How to Find Whale Fossils

Research areas that once were ocean. To successfully find a whale fossil, you will need an area that was once frequented by whales but has since become landlocked by the movement of plates and other geological functions.

Find a place that has ideal conditions for fossilization. For a fossil to develop, the body of the whale will need to be removed from oxygen by being buried in tar or encased in amber, both of which are rare for whales, or be buried under layers of sand. Sedimentary rock is the best place to find fossils. Looking in an area of sedimentary rock that was once ocean will maximize your chances of finding a whale fossil.

Look at places where other findings have taken place in your area. Conditions that allow one fossil to form allow many others, and you should take as a guide places that have turned fossils up already. Somewhere not easily accessible, such as a forest, in the vicinity of a known fossil would be a good place, as it is unlikely that someone will have come across a fossil there already.

Go to a museum to find a complete whale skeleton. If you are not interested in the discovery, but in the studying of whale bones, then a museum will let you view a whole skeleton. You can learn about and sketch them, although complete whale fossil skeletons are extremely rare.