Fossil Worksheets

Fossils are a record of Earth's history. They are recordings in rocks left behind by living things throughout Earth's history, going back billions of years. Scientists are able to date rocks according to their age. They have assembled a record of life from the earliest to the latest fossils that have been found. This is called the fossil record. By studying the fossil record, scientists have found that the Earth and its living things have gone through many changes in the past. Fossils have even taught us about the climate of the Earth during different times of Earth's history. Not all fossils are bones or teeth. Some fossils are impressions, or prints, left behind by plants and animals. Footprints dinosaurs left in mud show us how the animal moved, how big it was, and whether it traveled in herds or all alone. From fossils, we know that some dinosaurs had feathers. Fossils tell the story of Earth's history and about the living things that have come and gone.