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UC Davis Paleontology Collection
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Smilodon skeleton
UC Davis Paleontology Collection

A window into the past Preserved for the future

Located in the Earth and Physical Sciences Building, the UC Davis fossil collection includes thousands of specimens ranging from the Paleoproterozoic (1.8 billion years ago) to the late Pleistocene (40,000 years ago). Our teaching collection is used for undergraduate courses including Geobiology (GEL 053) and Paleobiology Lab (GEL 107L), as well as outreach events such as Biodiversity Day and Picnic Day.


Latest News

Sabertooth cat skulls

Newly reconstructed sabertooth cats join the collection

  • by David A Gold
  • March 13, 2025

A huge thanks to paleoartist Elio Oregel for his work reconstructing our sabertooth cat (Smilodon) skulls. The skull on the left is a real fossil from the La Brea Tar Pits, now with a replica saber tooth. You can see both of these skulls at our outreach events, and you can learn more about Elio on Instragram @el_es_elio

Dire_Wolf

5 Fun Finds in the UC Davis Paleontology Collection

  • by David A Gold
  • March 06, 2025

UC Davis' Letters & Sciences Magazine recently published a profile on the fossil collection, including a listicle of five fossils in our collection. You can read the article here.

Installation of T.rex skull - image 5

Our T.rex skull goes on display!

  • by David A Gold
  • October 29, 2024

After much delay, our Tyrannosaurus rex is now on display. This skull represents a cast of the "Black Beauty" specimen, which is housed at Royal Tyrrell Museum in Alberta, Canada. Students and visitors will now be greeted by our T.rex as well as our saber tooth cat (a real skeleton!) when they enter the Earth and Physical Science Building. You can check out a gallery of installation photos here.

Fossil Collection at Greatest Show Event

Fossils Take Stage at the Greatest Show

  • by David A Gold
  • October 29, 2024

The UC Davis Fossil Collection was invited to the "Greatest Show" on October 18th, celebrating the impact of the $2.25 billion that donors gave during the university’s Expect Greater Campaign. A big thanks to Eduardo Alatorre-Acevedo, Lena Anderson, Gwyn Chilcoat, Benjamin Faulkner, Gregory Funston, Rogelio Lopez , Elio Oregel, Tracy Thomson, and Garrett Zebley for their help!

Sea lion fossil

Sea Lion Fossil Donated to the Collection

  • by David A Gold
  • October 18, 2024

A heartfelt thanks to Reverend Betty Light for her donation of a sea lion fossil. Based on the location of discovery, this partial (but still massive) limb is estimated to be 5-7 million years old! Do you have fossils looking for a home? Consider donating them to the collection.

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Archived Events

Picnic Day

Picnic Day

Apr 12, 2025
Earth & Physical Sciences Building

The Greatest Show: A Celebration of the Expect Greater Campaign

Oct 18, 2024
Hutchison Field
Picnic Day

Picnic Day

Apr 20, 2024
Earth & Physical Sciences Building
trilobite fossils

Stay Updated

Join our mailing list and learn about opportunities and events

If you have any issues, send an email to sympa@ucdavis.edu. The subject should read "Subscribe fossils firstname lastname" replacing firstname/lastname with your actual name. Make sure the text of the email is blank, and that you remove any signature from the message.

leaf fossil

Explore the Collection

Take classes

The following courses currently use the fossil collection:

  • GEL 107L: Paleobiology Lab
  • GEL 053: Geobiology

Check out the course catalogue to see when these classes are being offered.

Come to our events

The UC Davis Paleontology Collection participates annually in Biodiversity Museum Day and Picnic Day. Check the events calendar to see when our next event is.

erypterid

Donate

Have fossils looking for a home?

Contact Dr. Gold to discuss your options.

He will help determine if the UC Davis paleontology collection is a good place for your samples, and if not, suggest other collections. Funds help us expand the connection, build more public-facing displays, and provide student support. Please consider making a donation to support the collection.

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