Ray Dermal Thorn
Batoidea (dermal thorn)
Markings and exact colorations may vary.
A small black button with a star-shaped base and one curved thorn — armor from a ray's skin.
- Typical size
- 0.2–0.6 in
- How often it turns up
- Common
- Collecting
- Restricted
- Handling
- Safe to handle
A ray's skin thorn is not a tooth, so Florida's shark and ray tooth exemption may not cover it. Collecting other vertebrate fossils on Florida state land or water, including beaches below the high-tide line, requires a Florida Museum Fossil Permit, and significant finds must be reported. Collecting is banned in Florida state parks and national seashores.
How to tell it apart
- Rounded or star-shaped flat base
- Single short pointed thorn rising from the centre
- Usually under half an inch
Where to find these in Florida
Beaches rated very good or excellent for fossils. Each page shows today’s score, the best window and access details.
- Caspersen Beach · Venice
- Englewood Beach (Chadwick Park) · Englewood
- Stump Pass Beach State Park · Englewood
- Turner Beach · Captiva
- Turtle Beach · Siesta Key
Found one?
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More fossils in the field guide
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