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A fossil is the preserved remains or traces of a dead organism. Fossils are formed through a process with multiple stages called fossilisation, and this takes place over many, many years.

Fossilisation only happens in certain conditions. That's why not every organism that dies becomes a fossil!

It’s very rare for living things to become fossilised. After most animals die, their bodies usually rot away and nothing is left behind.

However, under certain special conditions, a fossil can form.

After an animal dies, the soft parts of its body decompose. The hard parts, like the skeleton, are left behind. They become buried by small particles of rock called sediment.

As more layers of sediment build up on top, the sediment around the skeleton begins to compact and turn to rock.

The bones then start to be dissolved by water that passes through the rock. Minerals in the water replace the bone, leaving a rock replica of the original bone called a fossil.

Test your knowledge of fossils with the activities below.

Get a pen and paper - it's time to draw!

1. Draw a line down the middle of your paper.
2. On one half, draw an animal's body on the day it is buried in the ground. On the other half, draw its fossil after 2 million years.
3. Write one sentence to describe how the animal's body has changed.
4. Write a second sentence to describe the type of soil that surrounds the body.