Fossils are the remains or traces of ancient animals, plants and insects. Many fossils are buried under layers of mud and sedimentary rock, and with time the remains of the organism are completely transformed. What’s left is a fossilised object which is the same shape as the original, but is more like a rock.
The word fossil comes from the Latin word fossilis which means 'dug up', that’s because a lot of fossils were found by digging up the ground.
Types of fossils
Fossils are classified according to how they are formed. There are many different types of fossils but the two main types are body fossils and trace fossils.
Body fossils are fossils which still have some of the actual remains of the organism’s body inside, such as a tooth, shell or branches. They are the most common type of fossil and come in many sizes. The smallest body fossils are less than 1mm and are of one-celled organisms.
Trace fossils do not actually contain any part of the original organism, they have signs or traces of the animal's life. Examples are animal tracks, eggs, dung, and nests. These type of fossils help scientists know how the animals lived, what they ate, and how they bred.
Some fossilised animals are not found in stone, instead, they have been trapped in amber, ice, or tar.
What is a palaeontologist?
Palaeontology is the study of life that existed many years ago. Scientists who study palaeontology are called palaeontologists.
Palaeontologists hunt and examine different parts of fossils. They record all the details of where and how the fossils were found. By studying the fossils they can discover what kind of lifestyle, diet, and movement the plant or animal had when it was alive. To do this they use tools such as hammers and chisels but they have to be very careful not to damage the fossils in the process! Lucky for them modern technology has improved drastically and X-ray cameras and scanners can now look inside fossils without having to break them open, this makes their job much easier.
