Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals, plants and other organisms from the past. They can be all different shapes and sizes -from microscopic, the size of a tiny insect, to gigantic, the size of a dinosaur!

While you’re out and about during the half term why not keep an eye out for fossils? If you spot any tweet or Instagram a picture to us.  

Four places to find fossils: 

The Etches Collection

Made possible by £2.7million National Lottery cash, the Museum of Jurassic Marine Life opened last year in Kimmeridge in Dorset. The remarkable collection of over 2,500 Late Jurassic Period fossils is the result of more than 30 years of dedicated discovery and research by founder Steve Etches MBE, a plumber by trade.  

Lesnes Abbey Wood fossiliferous shell beds

Dig for fossils in Abbey Wood in southeast London. The Eocene beds are rich in fossil sharks’ teeth, fish, mammal and bird remains, and fossil shells that are about 54.5 million years old. 

Fantastic fossils at the Horniman Museum

Step back in time at the Horniman Natural History Galleries, packed full of fascinating taxidermy, skeletons and fossils! Many of the most common fossils have alternative names inspired by folklore – like Devil’s Toenails which are a distinctive type of oyster called Gryphaea, that look like big gnarly claws.

England’s coastlines

Our coastlines are a hidden repository of important archaeology! From the remains of prehistoric forests to lost medieval ports and World War coastal defenses, not to mention the countless wrecks of abandoned boats and ships. Download the CITIZAN app to discover archaeology on your local foreshore.

Follow our #FossilFriday posts on the HLF Twitter, Instagram and Facebook today. Happy fossil hunting!