LOSTBONE JUNGLE · DINOLING
What Fossils Are
Fossil Scout Camp
Learn with Dinoling, then use your clues in the adventure. Pause whenever you need time to read or think.
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Your Fossil Scout Camp adventure
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Dinoling — What Fossils Are Fossil Scout Camp
Hello, explorer. I'm Dinoling. Welcome to Fossil Scout Camp!
I keep my field notebook here, ready for the next discovery.
The Grumblies mixed our evidence labels. Let's look carefully together.
No need to rush. Small details can tell big stories.
A fossil is preserved evidence of life from the past.
Some fossils are parts of ancient organisms, such as shells.
Others are impressions left by an organism's shape.
Some record what an organism did, rather than its body.
A footprint preserved in rock can record an ancient step.
The animal's body doesn't need to be preserved beside it.
Imagine finding a step from an animal you never met!
A preserved ancient bone or shell can be a body fossil.
Its material may have changed during preservation.
The fossil can still preserve useful details about its shape.
Scientists called paleontologists investigate fossils and past life.
They observe details and compare them with other evidence.
They also record where a fossil was found.
Surrounding rock and nearby fossils can help explain the discovery.
That's why my notebook includes more than a quick drawing.
Not every unusual rock is a fossil.
An ordinary crystal can have a striking natural shape.
Its shape alone doesn't show that an organism lived there.
A smooth rock without life clues isn't enough to identify fossils.
We need evidence that connects the object to past life.
Our first labeled record shows an ancient footprint in rock.
The second shows a smooth rock with no recorded life clues.
Which record gives direct evidence of an ancient organism's activity?
The ancient footprint, or the smooth rock? Think carefully.
The footprint! It records a step made by an organism.
Good observing. You recognized activity evidence without needing a body.
Would it be correct to say all fossils are bones?
No. Fossils can include shells, impressions, footprints, and other evidence.
Fossils are preserved evidence of past life.
Some preserve body parts; others preserve traces of activity.
An unusual rock shape alone doesn't prove a fossil.
Our labels now fit the evidence. My notebook is ready!
Bring your careful eyes. We'll investigate the next clues together.
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