About Fossils
Most dinosaurs did not fossilize. Fossilization requires unusual conditions that protect remains long enough for burial and mineral changes to occur. The fossils that survive can include bones, teeth, tracks, eggs, nests, skin impressions, feathers, stomach contents, and even fossilized waste.
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How Fossils Form
Burial is one of the first steps toward fossilization.
Learn MoreBones and Teeth
Bones and teeth are among the most common dinosaur body fossils.
Learn MoreTracks and Trace Fossils
A footprint is evidence of behavior, not part of the animal's body.
Learn MoreEggs and Nests
Fossil eggs and nests provide direct evidence of reproduction.
Learn MoreSkin and Feathers
Rare fossils preserve details beyond the skeleton.
Learn MoreCoprolites
Fossilized droppings can preserve traces of ancient meals.
Learn MoreDating Fossils
Scientists use rock layers and radiometric dating to determine fossil age.
Learn MoreMuseum Collections
A fossil's scientific value continues long after it goes on display or into storage.
Learn MoreHow Fossils Form
An animal may die near a river, lake, floodplain, dune, or other environment where sediment can cover its remains. Over time, minerals can fill spaces in the bone or replace some original material. Erosion may eventually expose the fossil again millions of years later.
Bones and Teeth
Teeth are especially durable because enamel is hard. Bones can reveal age, injuries, growth, muscle attachments, and disease. Internal bone structure can be studied with microscopes or medical imaging.
Tracks and Trace Fossils
Trace fossils include footprints, trackways, burrows, nests, bite marks, and coprolites. A trackway can show walking direction, stride length, speed estimates, and whether several animals moved across the same surface.
Eggs and Nests
Some dinosaur nesting sites preserve many nests together. Embryos inside eggs can sometimes reveal the species and developmental stage. Nest structure and repeated nesting grounds can provide clues about parental behavior.
Skin and Feathers
Fine sediments and rapid burial can preserve skin impressions, scales, feathers, body outlines, and other soft structures. Such discoveries changed our understanding of dinosaur appearance and confirmed feathering in many theropods.
Coprolites
Coprolites may contain bone fragments, plant material, pollen, parasites, or other microscopic clues. It can be difficult to identify which animal produced a coprolite, so scientists compare its size, location, age, and contents with nearby fossils.
Dating Fossils
Most dinosaur bones cannot be dated directly with common radiometric methods. Instead, researchers date volcanic ash or igneous rocks above and below fossil-bearing layers, then combine that information with geology and fossil comparisons.
Museum Collections
Museums store fossils with catalog numbers, location data, field notes, photographs, and preparation records. Researchers may return to the same specimen decades later with new questions or new technology.