Fossil Identification

Florida is well known for its abundance of fossils from marine, freshwater, and terrestrial floras and faunas.

Invertebrates, shark and ray teeth, pieces of turtle shell, and dugongs are extremely common fossil finds in Florida.
There are no non-avian dinosaur fossils found in Florida. Florida was underwater when the dinosaurs lived. The nearest dinosaur fossils have been found in central western Georgia and central Alabama.
Naturally forming rock concretions and oddly eroded limestone are commonly found and are not fossils.

Many fantastic resources exist for help with fossil identification include fossil clubs of Florida and The Fossil Forum.

Photo guide for rodent tooth identification

Please note that vertebrate fossils may only be collected from state lands in Florida with a Florida Fossil Permit. Please reach out if you believe you have made a significant fossil discovery.

The permit program is only applicable to vertebrate fossils found on state lands in Florida, including public beaches and stretches of rivers that are not within the boundaries of managed areas (such as State parks or historic sites, where no collecting is allowed). Fossils found on private property belong to the property owner, and those found on county-owned land are up to the discretion of the county. Even so, please reach out to the museum if you think you’ve uncovered a significant fossil assemblage on private or county-owned property in Florida, and we can help with identifications/additional permitting for collection.

Shark and ray teeth, invertebrate, and plant fossils may be collected and kept by anyone with or without a permit. A permit is needed to collect all other vertebrate fossils discovered on state lands and must be reported to FLMNH VP.