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Dinosaur Gifts

Hall C2 guides

Fossils and science

Dig kits and real fossils: what kids actually uncover, and how to check that a fossil is genuine and legally collected.

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This hall is for the fan who asks where fossils come from. It covers two kinds of gift: kits that imitate a dig, and the real thing.

Our dinosaur dig kits guide explains what kids actually uncover. Dig eggs soften in water and suit younger kids: MindWare rates its Dig It Up Dinosaur Eggs for ages 4 and up. Plaster skull and skeleton blocks need a hammer and more patience, and most hide model bones, not real ones.

For a collector, a genuine fossil makes a memorable gift, and it needs the most care. Buying real dinosaur fossils covers US land rules, export bans and how fakes and composites are made. On public land run by the Bureau of Land Management, dinosaurs and other vertebrate fossils need a research permit, so provenance matters.

One common mix-up: a megalodon tooth is a shark fossil, not a dinosaur. The Florida Museum dates megalodon to millions of years after the dinosaurs died out.

A fossil Triceratops skull with two long brow horns and a broad frill, on display in a museum
A Triceratops skull: the real animal reached about 9 meters long, according to the Natural History Museum in London.

Dinosaur dig and fossil kits

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How to check

Buying Real Dinosaur Fossils: What Is Legal and How to Spot Fakes

When owning a dinosaur fossil is legal in the US, which fossils cannot be sold, what to ask a seller about provenance, and how to spot fakes and composites.

Frequently asked questions

Is a dinosaur egg dig kit a real fossil?

No. MindWare's Dig It Up Dinosaur Eggs, rated ages 4 and up, hide a dinosaur toy in each clay egg. Kits sold as real fossil kits hold small specimens such as shells or petrified wood, not dinosaur bone.

Can you buy a real dinosaur fossil legally in the US?

Yes, when it was collected legally, such as on private land with the owner's permission. Vertebrate fossils on BLM land need a research permit, so ask the seller where a fossil was found.

Sources

  1. Dig It Up! Dinosaur EggsMindWare
  2. Can I collect fossils?Bureau of Land Management
  3. TriceratopsNatural History Museum, London
  4. Five Facts: MegalodonFlorida Museum of Natural History

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