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Collecting fossils
 Where to look for fossils
Dave Martill's favourite fossil sites
Reporting fossil finds
Safety tips
Reporting fossil finds
If you do make an exciting discovery – say, a skeleton that looks as though it might be complete – then to whom do you report it?
If your local museum has a geologist or palaeontologist on the staff, then that is usually the best place to report a find. The local museum can also identify any fossils that you have found, so you might get to know your local palaeontologist through your fossil discoveries.
In the case of particularly good finds, the local museum may be able to put together an excavation team to extract the fossil, but remember – they will probably want the fossil for their collection. And, if it's a new species, perhaps they will even name it after you.
If you make an important discovery on a protected site, then you should report your find to the organisation responsible for that site. If it is English Nature or Scottish Heritage, they may be able to get a team on to the site straight away. Alternatively, the National Museums in London, Cardiff and Edinburgh or your local university's geology department may be able to help.
These are some of the organisations that you can contact for advice:
The Palaeontological Association
www.palass.org
The association has access to most professional palaeontologists in the UK.
The Geologists' Association
www.geologist.demon.co.uk
The association publishes field guides to help find fossils and organises field trips. It has affiliated societies all over the country.
The Geological Society of London
www.geolsoc.org.uk
This is the professional body for earth scientists in the UK.
English Nature
www.english-nature.org.uk
English Nature is responsible for some of the most important protected fossil sites in England, but they are very supportive of amateur fossil collecting, and, where possible, they encourage it.
Scottish Natural Heritage
www.snh.org.uk
Responsible for protected sites in Scotland.
Countryside Council for Wales
www.ccw.gov.uk
Responsible for protected sites in Wales.
Natural History Museum, London
www.nhm.ac.uk
The museum houses the national fossil collection and has many expert palaeontologists on its staff. It offers a free fossil identification service and has excellent laboratories. The museum frequently excavates major finds in the UK.
National Museum of Wales
www.nmgw.ac.uk
Offers a similar service to the Natural History Museum, London, for Wales.
Royal Museum of Scotland
www.nms.ac.uk
Offers a similar service to the Natural History Museum, London, for Scotland.
Ulster Museum, Belfast
www.ulstermuseum.org.uk
Offers a similar service to the Natural History Museum, London, for Northern Ireland.
Legal issues
It is not illegal to collect fossils in Britain, but in some countries all fossils are protected by law and you need a permit to collect. For example, in Spain and Italy fossils are protected under the same laws that protect archaeological artefacts. In the German state of Baden Wurtemberg, important vertebrate fossils are protected by law and should be passed over to the state museums in Stuttgart or Karlsruhe. A 'treasure trove' reward scheme is in place if the fossil is retained by the museum. A similar scheme would be welcomed by many palaeontologists in the UK.
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