Fossils

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Fossils

• By Tricia Gately

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You Will Be Able To

• Define in your own words what a fossil is and
  what a paleontologist does
• Relate the finding of fossils to what we know
  today about dinosaurs
• Talk about fossil facts that interest you
• Identify the Paleontologist that you researched
  and give a few facts about him/her

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What is a fossil?

• The word fossil actually means dug up in Latin
• A fossil is actually rock, in the same shape as
  the object that formed it. For example, if you
  found a bone fossil, there would not actually be
  bone in it, it would just have the same shape of
  it
• Most fossils just look like ordinary rock but
  some are found in more rare material

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What do you think of when you hear the word
fossil?

• Bones
• Plants
• Animals
• DINOSAURS!

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Who finds fossils?

• People who dig for fossils are called
  Paleontologists
• We think that hundreds of years ago Greeks and
  Romans found fossils and believed that they were
  bones of ogres and dragons
• In 1676, a huge thigh bone was found in England
  by Reverend Plot, who believed that it came from
  a giant.

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First Dinosaur Discoveries

• The first dinosaur found was an Iguanodon in 1822
  in England by Mary Mantell.
• The first named dinosaur was the Megalosaurus,
  and it was named by William Buckland

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Finding Fossils

• First a lot of research has be to done to before
  deciding where to dig
• Then rock and earth is dug into, looking for the
  fossils
• Fossils found are then labeled and photographed
  before being removed
• Certain tools are then used to remove the fossils
  from the rock very carefully
• And then they are labeled once more

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Tools

• Paint brushes, tooth brushes, hammers, picks,
  chisels, glue, magnifying glasses, computers,
  shovels, and sometimes even small dental tools

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Picture Of Some Tools
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Sue

• Sue is the largest and most complete T. Rex and
  stands 13 feet tall at the Field Museum
• Sue is a completely real T. Rex skeleton. It
  does not have anything made out of other material.

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What do fossils tell us about dinosaurs?

• What different kinds of dinosaurs existed
• Where in the world different dinosaurs lived
• An idea of what time period they lived
• Whether the dinosaur ate meat or plants

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A Few Famous Paleontologists

• Luis Alvarez
• Mary Anning
• Sue Hendrickson
• Barnum Brown

• William Buckland
• Edward Drinker Cope
• Earl Douglass

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Summary

• A fossil is the imprint of a bone, plant, or
  creature
• Paleontologists are people who find fossils by
  researching and then digging up the area chosen
• Paleontologist use certain tools and follow
  certain steps to find fossils
• Fossils tell us what kinds of dinosaurs used to
  exist, when they existed, and what kinds of
  things they ate
• Sue is the largest and most complete T. Rex