First time seen in 200 million years

[tepapamuseum]

Is it ok to go to any beach, collect fossils and take them home? Are there rules around collecting, where to collect and what one can keep with them?

Florence, web admin at Te Papa

[GNSscience]

@tepapamuseum A few basic rules are:

- Never collect fossils from protected sites and reserves

- Get permission to access and collect from private land

- Collect from loose boulders in preference to rock outcrops

- Collect minimally or not at all. A photograph or sketch might be just as valuable

[GNSscience]

@tepapamuseum

and also: - Fossils as a limited resource Think of others who might like to visit the site in future

- Record your finds and let the landowner as well as a university, museum or GNS Science know of anything interesting that you discover (eg email a photo with details of the location)

[tepapamuseum]

Thanks :)