Fossil Guides

Small fossil collection in a labelled specimen tray
Starting a Fossil Collection: A Guide for New Collectors
Choose a theme, start with well-documented specimens, keep good records: a practical guide to beginning a fossil collection. Read more...
Fossil skull displayed in a modern living room
Decorating with Fossils: Displaying Natural History at Home
Placement, scale, light and stands: how to give a fossil the presence it deserves in a living room, library or office. Read more...
Serrated fossil tooth with field notebook and calipers
How Much Is a Dinosaur Tooth Worth? What Sets the Price
Species, size, preservation, repairs and restoration: the factors that decide what a Spinosaurus or Carcharodontosaurus tooth is worth. Read more...
Fossil preparation workbench
How Fossils Are Prepared: From the Rock to the Collection
Excavation, jacketing, air scribes and consolidants: the stages of fossil preparation and what they mean when you read a specimen description. Read more...
Fossil bone embedded in phosphate matrix
What Is a Fossil Matrix? Understanding Fossils in Their Original Rock
The rock around a fossil is part of its story. What matrix is, how it forms, and what to look for in a fossil presented in matrix. Read more...
Illustration of a long-necked plesiosaur
Plesiosaur Fossils from Morocco: Zarafasaura and the Long-Necked Reptiles
Long-necked elasmosaurs and short-necked polycotylids: the plesiosaurs of Cretaceous Morocco, from Goulmima to the Oulad Abdoun phosphates. Read more...
Fossil displayed in a quiet study
How to Care for Your Fossil: Cleaning, Display and Storage
Simple rules to keep your fossil looking its best for decades: where to display it, how to clean it, and what to avoid. Read more...
Polished ammonite showing internal chambers
Ammonites Explained: Age, Species and How to Choose One
What ammonites were, how long they lived, why they are so useful to geologists, and what to look for when choosing one. Read more...
Fossil shark teeth on phosphate matrix
Fossil Shark Teeth of Morocco: Otodus, Cretolamna and More
Morocco's phosphate mines produce millions of fossil shark teeth. A guide to the main species, from megalodon's ancestor Otodus to the serrated crow shark. Read more...
Spiny Devonian trilobite in limestone
Moroccan Trilobites: A Collector's Species Guide
From the trident-headed Walliserops to big-eyed phacopids, a guide to the Devonian trilobites of Morocco's Anti-Atlas. Read more...
Kem Kem escarpment in southeastern Morocco
The Kem Kem Beds: Morocco's Cretaceous River of Giants
Spinosaurus, Carcharodontosaurus, giant pterosaurs and crocodile relatives: meet the predator-packed river system of Cretaceous Morocco. Read more...
Two fossil theropod teeth, conical and serrated
Spinosaurus vs Carcharodontosaurus Teeth: How to Tell Them Apart
Both giant predators lived in Cretaceous Morocco, but their teeth look very different. A simple guide to identifying them. Read more...