Events & Calendars Identify It Day 2017

Do you have a mysterious fossil that you found while backpacking, or a picture of the bizarre bird in your backyard? Bring in your fossils, seashells, rocks, meteorites, feathers, leaves-- or photographs of mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, flowers and insects --to the museum. Scientists will attempt to identify your discoveries while showing you some specimens from the Beneski’s greater collections. Stop by, with or without mystery objects, to see (and touch) the scientific specimens out on display. Items identified in previous years have included a dinosaur footprint, the hip of a very large pig, an amazing man-made slag crystal and an ancient arrowhead from the Connecticut River Valley.

Peter Crowley, geology professor, notes: "The history of the Earth is long and interesting, so there is a good story behind everything that you find. If you tell us the story about how and where you found it, we can complete the story and tell you what it is and how it formed. It is fun and exciting, because you never know what people are going to bring in."

Our location:
Beneski Museum of Natural History
11 Barrett Hill Drive
Amherst, MA 01002