Invertebrate I.D.

We all know what a dinosaur looks like - it is a vertebrate like us and has a bony skeleton with a backbone. But did you know that invertebrate fossils are far more common than vertebrate fossils?

Your fossil collection is probably made up of invertebrate fossils. At first glance, they may just look like a pile of shells, but with practice, and a little help from our guide, you should be able identify your collection.

Look at the invertebrate wheel. It has 14 different groups laid out around its edge - everything from ammonites to trilobites! Do you recognise any of them?
Click on the different sections on the wheel to learn about each group.

If you read these pages you should become an expert invertebrate identifier!
The major groups are listed below - select a link to learn more about this type of fossil.

Sponges Corals
Molluscs Brachiopods
Arthropods Graptolites
Echinoderms Return to the wheel

If you know it all already, return to the Homepage or test yourself with our Quiz!