Fossilized bones?

Question

What should I do if I find fossilized bones in rock?

Answer 1

In many states, it is usually illegal to collect vertebrate fossils unless you are a paleontologist working for an accredited institution or on private land with the permission of the land owner. (If you find a fossil of a bone, it's from a vertebrate, btw.)

Here's one link that tells a little more: http://www.agiweb.org/gap/legis106/fossilup99.html

The matter of ethics comes into play also. Very few amateurs have the equipment or skill to collect a fossil bone without destroying it. Even if they do, the wealth of information that could possibly be gained by proper scientific work on the find will undoubtedly be lost. It's best to cover and protect the find where it is, mark it so you can find it again, and then contact a museum, college, or state geological survey and describe what you found to them. If it is something new, it's not unusual for the person who found it to get it named after them. It's much better to maybe have a species of dinosaur named after you than to have a broken pile of rocks nobody can identify, isn't it?

Answer 2

Suggest you take them to your nearest museum or university and get them assessed. I had once fond a fossilized leaf in rock charcoal and that set the archeologists on fire...

Answer 3

Send a note to the paleontology department of a convenient university.

Answer 4

if you find them i would take them to an archiologist and have them checked out. if its something to be excited about or if its just your previous home owners chicken bones. but if it looks liek something just take it in. usually if you find something in that area, there should be more remains in that approximate 5 sqft.

Answer 5

well u could keep it or u could take it to a musem i think they pay u for them? not sure though.