---
title: "Types of Fossils"
description: "Distinguish body fossils (preserved bones, teeth, shells) from trace fossils (footprints, trackways, eggs, burrows, coprolites) and explain what each type can tell scientists"
canonical: https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/types-of-fossils-mt_1VSFoM44JU
source: https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/types-of-fossils-mt_1VSFoM44JU.md
retrieved: 2026-10-19
---

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# Types of Fossils

Distinguish body fossils (preserved bones, teeth, shells) from trace fossils (footprints, trackways, eggs, burrows, coprolites) and explain what each type can tell scientists

Subject: Science · Area: Dinosaurs & Paleontology · Ages 7 to 9
Page: https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/types-of-fossils-mt_1VSFoM44JU

## Ready when they can

- Sort examples into body fossils (bones, teeth, shells) and trace fossils (footprints, eggs, dung)
- Explain that body fossils show what an animal looked like physically
- Explain that trace fossils show how an animal behaved — how it moved, what it ate, where it nested

## Lesson: Body fossils and trace fossils

Not every fossil is a piece of an animal. Some fossils show what an animal did, not just what it looked like. Scientists split fossils into two main types: body fossils and trace fossils.

**Example.** A fossil bone, tooth, or shell is a body fossil. It is a piece of the animal itself, turned to stone. It shows exactly what that part of the animal looked like.

**Example.** A fossil footprint, trackway, egg, burrow, or even fossil dung (called a coprolite) is a trace fossil. It is not part of the animal's body. It is a sign the animal left behind, and it shows what the animal was doing.

*(drawing: Count the fossil kinds from this lesson: 3 body fossil kinds (bone, tooth, shell) plus 5 trace fossil kinds (footprint, trackway, egg, burrow, dung) make 8 kinds in all.)*

**Tip.** Ask yourself: is this a piece of the animal, or a sign of what it did? A piece of the animal is a body fossil. A sign of what it did is a trace fossil.

**Recap.** Body fossils are pieces of the animal; trace fossils are signs of what the animal did.

## Practice

8 questions on this page, each with its working shown.

## Needs first

- [Fossils & Palaeontologists](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/fossils-and-palaeontologists-mt_bKlnc7dyVK)
- [Fossilisation: Why Sediment, Minerals and Luck All Matter](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/fossilisation-why-sediment-minerals-and-luck-all-matter-mt_iycQEai3dK)

## Opens up

- [Fossilised Dinosaur Dung](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/fossilised-dinosaur-dung-mt_1dXhJp6qLJ)
- [How Palaeontologists Work](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/how-palaeontologists-work-mt_JBWMqZVO7S)
- [Reading Dinosaur Trackways](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/reading-dinosaur-trackways-mt_Wpvuz3mvBq)