Gastropods
Fossil snails, coiled into a cone rather than a flat spiral.
Cambrian to present. · Beginner to find
What is it?
Fossil snails occur throughout the marine and freshwater record. They are especially common in the Eocene clays and sands of southern England and in the Pliocene crags of East Anglia, where original shell material often survives intact.
What does it look like?
A spiral coiled into a cone, from a few millimetres to several centimetres, with an opening at the wide end.
How to identify it
- 01The spiral rises into a point — that separates a gastropod from a flat-coiled ammonite.
- 02In crag deposits the shell is often original and chalky white or orange-stained.
- 03Sieving shelly sand yields far more than surface searching.
Where to find gastropods in the UK
- 01Lyme RegisDorset · DorsetAmmonites · Belemnites · Bivalves · Marine reptile remainsBeginnerFamily friendlyBeach, CliffExplore location →
- 02Ringstead BayDorset · DorsetAmmonites · Bivalves · Sea urchins · GastropodsModerateBeach, CliffExplore location →
- 03Church Ope Cove, PortlandDorset · DorsetBivalves · Gastropods · Ammonites · Fossilised woodModerateBeach, CliffExplore location →
- 04Barton on SeaHampshire · HampshireShark teeth · Gastropods · Bivalves · CoralsEasyFamily friendlyBeach, CliffExplore location →
- 05Bracklesham BayWest Sussex · SussexShark teeth · Gastropods · Bivalves · CoralsEasyFamily friendlyBeachExplore location →
- 06Herne BayKent · KentShark teeth · Fossilised wood · Gastropods · BivalvesEasyFamily friendlyBeachExplore location →
- 07Warden Point, Isle of SheppeyKent · KentShark teeth · Fossilised wood · Plant fossils · GastropodsModerateBeach, CliffExplore location →
- 08Folkestone WarrenKent · KentAmmonites · Bivalves · Gastropods · BelemnitesModerateBeach, Cliff, Geological siteExplore location →