a family bends over looking at a museum specimen as a staff member looks on.

ID Day

About this event series

Get a scientist’s take on your mystery object at our annual ID day event.

Found a rock that looks like a dinosaur fossil? Snapped a photo of a bird you don’t recognize? Our scientists will examine your object and give you their best identification during our annual ID Day! Members of the public can bring in remnants of the natural world—including clean, dry bones, fossils, rocks, meteorites, seashells, artifacts, and photographs of mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, and insects—to be identified by the Field’s scientists.

Please leave anything that’s alive (or was recently) at home.

Nothing to bring in? We'll have specimens from the museum’s collections on view.

Illinois residents enjoy free Basic admission on ID Day.