Dinosaur Fossils

What Are Fossils?

Fossils are the remains of ancient plants and animals.
When a dinosaur dies, its bones can sink into mud.
Over many years the mud turns to stone and keeps the shape of the bones.
The stone with the bone shape is called a fossil.

How Do We Find Them?

Scientists called paleontologists look for fossils in rocks.
They dig carefully with brushes and small tools.
Sometimes a fossil is found in a desert, sometimes in a mountain.
When they uncover a fossil, they protect it and bring it to a lab.

What Can Fossils Tell Us?

Fossils show us how big dinosaurs were.
They help us learn what dinosaurs ate.
We can see how dinosaurs moved and where they lived.
Each fossil is a clue about the world a long, long time ago.