Even though we have learned a lot about the life of the past by studying fossils, there is still much for us to learn. Hunting for fossils can be hard work, but it is also a lot of fun. Maybe you, too, will someday find a fossil which will add to our understanding of the history of life on earth.

Fossils tell us about plants and animals that lived and died a long time ago. Fossils may be bones, footprints, or the imprints of shells or leaves which have turned to stone.

skull of sabertoothed cat Hoplophoneus

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For a long time, there were no plants with flowers. Pine trees, cycads, and ferns covered the land instead.

Many more layers of mud and sand accumulate, burying the plant or animal far below the ground. After a very long time -- millions of years -- both the mud and the plant or animal remains turn to stone. The bone, shell, or leaf has become a fossil.

cycad

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