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Hello Found some I believe to be Graptolites and would like to be able to ID them better in the field. Is there a guide available or even a good book anyone might recommend for this. Attached pictures are what I think are graptolites but would like to verify. Surface finds Thank you all for the help Tom

What are the characteristics of a White River turtle shell that can differentiate between Stylemys and Gopherus (Testudo)?

Unknown bone from Lance Formation. Thanks in advance!

I've recently been snooping around Early Jurassic Towaco formation exposures in Northern New Jersey. Although I didn't find much, I found this which looks like it could be something but I can't tell what it is. Any help would be great. Thanks!

Also found this today. Anybody have an idea what this might be apart of? Thanks

The Basic Dinosaur Egg Guide Many people often mistake a concretion for an egg, to help clarify what is a concretion, and what is a real egg, here is a guide. A quick overview with examples: How to spot a concretion: How are they different from eggs? A concretion is a rather common rock made of tightly compressed minerals. Typically, concretions are a smooth sphere or oval with little to no surface texture or just a few bumps. Often nearly a perfect sphere, sometimes more of an oval. In a concretion, there is no eggshell. If you cannot see eggshell then you do not have an egg. If it looks the same shape as modern egg, such as from chicken then you do not have an egg. Concretions may have fragments breaking off and these will tend to be smooth on both sides. They tend to be dull earthy colors with a different composition in the center, as seen by a change in color. A different color in the center normally means you do not have an egg. Often circular bandings can be seen around exterior of concretions. Sizes of concretions range from just an inch, or a few millimeters, up to more than 10 ft (3 m). Egg sizes, along one side, range from just an inch or a few millimeters and top out at around 8 in (20 cm). If you find an oval or round shape, which is larger than 8 in (20 cm) along a side then it is probably not an egg. For more information on concretions: https://www.priweb.org/index.php/education/education-projects-programs/earth-101/concretions http://tumblehomelearning.com/geologists-find-largest-dinosaur-eggs-in-the-world-another-fraudulent-fossil/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concretion In video form: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5IoyLEwkMY Example of concretions, these three were incorrectly given an ID as “dinosaur eggs” however they are clearly not: From Tumblehome Learning, link above Pseudofossils: There are some pseudofossils, which can have a similar appearance to an actual egg, right down to seeming like there are bits of eggshell. This pseudofossil does look similar to an egg and even seems to have eggshell, however it is not an egg and is actually geologic. The surface ranges too much in texture and composition. Pic from Montana State University, taken by P. Germano Trace fossils: Many times, an actual trace fossil can be mistaken for an egg, common examples of this are pupa cases and cocoons. As one can see below, they do tend to have an egg-like shape and are yet another perfect example of why shape alone should not be used when trying to identify eggs. The three below are important trace fossils, just not eggs. Pic by Tony Martin, Ph.D. How to spot a real egg: The best and only true sign you have an actual egg is eggshell actually being present. Eggs come in many shapes from a semi-rounded, elongated oval to a perfect sphere and many others. Shape is not a good indicator of an egg. It is useful but only when combined with other details. Eggshell often has surface ornamentation that gives it a unique texture which can be seen by the naked eye or with a hand lens. There are many such ornamentations and they are used to help distinguish one egg type from another. On the surface look for little bumps, ridges with valleys, river channels, and similar textures. Individual fragments of eggshell are rather common in some geologic formations so be on the lookout for a larger grouping of eggshell. From University of California Museum of Paleontology Also read: http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/59654-dinosaur-eggs-lowell-carhart-guide/ Examples of real eggshell: Example of eggshell fragments: An eggshell fragment from Maiasaura, which is the oogenus Spheroolithus oosp. Pic by W. Freimuth. Examples of real eggs: A clutch of Troodon formosus eggs, which are the oospecies Prismatoolithus levis. Pic from Museum of the Rockies Do I have embryos inside this egg? Most likely no. Embryonic remains are extremely rare within eggs, and you add that with the rarity of eggs to start and it is a remote possibility. No fossilized yolks have been found and since they are soft tissue, it is near impossible for any to fossilize. I still think this is an egg! If you still think you have an actual egg, then please start a thread. Take close detailed pictures with something for scale such as a ruler and provide all the information you can about it--like where it was found. Good pictures will help greatly with a proper and correct ID. Below is an example of how to best photograph an egg or eggshell. There is clear lighting, a background which is clearly different than the eggshell in question and a scale bar. Lights can be as simple as a desk lamp; a scale bar can just be a ruler and the background can be very simple, in the example just a paper towel. Megaloolithus egg. Pic from Montana State University, taken by P. Germano If you would like to learn much more on eggs, here is the advanced egg guide which goes in depth. Also, see the advanced guide for sources. Eric P.

Found in lake erie ontario, 10 inches long. Any help would be super welcome.

Folks, I found this fossil mollusk from a shale deposit in Northeastern Oklahoma. The shale is of Pennsylvanian age (probably Chanute formation), and contains other marine fossils. I would appreciate any help with ID. Best wishes.

Just wondering if anyone may have any idea as to what these are, found today in Wenlock Edge, which is majorly silurian limestone. The first five are all of the same piece. Secondly - longshot, but could tis be a tooth? And lastly, is the small spiral, a sort of Gastropod? TIA

What do you think it is? The definition I got on the local forum is "conditionally classified as Plegiocidaris" Guides/handbooks on Moscow Mezozoic (unfortunately mostly outdated) list 5 genera: Echinobrissus, Rhabdocidaris, Acrocidaris, Holectypus and Cidaris. For this and neighboring stratigraphic zones Echinobrissus and Rhabdocidaris only, mainly the latter. Both are defined by spines, sometimes isolated plates

I found this fossil while collecting rocks for a landscaping project. It was in Gasconade County Missouri along the Dry Fork Creek (if that helps at all). I washoping to go back and look for more fossils or more of this fossil in the fall when the critters go away again.

Hello, and thanks to everyone who helped with my last trilobite that I had inquired about. I had a bad feeling about it from the start, so I wasn’t surprised that it turned out to be mostly fake. I have a few more trilobites here that I’ve acquired over the years that I was hoping to get some more opinions on, and if possible maybe get the species identified, as not all of them were identified when I bought them. I'll start with just this one for now (I was going to post more, but I seem to have reached some file limit and can't post any more photos in this thread). It is about six inches outstretched. I am certain that it is at least partially real, as there is some good eye detail, but there is also some very obvious restoration work on one of the eyes, which indicates that at least some portion of the fossil is not original, and I was wondering if anyone can say which parts of this trilobite are original fossil and which are not. Also, there is a split in the rock which divides the fossil in half at about the point where the cephalon meets the thorax (it looks further down from the bottom of the matrix, but from the top that’s where the crack is), so I suspect that this may be a composite. Thank you

Hello, I'm new on this forum and I've got a fossil of which I don't know what it is so I thought I'd ask. It's from the Kem Kem. I don't know which formation but it comes from Taouz. Only one side has been preparated. I haven't preparated the other side because it's a pretty thin bone and I'm afraid it might break. It seems like it has broken and been repaired before. Also, there's an Onchopristis tooth attached to it. I think it might be a skull fragment because of it's odd shape. Specifically I think it might be some theropod's left postorbital of which only the inside has been preparated. But there aren't a lot of Kem Kem skulls to compare it to. So it might be something entirely else. Any ideas as to what it could be would be highly appreciated. Top view Front view

Folks, These photos are from a small section of shale I picked up in Northeastern Oklahoma. The shale contains marine fossils of Pennsylvanian age. I have questions about a couple of the labeled objects. I’m thinking the center one may be a brachiopod (or possibly a bryzoan--it's hard to tell because of the crinoid plate resting above it). The one on the right looks to me like a bryzoan. However, I’m a novice at identification so I’d appreciate any opinions. The putative bryzoan appears to have grown on the crinoid stem. Best wishes.

Hello! Could it be tooth from genus Carcharoides? Scale in mm. Wetrn Ukraine, Neogene, Miocene.

I hunt Eocene era Marine fossils in South Alabama. I have found a ton of thins but this one has me stumped. It's roughly 1½ inches long, ⅜ of an inch thick, and ⅜ of an inch tall (Sorry no metric ruler). On one edge, it appears to have small pointy teeth while the other side has some what of a channel. I've been able to identify most of what I have but I need some help on this one...

First,I hope I’m not doing this wrong, but had trouble posting in Fossil ID for some reason. I hunt a several mile portion of the Arkansas River in Tulsa, Ok. I’ve previously gotten help with identification from the University of Oklahoma on a number of Bison bones, vertebrae and horns, as well as bones from smaller vertebrates. However, that’s a lengthy process, so I was hoping for suggestions on what this bone may have belonged to. It’s shiny because it’s been coated with clear enamel. I’ve had it for several years, but it just occurred to me that it’s dissimilar to my other Bison bones. Obviously, there was some deterioration before it began to mineralize, and one end is missing which makes it very hard to ID. Any help or suggestions is much appreciated! I can take and add more photos if anyone wants, just let me know what angles, etc. Thanks!

My daughter and I have been hunting on our gravel path in lockdown, and have found one with almost hair like filaments running the length of it. Any chance if an ID?

I posted for the first time today to get some help identifying some fossils my child found on her first fossil hunt, but while I’m here I figure I may as well get some opinions on this trilobite Ive got displayed — of all places — in my bathroom. In 2017 I was studying abroad short-term in Morocco (Fes, Rabat and Chefchaouen) and I passed by a stall in the souks that had a bucket full of various rocks and fossils. While I don’t know much about fossils, I did know that trilobites are often faked in Morocco, but decided that for what I was paying it really wouldn’t be worth the trouble for a faker AND it wasn’t a big risk to me if it was fake because I just liked how it looked. I brought it home and put it in my bathroom and have called it my “fake trilobite” ever since. However, since I’m now incidentally on this forum, I figured it would be fun to see what the expert opinion is! There are no little bubble holes that I can see, which I’ve read is the most obvious indication of a fake. There also seems to be caked dirt crusted in the crevices, and the entire thing seems to have a small area where it’s splitting lengthwise. Attaching best photos I can muster. Double A battery best I can do for scale. Don’t be afraid to hurt my feelings — I paid almost nothing and just love the way it looks anyway.

·Big Brook, NJ, USA ·Panned fr brook bottom w marl+ ·Miocene form. overlaps Late Cretaceous? .Attach: images of 2 fossils .(found pre-2020) I assume these (3+1) fossils may be from the "same" species, two diff. animals? No outstanding horizontal/diagonal "veins" from the prominent central ridges. Rookie request to ID b4 summer trip to c Dr. Parris, NJ St. Museum, Trenton. Thx

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Hi there - I've been ploughing through the web trying to identify these recent finds on a fossiling trip to Folkestone, but sadly without success. If anyone could help me identify them that would be very much appreciated. Image 1 (specimen approx 2.5 cm long) Image 2 (specimen approx 2.5 cm across) Image 3: (largest specimen 6 cm long) Thank you!

All, I wonder if someone may have an opinion about the object(s) in the small nodule shown here? The entire nodule is about 0.63 inch wide x 0.75 inch long x 0.5 inch thick (1.6 cm x 1.9 cm x 1.3 cm). It came from an area of shale that is likely of Pennsylvanian age in Northeastern Oklahoma. The shale from this location has many fossil marine invertebrates. I'm assuming its a mineral formation, but any thoughts would be appreciated. It is very hard to get the 3-D relief to show up in photos, so several angles and lighting conditions are shown. Best wishes.

Hi everyone, I was hoping someone could identify this or tell me if its something interesting. I was digging a bush out of my yard and hit it with a shovel, sounded much different than a rock so I washed it off. It was found in clay but this soil/ clay mix was brought in by a truck from somewhere after the house was built to level the backyard. I thought it was a very unusual piece to be found in the yard. Any ideas? Let me know if any other pictures would help. Thanks Chuck

Hi guys Is it possible to work out exactly what species of fish this fossil vertebrae is from, or is it too difficult to pinpoint ? Definitely fossilised. Found on the north coast of Norfolk U.K 25mm wide 7.5mm thick Happy Easter Matt