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What can you find?

The fossil groups a collector is realistically likely to find in Britain. Each entry explains what the material looks like, how to tell it apart from ordinary stone, and where it is recorded.

  1. 01AmmonitesCoiled shells of extinct marine molluscs, the classic British fossil.Devonian to Cretaceous; most British specimens are Jurassic.20 locations →
  2. 02BelemnitesBullet-shaped internal guards of squid-like Jurassic and Cretaceous animals.Jurassic and Cretaceous.17 locations →
  3. 03Shark teethSmall, glossy, triangular teeth weathered out of Eocene and Pliocene beds.Mostly Eocene and Pliocene in Britain.9 locations →
  4. 04Sea urchinsEchinoids preserved in chalk and limestone, from dome-shaped to heart-shaped.Mostly Cretaceous in Britain, with Jurassic forms as well.7 locations →
  5. 05Dinosaur fossilsBone fragments and footprint casts, chiefly from the Isle of Wight's Wealden beds.Triassic to Cretaceous; British finds are mostly Early Cretaceous and Jurassic.4 locations →
  6. 06TrilobitesSegmented Palaeozoic arthropods, found in older Welsh and northern rocks.Cambrian to Permian.0 locations →
  7. 07Fossilised woodDriftwood and tree remains replaced by minerals, sometimes as jet or lignite.Carboniferous onwards; British beach finds are mostly Jurassic and Cretaceous.17 locations →
  8. 08Plant fossilsLeaf, frond and stem impressions, mostly in Carboniferous shales.Mostly Carboniferous, with Jurassic and Cretaceous plant beds elsewhere.5 locations →
  9. 09BrachiopodsTwo-shelled marine animals, abundant in limestone and chalk.Cambrian to present; commonest in Palaeozoic and Mesozoic rocks.11 locations →
  10. 10CrinoidsSea lilies, usually found as circular stem segments in limestone.Ordovician to present; commonest in Carboniferous limestone.4 locations →
  11. 11GastropodsFossil snails, coiled into a cone rather than a flat spiral.Cambrian to present.11 locations →
  12. 12BivalvesFossil shellfish with two matching valves, common on most marine sites.Cambrian to present.36 locations →
  13. 13JetFossilised monkey puzzle wood from the Yorkshire coast, black and very light.Early Jurassic (Toarcian).5 locations →
  14. 14CoralsColonial and solitary corals preserved in limestone.Ordovician to present; commonest in Carboniferous limestone.5 locations →
  15. 15Mammal bonesIce Age and Pleistocene mammal remains from eroding cliffs and forest beds.Pleistocene.1 location →
  16. 16Marine reptile remainsIchthyosaur and plesiosaur vertebrae, teeth and bone fragments.Triassic to Cretaceous; British finds are mostly Jurassic.6 locations →