If you’ve ever wondered about dinosaur fossils, then you have come to the right place. Today, we are not only going to be discussing what fossils are, but we are going to be giving you a whole lot of different facts about fossils. So if you’re ready, let’s go explore the wonderful world of fossils!
One of the first questions I’m always asked is “just what is a fossil.” And the answer to that question is fairly simple. A fossil is the preserved remains of a plant, animal or insect that lived a long time ago. It can be the actual preserved body of a creature that lived long ago, or it can be merely signs that a creature lived long ago (like paw prints or old animal homes).
The next question that I’m usually asked is “how do minerals form.” While this isn’t as easy as the first question, it still can be handled by stating that fossils can be preserved in one of two ways. They can either be preserved without being changed—for example, being frozen or mummified—or they can be preserved by being changed as is the case in the permineralization of animals. Permineralization is when the creature’s body is replaced by carbon naturally.
The third question that I’m usually asked on this subject is “what are some interesting fossil facts?” This is one of my favorite questions to answer. That’s because there are so many fun things about fossils to talk about. Everything from the first fossils found to some of the interesting fossils found recently.
One of my favorite facts about fossils is that they’ve been found by people for thousands of years. As far back as ancient China people have been finding dinosaur bones and fossils. Many different types of dinosaur fossils were also found by the Romans and the Greeks. Of course, they didn’t know at the time that they were finding dinosaurs. No, they thought they were finding various kinds of monsters. Creatures they then built myths around. Instead of dinosaur bones they were seen as the bones of centaurs, giants, dragons and other fantastical creatures.
Another fact about fossils is that they are millions of years older. In fact, there are some that are really, really old. What is the oldest fossil ever found? That would be a piece of blue-green algae that lived over 3 billion years ago! Now that’s an old fossil.
The largest fossil ever found was a petrified tree found in Thailand. This tree was over 216 feet long. Scientists believe that when it was living it had to have been at least 300 feet tall. That’s about the height of a three-story building.
And that is all I have to say on fossils today. Hopefully I have answered all your question on animal and dinosaur fossils. Fun facts that can be shared with your friends and family.
