Whale Ear Bone
Cetacea tympanic bulla
Markings and exact colorations may vary.
A dense, scroll-shaped bone that looks carved, from the inner ear of a fossil whale.
- Typical size
- 1.5–5 in
- How often it turns up
- Uncommon
- Collecting
- Restricted
- Handling
- Safe to handle
Florida treats this as a vertebrate fossil: collecting one on state-owned land or water — including river bottoms and beaches below the high-tide line — needs a Florida Museum fossil permit. State parks and national seashores don't allow fossil collecting at all. If unsure, photograph it and leave it.
How to tell it apart
- Rounded, involuted scroll shape
- Extremely dense and smooth
- Cream, tan or grey
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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