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Leave it where it is. Photograph it in place from several angles, note the location, and report it to whoever manages the land. A museum or geological survey may help assess what it is, but identification and permission to collect are separate questions. Until the right authority advises you, do not dig it up, clean it, break it, or carry it away.
What to do first
- Leave the object and its setting undisturbed. The fossil’s position and the surrounding material can matter to scientific interpretation. The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County advises suspected finders to leave fossils where they are found.
- Document it in place. Take an overall photo and close-ups from multiple angles. Include an ordinary object for scale if practical. Record the date, location, nearby landmarks, approximate size, color, texture, and how much of the object is exposed. Badlands National Park specifically recommends multiple views, a scale object, and location notes. Save coordinates privately rather than posting a precise fossil location publicly.
- Report the find. In a national park, tell a ranger. Elsewhere, contact the agency, owner, or organization responsible for the land. A local natural history museum or geological survey may also be able to help with identification or documentation. Utah Geological Survey, for example, encourages finders to contact its State Paleontologist or paleontology staff.
- Wait for instructions before touching or collecting it. If erosion, construction, or another immediate threat puts the specimen at risk, promptly tell the land manager what is happening and ask what to do. Do not move it on your own.
Who to contact—and what each can do
There are two distinct questions: who has authority over the site, and who can assess the specimen. The land manager can explain site rules and help protect the location; a museum paleontologist or geological survey may help determine what the object is and document its significance. One local institution may serve both roles, but check that it handles finds from that particular site.
- National park: Tell a ranger. The National Park Service advises visitors who discover a fossil in a national park to photograph it, record its location, leave it in place, and tell a ranger.
- Other public land: Contact the responsible land agency or site manager before taking any action.
- Private land: Identify the landowner or manager and ask about the applicable rules. Do not assume that finding an object gives you a right to remove it.
- Identification help: Send clear photographs and locality information to an appropriate museum or geological survey, while also notifying the land manager. Follow the land manager’s directions about access and handling.
Why “possible mastodon tooth” is the right description for now
A tooth-like shape or a photograph cannot establish that an object is a fossil, much less that it came from a mastodon. Some inorganic pseudofossils resemble bones or other remains, and some bones found underground have not fossilized. Keep the description tentative until a qualified expert has assessed it; do not treat a visual resemblance or a measurement as a diagnosis.
Context can be as important as appearance. In a 2026 Associated Press report, a Pacific mastodon tooth about 9 inches (23 centimeters) long was found during habitat restoration at a San Mateo County preserve and later donated to Stanford University’s Doerr School of Sustainability. The report describes involvement by the preserve manager and collection specialists; it is an example, not a universal procedure or a precedent for who may collect other finds.
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Collection rules depend on the land and the fossil
There is no single collection rule that applies everywhere in the United States. The relevant rules can depend on the country, state, land ownership, managing agency, site, and type of fossil. A confirmed mastodon tooth would be a vertebrate fossil, so do not assume that rules for collecting ordinary rocks apply.
- Utah example: Utah Geological Survey guidance says vertebrate fossils may not be collected on federal or state lands in Utah, and that private-land collection requires the landowner’s permission. It also encourages reporting finds. These are Utah-specific statements, not nationwide rules.
- Florida example: Florida law separately requires permits for specified field investigations involving vertebrate fossils on state-owned or leased land and designated sites. That example does not determine what is allowed elsewhere.
- Federal context: The National Park Service says the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act was enacted in 2009 to provide specific direction for protecting fossils on public lands. That federal framework does not settle every state, tribal, local, private-property, or site-specific question.
Check the current rules with the actual land manager or relevant authority for the place where you found the object. Do not use a rule from another state—or an identification from a museum—as permission to collect.
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Information to include when you report it
- Your state or country and, if known, the landowner or managing agency.
- The date and a location description or coordinates shared privately with the responsible authority.
- Photos from several angles, including a view that shows the surrounding ground or rock.
- An approximate size and description of color, texture, and how much is exposed.
- Any immediate risk, such as erosion or nearby construction.
Ask the recipient how they want location details sent. A precise fossil locality can be sensitive, so avoid publishing exact coordinates or directions online before the responsible authority has advised you.
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