Fossils & Palaeontologists
Understand that fossils are the remains of ancient living things preserved in rock, and that scientists called palaeontologists study fossils to learn about dinosaurs
What a learner can do afterwards
- Describe a fossil as the remains of a living thing preserved in rock
- Name the job of a palaeontologist as someone who studies fossils
- Identify examples of fossils: bones, teeth, footprints in rock
1 · Read
A long time ago, some animals died. Their bodies got buried in mud. Slowly, the mud turned to rock. The remains turned to rock too. That rock shape is a fossil.
A T. rex died in the mud. Millions of years passed. Its bones turned to rock. Now it is a fossil bone.
A palaeontologist studies fossils for a living. They look for bones in rock. They also find teeth and footprints. These clues teach us about dinosaurs.
Next time you see a rock with a shape in it, look closely. It might be a fossil!
A fossil is a living thing's remains turned to rock, and palaeontologists study fossils to learn about the past.
2 · Watch
Take it off screen
Where it sits
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.