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Toothhound

Vertebrate fossils

Bones, vertebrae, and ear-bones from extinct and modern marine vertebrates. Heavier and denser than rock of the same size, with a tell-tale honeycomb internal structure when broken.

Detailed entries

Belemnite guards
The bullet-shaped 'pencils' you find in Cretaceous creek gravel are belemnite rostra — the internal hard part of an extinct squid relative. They were the dominant shelled cephalopods of Mesozoic seas before ammonites took over. Easy first find for kids.
Coprolites (fossil dung)
Fossilized poop. Less glamorous than teeth but tells us what predators were eating — coprolites often contain shark scales, fish bones, and shell fragments. Common in phosphate spoil piles and Aurora-area gravel.
Whale & dolphin bone
Cetacean bone is the heaviest, densest non-tooth find on a typical hunt. Vertebrae are the most recognizable — round centra with the neural arch usually broken off. Ear bones (tympanic bullae) are the prize: dense, fist-sized, shaped like a cooked clam.

Also reported in this category

These show up on location dossiers but don't have a dedicated guide entry yet. Each links to the first site where it's reported.

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