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Body fossils and trace fossils

Science · Dinosaurs & Paleontology · ages 7-9

Name ______________________ Date ____________

Which of these is a trace fossil?
- A fossil shell
- A fossil egg
- A fossil bone
Which of these is a body fossil?
- Dinosaur footprint
- Dinosaur tooth
- Dinosaur dung
A fossil footprint is called a body fossil.
Circle one: True False
Scientists find dinosaur footprints in a row, called a trackway. What can they learn from it?
- How the dinosaur moved
- What color the dinosaur was
- How many teeth it had
Scientists find a fossil tooth. What can it tell them?
- What the animal's teeth looked like
- How fast the animal ran
- Where the animal slept
A coprolite is fossil dung. What does it tell scientists?
- What the animal looked like
- What the animal ate
- How big the animal's eggs were
A museum has a fossil skeleton in one case and a fossil trackway in another. Which one shows how the animal moved?
- The skeleton (body fossil)
- Neither shows movement
- The trackway (trace fossil)
Maya says a fossil shell can tell us how the animal moved. Is she right?
- No, a shell is a body fossil, it shows what the animal looked like, not how it moved
- Yes, shells always show movement
- No, shells are not fossils at all

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

A fossil egg · An egg is not part of the animal's body. It is something the animal left behind, so it is a trace fossil.
Dinosaur tooth · A tooth is part of the animal's body, turned to stone. That makes it a body fossil.
False · A footprint shows where an animal stepped, not what its body looked like. That makes it a trace fossil.
How the dinosaur moved · A trackway can show how many legs the animal used and how it walked.
What the animal's teeth looked like · A tooth shows its shape and size exactly. Scientists learn what that part of the animal looked like.
What the animal ate · Scientists look inside a coprolite for bits of bone, plant, or shell to figure out the animal's diet.
The trackway (trace fossil) · Footprints are left by movement, so a trackway shows how the animal walked or ran. The skeleton just shows its shape.
No, a shell is a body fossil, it shows what the animal looked like, not how it moved · A shell is part of the animal's body. It shows shape, not movement, so it can't tell us how the animal moved.