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MODERN MAMMAL SKULLS SOLD AS "FOSSILS"

FAKE FOSSILS main section

VALUABLE INFORMATION on FOSSILS

 

MODERN "FOSSILS"?

There has been a increasing trend in the fossil business to offer impressive, but NOT TRUE PREHISTORIC FOSSILS, of various species of mammals such as bear, bobcat, coyote, beaver, raccoon, mink, muskrat and wolf, etc.. as being FOSSILS.  These are usually found in river banks or springs and appear to look prehistoric.  They are ANCIENT (less than 10,000 years but maybe only 200 years), but NOT TRUE FOSSILS that date back over 10,000 years.  They are sold both loose and in artificially created matrix reconstructed to appear as though the skull is still partially embedded.  Dealers will casually put in the time period PLEISTOCENE - HOLOCENE to keep them technically off the hook but often the sales descriptions or comments by the seller will refer to these present-day skulls as "Pleistocene fossils" when all indications of their characteristics indicate otherwise.  For the prices they are selling for quite frankly, you could buy an old skull from an animal trapper for considerably less.  Both will be "Holocene"!  

They look great but it's simply important to know that THEY ARE NOT TRUE FOSSILS, that is, they do NOT come from prehistory dating back to a period exceeding 10,000 years ago.

You are buying an ANTIQUE AT BEST, not a FOSSIL


WHAT IS A FOSSIL?

Science defines that a fossil is a preserved life-form specifically from a PAST GEOLOGIC AGE.  Referring to the geologic time scale, we are currently in the HOLOCENE PERIOD.  The term FOSSIL or PREHISTORIC pertains to remains from a period EARLIER than the Holocene.  The last period considered PREHISTORY or fossil-bearing, is the PLEISTOCENE PERIOD.  This ended 10,000 years ago and is the cut-off point for what is and what isn't a true fossil.  Any remains of plants or animals AFTER 10,000 years that are found in the Holocene are NOT true fossils and should not be presented as such.


HOW CAN YOU TELL?

When you do not have access to the exact strata that a specimen of a modern species comes from, it requires some detective work to determine just how old the remains are.  If we were standing in a quarry and look up in the wall and see a skull sticking out, we may easily be able to determine its age based on the strata, or layer from which it is buried in.  If it is an extinct species, then we know when the species died and can fairly accurately date its most minimum age.  River terraces can be problematic to date between a matter of a few thousand years because the river will always have a history of flooding and receding, thereby jumbling animal remains in deposits that are not necessarily perfect chronological layers.  Again, this is mainly when we are talking in terms of thousands NOT tens or hundreds of thousands! of years.  These skulls we are discussing are mainly from river terrace deposits.

It is tricky to date a fossil on appearance alone but since we know the type of deposit these so-called "fossils" are coming from, we can apply some common sense deductions to determine that some features just don't make sense if they were over 10,000 years.  Some obvious characteristics that these skulls cannot be 10,000 years or older are their mere completeness and degree of intactness which is too good to be true for such age IN THIS KIND OF DEPOSIT, in the numbers of specimens that are found.  Gravel bed, river terrace deposits dating to the last Ice Age have been subjected to extreme pressure, movement and disturbances that have no equal after the glaciers receded.  While many nice fossils can be found in such deposits that date back to prehistoric periods, the energy exerted on the strata often would damage or destroy the delicate intact skulls of small mammals.  Delicate anatomical features would be eroded, broken or otherwise damaged for a true Pleistocene gravel bed or river deposit.  The skulls being sold in question, do not show this characteristic damage.

Another feature to make note is the color of the teeth in relation to the bone.  Despite the bone being stained dark from river tannins, the teeth enamel still retain their modern natural white hue with no mottling or coloring from the elements.  Note, modern living beaver have orange incisors when they are alive so the color of these teeth will always look prehistoric, regardless of age.  Over 10,000 year true fossils of white teeth in dark bone also exist in nature but the teeth will always have some mottling, veining or unnatural color highlights (blue, orange, red, yellow, etc..) compared to dingy, present-day animal teeth.  Modern teeth from animals can look discolored but the discoloration will look more like plain old "dirty" teeth rather than the beautiful colors some true fossil teeth come in when white is the dominant color.


"BUT IT'S MINERALIZED, HOW COME IT'S NOT A FOSSIL?"

The fact that a bone becomes mineralized or stained dark is very deceiving when figuring age.  In peat bogs or river and spring deposits, a modern day animal can fall into the water and, depending on the chemistry of the sediment and water, its skeleton become mineralized in a matter of just a few hundred years.  Dark river waters that are rich in tannins (tea-colored water caused by decaying vegetation) can stain modern bone to a color that resembles a fossil bone from 5 million years ago!  Of course, if you want to be absolutely sure of the age of a mammal skull that looks too good to be a true fossil, C-14 dating is the least expensive way to determine its age.  Consult your local museum or university as they will often perform this test for a fee.


OUTRIGHT FAKE FOSSIL SKULLS

While on the subject, it is worthy to make mention of outright fake fossil skulls we have seen surface from time to time in the market.  Occasionally, outright fakes of fossil skulls are made by taking a modern animal skull and treating with stain to appear prehistoric.  This article is intended to address differences between genuine Holocene and Pleistocene remains but the traits to watch for to identify an artificially created fake fossil skull apply equally to identifying a Holocene skull.

 

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