Fossils are the traces of ancient animals and plants found buried in rock. In order for an organism to be fossilized, the remains need to be covered by sediment, frozen, desiccated, or come to rest in an oxygen free environment. Sometimes a fossil retains the shape and structure of the hard parts of an animal, such as fossilized dinosaur bones. These are not the original bones, because minerals have replaced them over millions of years, but they have the same shape. Other fossils are just the impression of an animal or plant, created when the plant or animal was buried in mud that has gradually solidified into rock.even footprints of animals such as dinosaurs have been preserved.
Fossils are among the most fascinating objects in nature, giving us an idea of how animals and plants lived in the past. As a general rule, the probability of a deceased organism undergoing fossilization and being preserved is a rare event that can only occur under various unlikely circumstances. That said, it must also be said that fossils are not rare, since the earth is filled with them. By studying the fossil record we can tell how long life has existed on Earth, and how different plants and animals are related to each other. Often we can work out how and where they lived, and use this information to find out about ancient environments.
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