Select the fossil.
drawing of a dinosaur dinosaur remains preserved in rock dinosaur model made of plastic
Fossils are preserved remains of the body parts or activities of ancient organisms.
Some fossils show the body parts of organisms. Bones and shells are two examples of body parts that can be preserved in fossils.
Some fossils show traces of an organism's activities. An animal might leave footprints in mud or dig a burrow in soil. These traces might be preserved as fossils.
Fossils are not human-made. All fossils are formed in nature.
Fossils take a long time to form. For example, an organism's body can take thousands of years to become a fossil.