Browse Fossils is the main search and browsing tool for the LBPS fossil database.

You can use it whether you know the name of the fossil you are looking for or simply want to explore the database.

The search can look across information including:

• Scientific names
• Common names
• Synonyms
• Taxonomy
• Specimen catalogue numbers
• Geological ages
• Geological units
• Fossil sites
• Occurrence status
• Collections and repositories

You can combine filters to narrow the results.

Example: fossils from the London Clay at Walton

Select:

Geological Unit → Walton Member

and, if needed:

Fossil Site → Walton-on-the-Naze

You can then narrow the results further by fossil group.

Example: London Clay sharks

Select:

Geological Unit → London Clay Formation

and:

Fossil Group → Sharks & Rays

Tip: You do not need to use every filter. Start with the information you are most confident about and add more filters if you have too many results.

Use Clear Search & Filters whenever you want to start again.

If you know the geology of your fossil, the Fossil Database is often the quickest way to explore the species that may occur within it.

Find a Geological Unit

The Fossil Database provides a geology-led way to explore the LBPS database. Instead of searching directly for a fossil, you can begin with its geological age or unit and discover the species recorded from that geology.

You can search using whichever geological information you already know:

Period → Epoch → Age → Geological Unit

You can use just one of these or combine several.

You can also search directly for a Formation, Member or Bed.

Examples include:

• London Clay Formation
• Walton Member
• Harwich Formation
• Beltinge Fish Bed
• Lessness Shell Bed
• Reculver Sand Member

Select a Geological Unit to open its database page and explore the fossil records associated with it.

Group, Formation, Member and Bed

Geological units can exist at different levels.

Geological units form a hierarchy. For example, a Group may contain Formations, a Formation may contain Members, and a Member may contain more specific Beds.

Use the most precise geological unit that can be supported for your fossil.

If you only know that a specimen came from the London Clay Formation, you do not need to select a particular Member unless you can establish it confidently.

Open Fossil Sites to explore fossils geographically.

Sites are organised by region. Select a region and then choose the locality you want to explore.

A locality page may include:

• An introduction to the site
• Geological units and ages
• Geology and stratigraphy
• Palaeoenvironment
• Fossil preservation
• Collecting guidance
• Access information
• Hazards and safety information
• Tide information where relevant
• Parking information
• Species recorded from the site

The species explorer allows you to discover fossil records associated with that locality.

Important

Always read the current Access, Collecting Guidance and Safety information before visiting a fossil site.

Conditions, ownership, permissions and access arrangements can change.

Each Species page brings together identification and database information for that fossil.

Depending on the record, you may see:

Summary

An introduction to the species, its geological occurrence and important identifying characteristics.

Quick Identification

A short Look for guide highlighting features that may help you recognise the fossil.

Diagnostic Features

More detailed characteristics that can help distinguish the species from similar fossils.

Representative Specimens

Reference specimens and photographs showing the fossil where suitable material is available.

Similar Species

Other fossils that may be confused with the species.

Comparing similar species can be particularly helpful when identifying isolated teeth, fragments or incomplete specimens.

Recorded Fossil Sites

The localities from which the species has been recorded in the LBPS database.

Taxonomy

The scientific classification and accepted name used by the database.

References

Scientific literature, museum records and other sources supporting the information presented on the page.

The LBPS database records not only species, but also the evidence connecting species with particular fossil sites and geological units.

Not every reported occurrence has the same level of confidence.

Confirmed

There is sufficient evidence to treat the occurrence as established.

Provisional

There is evidence for the occurrence, but further checking or confirmation is desirable.

Expected / Unconfirmed

The species may reasonably be expected from the geology or surrounding evidence, but a confirmed occurrence has not yet been established in the LBPS database.

Questionable

The occurrence has been reported but there is significant uncertainty about the identification, locality or geological interpretation.

These statuses allow LBPS to preserve useful historical and research information without presenting every database relationship as equally certain.

Not every fossil can or should be identified to species level.

The LBPS database also supports unresolved identifications.

For example, a fossil may only be confidently identifiable as:

• Shark indet.
• Gastropoda sp.
• Hoploparia sp.
• Crab indet.
• Bivalve indet.

This is preferable to assigning a species name that cannot be supported by the specimen.

Unresolved identifications remain searchable within the database but are not counted as formal species records.

If you have found a fossil and are unsure what it is, use Identify a Fossil.

For the best chance of identification, provide:

• Clear photographs from several angles
• A photograph showing the complete specimen
• Close-up photographs of important features
• A ruler or other clear indication of scale
• The approximate size
• Where the fossil was found
• How it was found
• Information about any attached rock or matrix
• Details of cleaning, preparation, damage or repair
• Any identification you have already considered

It is completely fine if you have no idea what the fossil is.

Do not choose a species simply because it looks similar to an online photograph. Locality, geology, preservation and diagnostic features are all important parts of fossil identification.

LBPS members have access to additional tools for recording collecting activity and managing their own fossil collections.

The LBPS Members Area is designed so that collection information can be recorded in a structured way and, where appropriate, connected with the wider LBPS database.

Fossils catalogued through My Collection are recorded as Collection Items. These are your personal catalogue records and are separate from formal curated LBPS Specimen records.

My Collection is your personal fossil catalogue within LBPS.

Each fossil you catalogue is stored as a Collection Item and receives its own permanent MC reference.

You can use My Collection to add, organise, search, edit and manage fossils in your collection.

Records can include information such as:

• MC reference
• Personal Catalogue Number
• Species or identification
• Fossil group
• Fossil site
• Geological unit
• Preservation
• Completeness
• Record type
• Photographs
• Collection information
• Notes
• Visibility

Collection Items and LBPS Specimens

A Collection Item is your personal catalogue record and uses an MC reference.

A formal LBPS Specimen is a separately curated scientific record and uses an LBPS-S reference.

Creating a Collection Item does not automatically create an LBPS Specimen number.

If a Collection Item is later selected for inclusion as a formal LBPS Specimen, the original Collection Item can be preserved and linked to the curated Specimen record.

Add a Fossil

Choose Add Fossil to create a new Collection Item and enter as much reliable information as you currently know.

The new record will receive its own permanent MC reference. If you already use your own collection numbering system, you can also record your Personal Catalogue Number.

You do not have to complete every possible field before creating a record.

It is better to leave uncertain information blank or use Provisional Identification than to enter information you are not confident about.

Editing a Fossil

Open the Collection Item from My Collection and choose the edit option.

You can return to a record later to:

• Improve its identification
• Add photographs
• Correct locality or geological information
• Add measurements
• Update notes
• Change its visibility

Add Similar

If you are recording several similar fossils, Add Similar can save time by starting a new Collection Item using information from an existing Collection Item..

Always check the copied information before saving the new Collection Item.

In particular, confirm that the identification, locality, geology and item-specific information information are correct for the new fossil.

When your fossil can be confidently identified to a species already in the LBPS database, use the Species finder to connect your Collection Item with the correct LBPS Species record.

This relationship allows your Collection Item to connect correctly with the wider LBPS taxonomic database.

Do not select the nearest-looking species simply to complete the field.

If the fossil cannot confidently be identified to species level, use Provisional Identification to record the identification you can support.

For example:

• Hoploparia sp.
• Gastropoda sp.
• Shark indet.
• Crab indet.

The identification can be improved later if further information becomes available.

The Member Area allows collecting trips to be recorded separately from individual fossils.

A trip record can hold information about a collecting visit, such as the locality and details relevant to that visit.

Individual fossils collected during the trip can then be recorded as Collection Items within My Collection.

This allows LBPS to distinguish between:

the collecting event

and

the individual fossils catalogued from it.

Recording these separately makes collection data much more useful over time.

If you already maintain a collection elsewhere, you may be able to add multiple Collection Items using the Import Fossils tool.

Use the LBPS import template and keep the column headings in the required format.

Before importing a large collection:

1. Check the information in your file.
2. Make sure names and catalogue numbers are consistent.
3. Check locality and geological information.
4. Import a small test where appropriate.
5. Review the imported Collection Items afterwards.

Bulk import is designed to save time, but the quality of the resulting database records still depends on the quality of the information being imported.

My Collection can be filtered using information such as:

• Geological age
• Geological unit
• Fossil group
• Species
• Locality
• Preservation
• Completeness
• Record type
• Status
• Visibility

You can also export collection information to CSV.

This can be useful for:

• Keeping an offline copy of your records
• Research
• Reviewing parts of your collection
• Working with collection data in a spreadsheet

Deleted Collection Items may be moved to Recently Deleted rather than immediately removed permanently.

This gives you an opportunity to restore a Collection Item if it was deleted by mistake.

Do not use deletion simply to correct information. If the Collection Item is still valid, edit it instead.

Your collection does not have to be fully public.

When creating or editing records, check the visibility setting and choose the level appropriate for the information you are recording.

Some collectors may wish to contribute useful scientific information while keeping personal collection details private.

Be particularly careful when recording precise locality information for sensitive sites.

Where available, LBPS collection tools can be used to create QR codes and labels associated with your Collection Items.

A QR code provides a convenient way to connect a physical fossil or collection label with its digital Collection Item record.

Before printing labels, check that the MC reference, Personal Catalogue Number where used, and fossil information are correct.

The LBPS database is intended to be useful for collectors, researchers and future palaeontological work.

A few simple principles help keep the information reliable:

• Record what you know, not what you assume.
• Use the most precise identification you can confidently support.
• Do not force a specimen to species level.
• Record locality information as accurately as appropriate.
• Use the most precise geological unit that can be supported.
• Keep your Personal Catalogue Numbers consistent where you use them.
• Add photographs where possible.
• Preserve useful provenance information.
• Update records when an identification changes.
• Distinguish between confirmed information and uncertain interpretations.

A carefully recorded unidentified fossil is more useful than a confidently labelled but incorrectly identified one.