Have you found some interesting fossils but are unsure how to identify them?
Are you confused about the difference between brachiopods and bivalves
or crinoids and corals?
This page is designed to help you identify fossils by providing links to fossil-related web sites as well as contact information for paleontologists here at KU.
To get a general idea of what your fossil might be, start by visiting the sites listed below.
(Each web site opens in a new browser window)
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PaleoPortal
The PaleoPortal Fossil Gallery is very useful for fossil identification.
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| GeoKansas
GeoKansas, hosted by the Kansas Geological Survey, is a comprehensive site that describes the geology of the state of Kansas. This site contains a very useful guide to Kansas fossils.
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Oceans of Kansas
Oceans of Kansas is a site devoted to fossils of Kansas and fossils from the late Cretaceous western interior sea.
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Ancient Life Found in Kansas Rocks
Ancient Life Found in Kansas Rocks, also hosted by the Kansas Geological Survey, is an online book that describes Kansas fossils.
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Kansas University Museum of Invertebrate Paleontology
The Image Gallery of this site features some of the 850,000 fossil invertebrate and microfossil specimens from all over the world.
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Once you have gathered general information about your fossil you can contact any of the people listed below for further information.
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| General Information from the
University of Kansas Natural History Museum
Dyche Hall • 1345 Jayhawk Blvd.
Lawrence, KS 66045-7561 U.S.A.
Phone: 785.864.4540 • Fax: 785.864.5335
Email: kunhm@ku.edu |
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Vertebrate Paleontology is a branch of paleontology that studies vertebrate fossils. Vertebrates are those organisms that contain an internal skeleton or backbone or spinal column. |
| Larry Dean Martin
| email: ldmartin@ku.edu
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| David Burnham
| email: dinosaur@ku.edu
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| Desui Miao
| email: dmiao@ku.edu
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Invertebrate Paleontology is a branch of paleontology that studies invertebrate fossils. Invertebrates are those organisms that lack an internal skeleton or backbone or spinal column. |
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| Paul Selden
| email: selden@ku.edu
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| Bruce Lieberman
| email: blieber@ku.edu
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| Steve Hasiotis
| email: hasiotis@ku.edu
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| Talia Karim
| email: tkarim@ku.edu
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Paleoichnology is a branch of paleontology that studies trace fossils: the tracks, trails, burrows and borings of prehistoric organisms.
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| Steve Hasiotis
| email: hasiotis@ku.edu
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Paleobotany is a branch of paleontology that studies the fossil remains of plants. |
| Edith Taylor
| email: etaylor@ku.edu
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| Tom Taylor
| email: tntaylor@ku.edu
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Paleoichthyology is a branch of paleontology that studies the fossil remains of fish. |
| Edward O. Wiley
| email: ewiley@ku.edu
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| Andrew Bentley
| email: abentley@ku.edu
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Paleoentomology is a branch of paleontology that studies the fossil remains of insects.
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| Michael Engel
| email: msengel@ku.edu
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Micropaleontology is a branch of paleontology that studies microfossils, those organisms small enough that their study requires the use of a microscope.
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| 3D Microfossil database
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