Full New Horizons Fossil Collecting Guide | Unlock Museum + Complete Price Breakdown
Looking to collect all fossils in Animal Crossing New Horizons? Our complete guide walks through unlock steps, digging rules, appraisal workflow, duplicate management and full fossil sell price checklist for bells & island decoration.
Quick Goal Reference
For players looking for a concise goal-focused breakdown before diving into full walkthrough:
- Complete Museum Unlock → Finish Tom Nook’s starting critter quest then hit Blathers’ 15-piece specimen donation quota to trigger museum construction
- Daily Bell Income → Dig daily fossil spawns, appraise all finds first, sell surplus duplicate fossils to Timmy for steady in-game currency
- Island Rating Boost → Reserve spare duplicate fossils as outdoor decor to lift your island’s environmental evaluation score
Most island owners split their fossil routine between museum completion, bell farming and landscaping; your primary gameplay goal dictates how you prioritize collected prehistoric relics.
Full AC:NH Fossil System & Step-by-Step Unlock Walkthrough
Fossil hunting is a core endgame loop within Animal Crossing: New Horizons, balancing museum collection completion and consistent bell generation for casual and hardcore island builders alike. Every core fossil mechanic unlocks via sequential early-game quests, which we’ve split into six segmented chapters covering unlock progression, excavation rules, appraisal steps, museum construction, surplus item handling and the full categorized fossil price catalog.
Part 1: Kick Off Fossil Content – Complete Tom Nook’s Opening Critter Turn-In
You cannot access any fossil-related gameplay until wrapping up a foundational early objective inside Resident Services’ makeshift tent with Tom Nook. This prerequisite task tasks you with delivering five distinct wild specimens consisting of unique bugs and fish.
- Craft the Flimsy Net to capture all terrestrial and airborne island insects across your terrain
- Build a Flimsy Fishing Rod to reel in fish from rivers, ponds and coastal shorelines
After handing over five separate unique critters, Tom Nook reaches out to his paleontologist friend Blathers and rewards players with a tent construction blueprint required to spawn Blathers on your island.
Part 2: Set Up Blathers’ Tent & Fulfill Additional Donation Requirement
Once you receive the tent construction item, place it anywhere on vacant island ground; the structure finishes its build after the game’s fixed 5 a.m. daily refresh timer.After settling into his tent, Blathers requires an additional 15 distinct donations made up of any mix of unique fish, bugs or prehistoric fossils to keep progressing toward permanent museum development.
Important Quick Note: If you’ve stockpiled unique bugs and fish from early island exploration, avoid selling these creatures to Timmy. Simply drop them onto your island’s open terrain for temporary storage, then donate them once Blathers arrives to rapidly hit the 15-item donation requirement without extra grind sessions.
Part 3: Learn Fossil Excavation – Craft Shovel & Locate Daily Dig Spots
Blathers gifts players the DIY crafting recipe for the Flimsy Shovel upon his arrival, the exclusive tool needed to unearth buried island fossils. Crafting this starter shovel consumes five Hardwood planks, meaning you need a usable Axe beforehand to harvest timber from island trees.With your shovel crafted, patrol your island daily to spot distinct star-shaped indentations scattered across grassy ground; striking these markers with your shovel unearths raw, unidentified fossil fragments.
Spawn Rule Reminder: Your island refreshes no fewer than three fresh fossil dig locations every single day following the 5 a.m. in-game reset, guaranteeing a steady daily supply of unappraised relics.
Part 4: Fossil Appraisal Process & Permanent Museum Construction Timeline
All raw dug-up fossils hold zero defined value until Blathers finishes their official identification. Bring every newly found fossil to his tent for appraisal; Blathers may initiate optional trivia dialogue about each prehistoric creature, which you can freely skip or engage with at your preference.
Continue submitting unique fish, bugs and appraised fossils until you fill Blathers’ 15-item donation quota. Once finished, he pauses temporary specimen intake to kickstart official museum construction following fixed in-game reset rules:
- First daily reset post-quota completion: Permanent museum building project initiates island construction
- Second consecutive daily reset: Your island’s full museum building finishes construction and permanently unlocks
Once the museum opens its doors, unlimited specimen donations become available to expand your prehistoric exhibition wing.
Pro Efficiency Tip: Always submit fossils and critters in batches of two or more per appraisal visit to skip repeated creature backstory dialogue from Blathers and speed up your daily collection workflow.
Part 5: Surplus Fossil & Specimen Management – Profit or Decoration Options
You only need to donate a single copy of every unique bug, fish and fossil to complete full museum displays; all duplicate extra specimens collected afterward fall into two practical usage categories:
1. Bell Farming via NPC Sales: Early-game surplus bugs and fish can be directly sold to Timmy inside Resident Services for quick starter cash. Never sell unappraised raw fossils directly to Timmy due to their abysmally low base pricing; get all fragments identified first, then sell duplicate confirmed fossils for their full listed market value.
If you aim to stock up large amounts of Bells rapidly for island construction and fossil stockpiling, browse our in-game currency options to skip slow daily fossil farming.
2. Island Landscaping for Rating Boost: Store leftover duplicate fossil pieces inside your home storage inventory. When preparing for official island rating inspections, place these rare prehistoric artifacts around your island’s outdoor zones; their unique exhibit rarity improves your landscape score and overall island aesthetics.
Part 6: Complete Categorized Fossil Price List (Set Fossils + Standalone Relics)
All in-game fossils split into two core classifications: multi-piece prehistoric creature sets requiring all segmented parts to complete full museum skeletons, plus individual standalone relics needing just a single donation for exhibition. Larger prehistoric creatures feature more segmented body components to finish their full display set.
Multi-Part Archaeological Fossil Sets
| Creature Name | Body Part | Sell Price (Bells) |
| Ankylosaurus | Skull | 3500 |
| Ankylosaurus | Torso | 3000 |
| Ankylosaurus | Tail | 2500 |
| Archelon | Skull | 4000 |
| Archelon | Tail | 3500 |
| Brachiosaurus | Skull | 6000 |
| Brachiosaurus | Chest | 5500 |
| Brachiosaurus | Pelvis | 5000 |
| Brachiosaurus | Tail | 5500 |
| Deinonychus | Torso | 3000 |
| Deinonychus | Tail | 2500 |
| Dimetrodon | Skull | 5500 |
| Dimetrodon | Torso | 5000 |
| Diplodocus | Skull | 5000 |
| Diplodocus | Neck | 4500 |
| Diplodocus | Chest | 4000 |
| Diplodocus | Pelvis | 4500 |
| Diplodocus | Tail | 5000 |
| Diplodocus | Tail tip | 4000 |
| Iguanodon | Skull | 4000 |
| Iguanodon | Torso | 3500 |
| Iguanodon | Tail | 3000 |
| Mammoth | Skull | 4500 |
| Mammoth | Torso | 2500 |
| Megacerops | Skull | 4500 |
| Megacerops | Torso | 3500 |
| Megacerops | Tail | 3000 |
| Megaloceros | Left side | 4000 |
| Megaloceros | Right side | 5500 |
| Opthalmosaurus | Skull | 2500 |
| Opthalmosaurus | Torso | 2000 |
| Pachycephalosaurus | Skull | 3500 |
| Pachycephalosaurus | Torso | 3000 |
| Pachycephalosaurus | Tail | 2500 |
| Plesiosaurus | Skull | 4000 |
| Plesiosaurus | Torso | 4500 |
| Plesiosaurus | Tail | 4500 |
| Pteranodon | Torso | 4000 |
| Pteranodon | Left wing | 4500 |
| Pteranodon | Right wing | 4500 |
| Quetzalcoatus | Torso | 4500 |
| Quetzalcoatus | Left wing | 5000 |
| Quetzalcoatus | Right wing | 5000 |
| Sabertooth Tiger | Skull | 2500 |
| Sabertooth Tiger | Tail | 2000 |
| Spinosaurus | Skull | 4000 |
| Spinosaurus | Torso | 5000 |
| Spinosaurus | Tail | 2500 |
| Stegosaurus | Skull | 5000 |
| Stegosaurus | Torso | 4500 |
| Stegosaurus | Tail | 4000 |
| Triceratops | Skull | 5500 |
| Triceratops | Torso | 5000 |
| Triceratops | Tail | 4500 |
| Tyrannosaurus Rex | Skull | 6000 |
| Tyrannosaurus Rex | Torso | 5500 |
| Tyrannosaurus Rex | Tail | 5000 |
Independent Single-Piece Fossils (One Donation Only for Museum Display)
Acanthostega (2000), Amber (1200), Ammonite (1100), Anomalocaris (2000), Archaeopteryx (1300), Australopith (1100), Coprolite (1100), Dinosaur Track (1000), Dunkleosteus (3500), Eusthenopteron (2000), Juramaia (1000), Myllkunmingia (1500), Shark-tooth Pattern (1000), Trilobite (1300)
Closing Wrap-Up
Follow our structured fossil collecting roadmap to steadily finish your museum’s prehistoric exhibition wing while balancing consistent bell earnings and island beautification projects.
