Fossils are the remains of animals and plants from long ago that slowly became preserved in rocks.

Name three things that can become fossils.

Bones, teeth, shells, or imprints of old leaves.

Imagine you are a paleontologist. You found a footprint in a rock. What could this fossil tell you?

It could tell me what kind of animal made the footprint, how big it was, and how it moved.

Grade 2nd Grade · Science · 30 min

I can describe what a fossil is and how it is formed.

SciShow Kids · 4:12

Dig In To Paleontology

3 key concepts

1
Paleontologists are scientists who study all kinds of things that lived a really long time ago, like reptiles, mammals, plants, and even tiny bacteria.
2
Fossils are the remains of animals and plants from long ago that slowly became preserved in rocks.
3
Paleontologists use tools like picks, shovels, and big diggers to unearth fossils, and then they study them in a laboratory.

3 questions · Short answer

Quick comprehension check

“What is a fossil? How are fossils made?”

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