How do i find information about a shell or a fossil i found?

Question

recently i found a large piece of of either a shell or a fossil in the maumee river in northwest ohio i have tried to ask the ohio parks people but they will not respond to my inquiry. please help

Answer 1

If there's a large university nearby, you can go to their paleontology or marine biology department and someone there should be happy to help you.  You could even find their contact information online by visiting their university department and just call them, then email a photo of the fossil for them to identify.  You could do easily do the same with a museum like the California Academy of Sciences/Steinhart aquarium.  I live in San Diego and my first thought would be to call someone at Scripps Oceanographic Inst. and email them a photo of the fossil rather than make a field trip.

Answer 2

I would say a place to start might be your local library to see if they have books or fossil guides. Just a few minutes there should tell you.  Is there a natural history museum anywhere nearby? It can be tricky to research online.

Answer 3

I would try to contact someone from the Smithsonian. They have the best resources for fossil identification.