Devonian Fossils: Fossils & Collector Guide

Often called the Age of Fishes, with placoderms, sharks, ammonoids, corals, trilobites, and early forests.

Common collector material

• fish armor
• shark teeth
• ammonoids
• plants

Using the period in identification

The period provides a plausibility test. Compare the claimed organism’s known temporal range with the formation, locality, matrix, and associated fossils. A correct period cannot rescue incorrect anatomy, and a familiar-looking fossil can still be mislabeled when it comes from the wrong unit.

Marketplace cautions

• Rounded ages may differ by tens of millions of years.
• “Dinosaur age” is often applied broadly to any Mesozoic material.
• Reworked fossils can erode from older rocks and become deposited in younger sediments.
• Commercial formation names may be incomplete, outdated, or used as regional shorthand.

Collection record

Record both the seller’s stated age and the evidence supporting it. Preserve the original label even if later research changes the interpretation.