What are Fossils?

Ancient organisms like plants and animals have left behind incredible clues about their existence. These clues are called fossils.

Fossils can take many forms, including entire organisms, parts like bones or shells, or even traces of activity such as footprints or leaf impressions.

These remains are considered fossils if they are at least 10,000 years old. The oldest fossils, nearly 4 billion years old, are traces of ancient ocean-dwelling bacteria.

In comparison, younger fossils, like woolly mammoth teeth, date back about 10,000 years.

Fossils are grouped into two main types : body fossils and trace fossils. Body fossils are the physical remains of an organism, such as bones, teeth, or shells. For example, a dinosaur skeleton is a body fossil.

Trace fossils, on the other hand, are evidence of organism behavior, like footprints, burrows, or leaf impressions on stone.

Fossils come in all sizes. The smallest are called microfossils, which are only visible under a microscope.

Larger fossils are called macrofossils and can be massive, like dinosaur bones.