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If you’ve ever found a fossil, you’ll know how exciting and fascinating the experience is. Seeing proof of past animal life or habitats opens up a curiosity about our planet’s history, and you may feel the desire to collect the fossil, look at it closely, or take pictures of it.
If you find a fossil, you should consult the governmental policies of the area where you found it. Most policies will direct you to leave it where it is, take a picture, and report it to the city’s respective bureau. This allows paleontologists to examine the fossil as it is and learn more about it.
This article will walk you through everything you need to know if you find a fossil, including whether they are hard to find, if you can keep them, and if you can sell them. It will also outline the steps to take if you find a fossil and even give you a few tips on becoming a paleontologist. Keep reading for more fascinating fossil factoids. Browse our collection of dinosaur gifts.
Fossils are rare to find, especially in suburban areas. For a fossil to exist in any one location depends on a whole past chain of events leading to the fossil ending up in that location.
However, their rarity doesn't mean they never get found, and fossils are more commonly found in some worldly locations than others. For example, Alberta is known for frequent fossil discoveries, its most recent being the hadrosaur fossil found with dinosaur skin.
Paleontologists are scientists who study life on earth, including organisms and the preserved remains of past animals. They're experts in fossil discoveries and the people you want to get in touch with if you ever come across what you believe to be a fossil.
Generally speaking, you cannot keep a fossil if you find it. Each city and state has laws and regulations about what to do if you find a fossil. Check your community's government website or do a quick google search for information specific to your location.
With that being said, many people collect fossils either by finding them or purchasing them online, which is an option you can consider if you are a fossil collector! Some countries allow for collections of small fossils. Otherwise, you should leave fossils in the hands of professional excavators and paleontologists.
While some countries allow for minor fossil collection and sales, selling fossils that you've found is generally illegal. This is because you need an excavation license to remove the fossil from its location, and fossils should be sent to the city's paleontologists for examination.
If you find a fossil, you should look up the fossil laws in your area and, more generally, follow the below steps to avoid any potential repercussions.
Various jurisdictions will have laws and protocols to follow if you find a fossil, and these protocols look slightly different depending on where the fossil was found. For the most part, though, the jurisdiction will suggest you do the following:
Though finding a fossil is exciting, do your best not to touch it. Leave it unbothered. This is crucial because it helps paleontologists to examine the condition and environment of the fossil's preservation. These factors can tell scientists a lot about the animal and its former life.
If you can, try to measure the fossil. If you don't have a measuring tape, you can use an item on your person to compare the fossil, such as a pen, a wallet, or even a lighter.
Of course, if you do have a measuring tape on you– don't worry, we won't judge– take measurements of as much of the fossil as you can see. Write these measurements down.
Another thing you should write down is the GPS location of the fossil. You can find this using your smartphone app (Google Maps is a good one).
A smartphone camera or a professional one will work. Whichever you have, take a picture of the fossil as you've left it. Include photos of the fossil with comparison objects beside it.
For the sake of time, only use a disposable camera if you have no other option. (Nobody has time for photo development these days.) These pictures will be incredibly useful to the paleontologists assigned to study the fossil you found.
You should note where the fossil was found because its geographical location will play a big part in determining who manages it. In most cases, this is the governmental paleontologists of your city or state. However, there are so many points of contact for paleontologists across the country who can examine your find.
For example, British Columbia has multiple resources to contact if you've found a fossil. The Paleontological Society is another contact point for fossil discoveries in Virginia, USA. You could even e-mail Canadian Geographic for guidance on the next steps.
Once you do this, the scientists will begin examining and exploring the fossil and the environment it was found in.
Studying paleontology can be a rich and satisfying career if you are passionate about fossils. To follow this career path, you must take many science and geology courses in high school, college, and university. You will also need a master's degree in paleontology.
If you want to work in this field of science, you have many opportunities and experiences. For example, you can work for museums, government agencies, and oil companies.
In conclusion, if you find a fossil, you shouldn’t keep it or touch it. Instead, leave the fossil where it is, measure it, take a few pictures, and contact a paleontologist in your area that can examine the discovery. The steps you follow to identify your discovery are crucial because they can help paleontologists learn about the fossil.
Now you know a little bit more about fossil discoveries!
