specimen. The presence of air bubbles (formed during molding) and overall lack of detail give it away.

 

This ammonite has had its center carved. 

 

Here is an example of a crinoid that contains zero original fossil. 

 

 

This lizard has been painted. 

 

 

This is a sculpted turtle skull. Not fossil. 

[Praefectus]

I think this is supposed to be a Gorgonopsid skull. Originally, it was likely a pig or other modern mammal skull that had putty applied to it. 

 

 

The most common fabrication out there are mosasaur jaws constructed using real teeth placed into molds. 

 

 

Be careful out there. There are lots of fabrications. If you have any questions about the authenticity of a specimen, make sure to post a topic about it on the forum. 

[Misha]

51 minutes ago, Praefectus said:

it was likely a pig or other modern mammal

I don't think it's a pig, pigs have a different shape to their skull, their orbits are very different and the teeth are not unlike those.

[Praefectus]

Perhaps a cow or a deer? It appears to have been altered quite a bit so I'm not sure if it will be an exact match with any living creature.