# What is the oldest unidentified observation you've identified? **URL:** \ **Category:** General\ **Created:** [December 30, 2021, 4:25am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/what-is-the-oldest-unidentified-observation-youve-identified/28714 "2021-12-30T04:25:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jdjohnson](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/jdjohnson/32/1456_2.png) [@jdjohnson](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/jdjohnson)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2021, 4:25am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/what-is-the-oldest-unidentified-observation-youve-identified/28714/1 "2021-12-30T04:25:59Z")
To clarify, what observation, that was previously unidentified or misidentified, went the longest between the submitted date and your identification to species? I was just looking through old buckwheat observations and found one of kueda’s from 2010. The good news is that it looks like that was the last “Needs ID” buckwheat from 2010 and 2011 was all caught up already. Don’t despair if your observation hasn’t been identified within a few weeks, it might just take a while for the right person to find it! ---
**Author:** ![marina\_gorbunova](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/marina_gorbunova/32/31454_2.png) [@marina\_gorbunova](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/marina_gorbunova)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2021, 4:40am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/what-is-the-oldest-unidentified-observation-youve-identified/28714/2 "2021-12-30T04:40:00Z")
The oldest submission I took part of was uploaded in [2008](https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/185), but the year holding most old uploads is 2012, even though most are of poor quality and went from insecta to pterygota. ---
**Author:** ![arboretum\_amy](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/arboretum_amy/32/2328_2.png) [@arboretum\_amy](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/arboretum_amy)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2021, 5:15am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/what-is-the-oldest-unidentified-observation-youve-identified/28714/3 "2021-12-30T05:15:28Z")
I suppose it depends on what you mean by “previously unidentified or misidentified” but the oldest observation I have an ID on is also kueda’s, from Apr 9, 2010. I took it from genus to species. If anyone would like to check, you can put your own user name into this link: [https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?reviewed=true&quality\_grade=needs\_id%2Cresearch%2Ccasual&order=asc&ident\_user\_id=arboretum\_amy&lrank=species&place\_id=any](https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?reviewed=true&quality_grade=needs_id%2Cresearch%2Ccasual&order=asc&ident_user_id=arboretum_amy&lrank=species&place_id=any) ---
**Author:** ![jdjohnson](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/jdjohnson/32/1456_2.png) [@jdjohnson](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/jdjohnson)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2021, 5:31am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/what-is-the-oldest-unidentified-observation-youve-identified/28714/4 "2021-12-30T05:31:50Z")
There are still plenty of old records for other taxa too: [2008](https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?created_d1=2008-01-01&created_d2=2008-12-31&createdDateType=range&place_id=any) [2009](https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?created_d1=2009-01-01&created_d2=2009-12-31&createdDateType=range&place_id=any) [2010](https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?created_d1=2010-01-01&created_d2=2010-12-31&createdDateType=range&place_id=any) ---
**Author:** ![zebs](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/zebs/32/18964_2.png) [@zebs](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/zebs)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2021, 6:26am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/what-is-the-oldest-unidentified-observation-youve-identified/28714/5 "2021-12-30T06:26:47Z")
Maybe this from '11 [https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/33867](https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/33867) The first of its species and the second of its genus to be added to iNat. I added my ID roughly one year ago. ---
**Author:** ![felix-nicholls](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/felix-nicholls/32/29498_2.png) [@felix-nicholls](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/felix-nicholls)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2021, 6:38am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/what-is-the-oldest-unidentified-observation-youve-identified/28714/6 "2021-12-30T06:38:40Z")
Now its probably this one from 2007. [https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/observations/124461](https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/observations/124461) ---
**Author:** ![marina\_gorbunova](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/marina_gorbunova/32/31454_2.png) [@marina\_gorbunova](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/marina_gorbunova)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2021, 6:41am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/what-is-the-oldest-unidentified-observation-youve-identified/28714/7 "2021-12-30T06:41:41Z")
You ided some that were uploaded earlier: [https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?ident\_user\_id=felix-insects&order=asc&place\_id=any&subview=table](https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?ident_user_id=felix-insects&order=asc&place_id=any&subview=table) ---
**Author:** ![Ajott](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/ajott/32/7397_2.png) [@Ajott](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/Ajott)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2021, 1:14pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/what-is-the-oldest-unidentified-observation-youve-identified/28714/8 "2021-12-30T13:14:14Z")
Those old Observations I IDed are mostly stegdyphus spiders and also other older ones are all from spiders This one from 2011 is the oldest [https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/63720](https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/63720) ---
**Author:** ![DianaStuder](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/dianastuder/32/43358_2.png) [@DianaStuder](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/DianaStuder)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2021, 1:38pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/what-is-the-oldest-unidentified-observation-youve-identified/28714/9 "2021-12-30T13:38:23Z")
Don’t know how it sorts the date from Amy’s link? But this is from 2003 [https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/10844477](https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/10844477) and even older 1998 (an entire human generation ago! [https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/574102](https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/574102) But maybe South Africa has an unfair advantage with the older records moved across from iSpot. I withdraw ;~) ---
**Author:** ![lynnharper](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/lynnharper/32/22908_2.png) [@lynnharper](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/lynnharper)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2021, 2:00pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/what-is-the-oldest-unidentified-observation-youve-identified/28714/10 "2021-12-30T14:00:38Z")
This one of a Geranium from 2008, which I worked on a year ago: [https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/712](https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/712) Look at that low observation number! To be fair, several other people also IDed it as Geranium, but I added my ID and marked it as Not Wild, because I recognize it as a garden hybrid (can I remember the variety name right now? No). ---
**Author:** ![cthawley](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/cthawley/32/1445_2.png) [@cthawley](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/cthawley)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2021, 2:10pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/what-is-the-oldest-unidentified-observation-youve-identified/28714/11 "2021-12-30T14:10:44Z")
You’ve got me beat on observation number @lynnharper, but I was still surprised to see how low this one was for me! An old anole observation from kueda. [https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/3142](https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/3142) ---
**Author:** ![arboretum\_amy](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/arboretum_amy/32/2328_2.png) [@arboretum\_amy](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/arboretum_amy)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2021, 4:50pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/what-is-the-oldest-unidentified-observation-youve-identified/28714/12 "2021-12-30T16:50:25Z")
> [@DianaStuder](#): > > Don’t know how it sorts the date from Amy’s link? My link uses date uploaded rather than date observed. iNat was born in 2008 so anything dated before that is for sure a backdated upload. The original poster did say “went the longest between the submitted date and your identification.” ---
**Author:** ![jdjohnson](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/jdjohnson/32/1456_2.png) [@jdjohnson](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/jdjohnson)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2021, 5:13pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/what-is-the-oldest-unidentified-observation-youve-identified/28714/13 "2021-12-30T17:13:54Z")
Wow, what a cool looking spider! ---
**Author:** ![jdjohnson](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/jdjohnson/32/1456_2.png) [@jdjohnson](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/jdjohnson)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2021, 5:21pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/what-is-the-oldest-unidentified-observation-youve-identified/28714/14 "2021-12-30T17:21:56Z")
I hadn’t considered that some of our records were migrated from other platforms. It’s unfortunate that these imported records don’t include information about how they were originally submitted. ---
**Author:** ![Ajott](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/ajott/32/7397_2.png) [@Ajott](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/Ajott)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2021, 7:44pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/what-is-the-oldest-unidentified-observation-youve-identified/28714/15 "2021-12-30T19:44:10Z")
In my humble opinion Stegodyphus are cutest spiders anyways 😁 ---
**Author:** ![mamestraconfigurata](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/mamestraconfigurata/32/10149_2.png) [@mamestraconfigurata](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/mamestraconfigurata)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2021, 8:23pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/what-is-the-oldest-unidentified-observation-youve-identified/28714/16 "2021-12-30T20:23:45Z")
I think it still counts! @Ajott That is a beautiful spider. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/inaturalist/original/2X/7/7831452cf7f0d653ff1ffd34176334b7ef1b6a17.png) [@system](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/system)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2022, 8:24pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/what-is-the-oldest-unidentified-observation-youve-identified/28714/17 "2022-02-28T20:24:46Z")
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