There are hundreds of different Fossils you can collect in Donkey Kong Bananza, with Extra-Rare Fossils unlocking some of the rarest upgrades available in the game. With only one Extra-Rare Fossil on each layer, these are much harder to get than your standard Fossils you reach by destroying environments. I’ve found that these rare artifacts require you to complete different goals and explore areas further to claim them.
In total, there are eight Extra-Rare Fossils in the game, with one seen on each layer of the levels you traverse. To get 100% completion in Donkey Kong Bananza, you need to collect Fossils of all types to craft outfits, as Fossils are used as currency to purchase different looks. Extra-Rare Fossils are necessary for buying the final upgrade to a layer’s signature clothing item, making them priceless treasures.
The first Extra-Rare Fossil you can find is the Whale Fossil, located in the Lagoon Layer. Like all the Extra-Rare Fossils on each layer, this one is easy to spot as a massive artifact floating on an island near Salvager’s Landing in region SL101. This fossil is tied to the progress of the Lagoon Layer as a whole, so you need to move forward throughout the level before you’re able to access it.
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To get the Whale Fossil, go through the Lagoon Layer until you fix the water shortage problem, which helps raise the sea level of the area. Doing this will allow DK to swim toward the Whale Fossil back at SL101, which sits right across from the Warp Gong in that location. Just break the amber holding the Extra-Rare Fossil in place to claim it for yourself once you can reach it.
To reach the Canyon Layer’s Extra-Rare Triceratops Fossil, I had to travel to the Banandium Refinery Gravel Storage in SL301. From here, this underground world in the Canyon Layer has a path forward that you can take to progress. Keep moving along this path until you dodge one pink laser, then use DK’s ability to break the environment to dig under a set of three lasers on the same route.
From here, you’ll be able to jump on a minecart that can load up Boom Bombs, explosive projectiles you can toss while you travel. When going on the minecart’s tracks, throw one of the Boom Bombs at the amber-encased slab to the right of the path, right before it has its first drop into a tunnel. This will expose the Extra-Rare Fossil later, giving you the means to collect it for costume parts in DK Bananza.
After you destroy the wall blocking your path past the amber slab using more Boom Bombs, you should see the Triceratops Fossil to your left. Use Boom Bombs to damage the Extra-Rare Fossil as much as possible to break it free of its amber and collect it.
Once you’re in the Freezer Layer, fast travel to the Coolstripe Cavern Exit area at SL500. This will be close to where the Extra-Rare T. Rex Fossil is hiding, but to start, turn around from the fast travel spot and go into the ice tunnel before the fast travel point. When the snow-covered path begins to turn left, keep going forward into a smaller room encased in ice.
Use Donkey Kong’s hand slap attack to raise a platform up, then go left to where a Zebra NPC can be seen next to a path leading up. Use DK’s Zebra Bananza transformation to charge up the thin ice path going up from this spot, as this form’s dash can move faster than the route can collapse.
The Zebra Bananza transformation can be obtained by talking to the Zebra Elder, who you meet by progressing through the Freezer Layer. You may have to backtrack to this point after gaining the transformation to get the Extra-Rare Fossil.
When you reach the top of the path, look for a floating metal triangle prism near an icy bridge. While still in your Zebra form, jump off the right side of the bridge and start destroying the snowy environment below it. This will reveal the T. Rex Fossil, which you can hit enough times once it’s fully exposed to break its amber and add it to your collection.
The Spider Fossil Extra-Rare artifact is located near the Rubbery Roost area in the Forest Layer, or SL601 to be more exact. This is one of the easiest Extra-Rare fossils to get, as you can see it in the small valley just ahead of the fast travel point in Rubbery Roost.
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However, to get this fossil, you need to transform into DK’s Kong Bananza form and punch through the extra-thick dirt that surrounds the artifact. Doing this will expose enough of it for you to break its amber, allowing you to gather it along with the others.
Finding the Extra-Rare Fossil in the Tempest Layer is much easier when you go to the Ancient Record Crossroads area at SL901. Only do this after you already have the Elephant Bananza transformation, as it is needed to reveal the artifact hidden among the layers of liquid gold at this location.
To get all the Banandium Gems in Donkey Kong Bananza, you’ll need every Bananza transformation from story progress, including the Elephant form. Try to unlock as many forms as you can before you start hunting for every Extra-Rare Fossil too, as it will make the process much easier.
When you have the power you need, take the zipline to the right of the Ancient Record Crossroads fast travel point, then go into the Elephant form. From here, use the Elephant Bananza form to inhale gold under the zipline, moving forward as you do so. Eventually, you should come across the Extra-Rare fossil, which has the skeleton of a fossilized swordfish in it.
Keep using the Elephant’s inhale to expose the Extra-Rare fossil, then break the amber on the artifact by punching it a few times. Thankfully, you do not need to use another form to break the amber on the fossil, as the Elephant form’s strength is still more than enough to get the collectible.
From the Oasis Obervastion Deck, or SL1203, you can begin searching for the Sea Urchin Fossil. From the Observation Deck, head right past the merchant and the collection of multi-colored rugs near the side of the platform. Jump off into the snow-covered plains below, then start heading for the northwestern part of the area where you can see several ruby scorpions guarding the glowing fossil.
You won’t be able to destroy any of the scorpions, but you can knock them backward when you are in your Kong Bananza form. Change into your Kong Bananza form and fend off the scorpions long enough to break the stone around the fossil to expose it. Be careful not to take too much damage in this process, so use a variety of attacks to destroy the environment and keep the scorpions at bay.
Once you break enough of the surrounding rock, you can reveal the full Extra-Rare fossil. By breaking the amber on it like all the others, you’ll collect it for yourself, giving you the item needed to unlock final costume upgrades.
One of the strangest Extra-Rare fossils in the game is the Robot Fossil, which is found close to the Ferocious Fryhouse Station at SL1400. When you arrive here, you need to go up the crystals to the left of the railcart path that exists to the right of the fast travel point to this location.
As you climb, try to make steady progress toward the sun-shaped formation above you, at least until you reach a platform with some talking rock NPCs. If you look up, you should see a large, spear-like rock formation right across from where the Extra-Rare fossil is. The fossil should be easy to spot, as it is imbeded into the red stone right below the sun-shaped formation.
If you are having a hard time finding the Robot Fossil, try to take the minecart near the start of the Ferocious Fryhouse Station. By looking up and to your left along the minecart’s path, you should spot the Extra-Rare fossil along the way.
Similar to Super Mario Odyssey, you need to do some careful platforming to reach the top of the spear-like rock formation overlooking the Extra-Rare fossil. Doing this without destroying the spear will put you in perfect view of the artifact, which has two large collections of muck trapping it in place.
The tip of the spear in this area is made out of salt chunks, which can dissolve muck anywhere in the Feast Layer. Grab chunks of salt and carefully throw them at the two muck piles trapping the Robot Fossil, but keep in mind that you could run out of salt if you just throw it without thinking. Take your time to aim the chunks of salt you throw to ensure you hit the muck every time.
All you need to do here is hit the parts of the muck that will free the Robot Fossil. You don’t need to break the amber off this artifact, as it will automatically be collected once the salt you throw does its job.
To reach the final Extra-Rare Fossil, go to the Fractone Cradle at SL1606 in the Planet Core area, then head forward past the talking rock NPC. Drop into the next zone, then keep going forward past another NPC who tells you about how this location is the seventh sublayer. Instead of going deeper into the layer, turn left before the platform at the end of this path, then start climbing up the rocks to the side.
Doing this will lead you to a secret platform covered in silver stones, punctuated by three glowing purple nodes partially imbeded into the ground. These act like mines, exploding when struck with a chunk projectile and causing chain reactions with each other. When reaching this platform, go right and fall down into the large exposed cave on the side of the larger formation.
DK’s Ostrich Bananza transformation can be used here to fly to the exposed cave with the Extra-Rare Fossil if you have trouble spotting it. However, you do need to have DK’s Kong Bananza form too, so you may need to save the transformation timer by exploring normally instead.
Once you get inside, transform into your Kong Bananza state to rip out chunks of sturdy material from the ground. Only the Kong form can rip out the floor here, so grab a chunk and prepare to throw it. A ring of five purple mines here are laid on top of a concrete wall, which you can break by throwing your chunck at any one of the mines.
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The chain reaction of explosions from the mines will expose another cave deeper within, where you can see the Extra-Rare Fossil surrounded by a ring of new purple mines. Take another chunk and throw it at any one of the mines to cause another series of blasts. This will free the 8-Bit DK Fossil from its amber, giving you the last artifact of its kind.
With all the artifacts in the game, you can fully upgrade all the layer-specific outfit sets, completing an important step toward 100% completion. Even if you don’t want to fully finish everything Donkey Kong Bananza has to offer, getting all the Extra-Rare Fossils in the game is a big accomplishment that lends you some great items for DK and Pauline.
Donkey Kong Bananza
9/10
- Released
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July 17, 2025
- ESRB
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Everyone 10+ // Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
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Nintendo
- Publisher(s)
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Nintendo
- Number of Players
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Single-player
