fossil

Table of Contents

Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics

Images & Videos

Dinosaur fossils found in Alberta, Canada.

Know about the fossil collection in the University of California Museum of Paleontology, including the saber-toothed tiger

Track the discovery of dinosaurs from 7th-century griffin legends to Richard Owen's coining of Dinosauria

See samples of what is possibly soft tissue discovered in a Lufengosaurus fossil from the Jurassic Period

For Students

fossil summary

Read Next

Skeleton fossil record of ancient reptiles in stone.

Do Fossil Fuels Really Come from Fossils?

Three parasaurolophus stand on a rock beach. Pterasaurs fly over head and a small mammal watches the dinosaurs as they meander along the water's edge.

What Happened to the Dinosaurs?

Skull of Homo heidelbergensis (fossils, hominids).

Human Ancestors

Illustration of a group of Brachiosaurus dinosaurs in the water. Sauropod late Jurassic to early Cretaceous

Why Does -saur Appear So Often in Dinosaur Names?

Did Humans Live at the Same Time as Dinosaurs?

Discover

The Battle of New Orleans, by E. Percy Moran, c. 1910. Andrew Jackson, War of 1812.

26 Decade-Defining Events in U.S. History

Adolf Hitler (Nazi, nazism, German leader).

9 Things You Might Not Know About Adolf Hitler

Washington DC.,USA, April 26, 1989. Supporters for and against legal abortion face off during a protest outside the United States Supreme Court Building during Webster V Health Services

Pro and Con: Abortion

Julius Caesar in full Gaius Julius Caesar (100? BCE-44 BCE) statue in Rimini, Italy. Roman general and statesman and dictator

The Time Julius Caesar Was Captured by Pirates

An ancient egyptian hieroglyphic painted carving showing the falcon headed god Horus seated on a throne and holding a golden fly whisk. Before him are the Pharoah Seti and the goddess Isis. Interior wall of the temple to Osiris at Abydos, Egypt.

11 Egyptian Gods and Goddesses

Groups of depositors in front of the closed American Union Bank, New York City. April 26, 1932. Great Depression run on bank crowd

Causes of the Great Depression

Albert Einstein in Washington, D.C. c. 1921-1923. Physicist

The Solar Eclipse That Made Albert Einstein a Science Celebrity

Animals & Nature

fossil

paleontology

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Apr 9, 2024 • Article History

fossil

See all media

Category: Animals & Nature

Key People:: Charles Darwin; Georges Cuvier; Alfred Sherwood Romer; George Gaylord Simpson; Mary Anning

Related Topics:: dinosaur; Australopithecus; Homo erectus; Ardipithecus; Neanderthal

See all related content →

Recent News

Apr. 7, 2024, 12:06 AM ET (ABC News (U.S.))

Oldest fossil ever discovered significantly extends estimated age of life on Earth

Apr. 3, 2024, 6:16 AM ET (MSN)

Mysterious Scaly Fossil Found in Alabama Stream

fossil, remnant, impression, or trace of an animal or plant of a past geologic age that has been preserved in Earth’s crust. The complex of data recorded in fossils worldwide—known as the fossil record—is the primary source of information about the history of life on Earth. Only a small fraction of ancient organisms are preserved as fossils, and usually only organisms that have a solid and resistant skeleton are readily preserved. Most major groups of invertebrate animals have a calcareous skeleton or shell (e.g., corals, mollusks, brachiopods, bryozoans). Other forms have shells of calcium phosphate (which also occurs in the ...(100 of 970 words)

Access the full article

Help support true facts by becoming a member.