Vertebrate Fossils: What to Record

Taxonomy

What organism the fossil is, from species up to phylum.

Scientific name Text Fossils

Genus and species with author and year if known, e.g. Phacops rana (Green, 1832); write 'sp.' when the species is not determined.

Common name Text Fossils

Vernacular name, e.g. Eyed trilobite, Common cockle.

Phylum Text Fossils

Phylum (or division for plants), e.g. Arthropoda, Mollusca, Chordata.

Class Text Fossils

Taxonomic class, e.g. Trilobita, Cephalopoda, Insecta.

Order Text Fossils

Taxonomic order, e.g. Phacopida, Ammonitida, Lepidoptera.

Family Text Fossils

Taxonomic family, e.g. Phacopidae, Papilionidae.

Determined by Text Fossils

Who identified the specimen and when (expert, museum, own determination).

Geology

Age and rock unit of the find.

Geologic period Choice Fossils

Geologic period after the International Chronostratigraphic Chart (ICS 2024/12); Ma = million years ago.

13 choices

• Precambrian (before 538.8 Ma)
• Cambrian (538.8 to 486.9 Ma)
• Ordovician (486.9 to 443.1 Ma)
• Silurian (443.1 to 419.6 Ma)
• Devonian (419.6 to 358.9 Ma)
• Carboniferous (358.9 to 298.9 Ma)
• Permian (298.9 to 251.9 Ma)
• Triassic (251.9 to 201.4 Ma)
• Jurassic (201.4 to 143.1 Ma)
• Cretaceous (143.1 to 66.0 Ma)
• Paleogene (66.0 to 23.0 Ma)
• Neogene (23.0 to 2.58 Ma)
• Quaternary (2.58 Ma to today)

Epoch / stage Text Fossils

Finer age, e.g. Late Cretaceous, Maastrichtian; Middle Devonian, Eifelian.

Age (Ma) Number Fossils

Age in million years, when known from the literature or a dating.

Formation Text Fossils

Rock unit (lithostratigraphy), e.g. Hell Creek Formation, Solnhofen Limestone, Posidonia Shale.

Origin

Where and by whom the fossil was found.

Locality Text Fossils

Exact find site, as specific as possible, e.g. quarry, mine and level, beach, outcrop.

Region Text Fossils

State, province, county or district of the locality.

Country Text Fossils

Country of origin or issue, by its usual English name (historic states as named at the time, e.g. Kingdom of Bavaria).

Coordinates Place Fossils

Geographic position of the locality (keep private for sensitive sites).

Collected by Text Fossils

Person who collected or excavated the specimen.

Collection date Date Fossils

Date the specimen was collected in the field.

Specimen

Preservation, preparation and measurements.

Preservation Choice, or your own Fossils

How the organism was preserved.

• Original material (unaltered shell or bone)
• Permineralised / petrified
• Replaced (pyrite, silica, calcite, opal)
• Mould (impression)
• Cast (infilled mould)
• Carbonised / compression
• Amber inclusion
• Frozen / mummified
• Trace (footprint, burrow, coprolite)

Mineralisation Text Fossils

Minerals that replaced or fill the fossil, e.g. pyritised, opalised, agatised, calcite crystals inside.

Matrix Text Fossils

Rock the fossil sits in, e.g. grey shale, limestone nodule, sandstone.

Completeness Choice Fossils

How much of the organism is present.

• Complete individual
• Nearly complete
• Partial
• Fragment
• Isolated element (tooth, bone, plate)
• Composite (several individuals)
• Several specimens on one slab

Preparation Choice Fossils

How far the fossil has been freed from the rock.

• Unprepared
• Partially prepared
• Fully prepared
• Free-standing (removed from matrix)
• Cut and polished
• Cast / replica

Preparation details Text Fossils

Methods (air abrasion, acid, needles), preparator and date.

Restoration share (%) Whole number, 0 to 100 Fossils

Share of the visible fossil that is restored, sculpted or filled; 0 means all original.

Length (cm) Number Fossils

Greatest length.

Width (cm) Number Fossils

Width, measured from the front.

Height (cm) Number Fossils

Height, measured upright as the object is meant to stand or hang.

Weight (g) Number Fossils

Weight of the object (without stand, frame or holder unless noted).

Skeletal element Text

Which part of the animal, e.g. tooth, vertebra, femur, claw, skull, scute.

Condition

Condition Choice Fossils

Overall condition in plain terms; domains with an established grading scale use that scale instead.

• Mint / as new
• Excellent
• Very good
• Good
• Fair
• Poor

Condition notes Text Fossils

Faults, wear and damage in detail.

Restoration & repairs Text Fossils

Restorations, repairs, replaced parts and cleaning, with who did them and when if known.

Legal

Collecting and export documentation.

Permits & documents Text Fossils

Collecting, export, import or trade permits and certificates with their numbers and issuing authority.

Acquisition

How and when the object came into the collection.

Acquisition date Date Fossils

Date the object came into the collection.

Acquisition method Choice, or your own Fossils

How the object came into the collection.

• Purchase
• Auction
• Gift
• Inheritance
• Exchange / trade
• Self-collected / found
• Commission

Acquired from Text Fossils

Seller, auction house (with sale and lot number), donor or place where it was found.

Purchase price Amount Fossils

Price paid including fees and premiums.

Provenance Text Fossils

Earlier owners and the object's history, oldest first, with sources (labels, invoices, sale catalogues).

Value

Estimated and insured value.

Estimated value Amount Fossils

Current market value as estimated.

Valuation date Date Fossils

Date of the current value estimate.

Valuation basis Choice Fossils

What the estimated value is based on.

• Own estimate
• Recent sales / auction results
• Dealer offer
• Catalogue value
• Professional appraisal
• Insurance valuation

Insured value Amount Fossils

Sum the object is insured for.

Collection record

Your own inventory data.

Inventory number Text Fossils

Your own number or label for the object, e.g. C-0042, as written on its label or album page.

Storage location Text Fossils

Where the object is kept, e.g. room, cabinet, drawer, album and page, box.