fossil

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Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics

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The video thumbnail image shows an illustration of the bird dinosaur Longipteryx alongside two toy dinosaur figurines.

Archaeopteryx: The holy grail of fossils

Fossil collection in the University of California Museum of Paleontology

Silhouette of a bird with outstretched wings holding a "Hello, my name is ?" badge, next to a set of four large, weathered bones on a dark background.

The Lufengosaurus fossil: The oldest soft tissue ever found?

For Students

fossil summary

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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

Fish. Lionfish. Lion-fish. Turkey fish. Fire-fish. Red lionfish. Pterois volitans. Venomous fin spines. Coral reefs. Underwater. Ocean. Red lionfish swims by seaweed.

10 of the World’s Most Dangerous Fish

Facsimile of one of William Henry Ireland's forgeries, a primitive self-portrait of William Shakespeare(tinted engraving). Published for Samuel Ireland, Norfolk Street, Strand, December 1, 1795. (W.H. Ireland, forgery)

The Time a Law Clerk Successfully Forged a New Shakespeare Play to Impress His Dad

9 Mind-Altering Plants

Close-up of ostriches (Struthio camelus) necks and heads; location unknown.

6 of the World's Most Dangerous Birds

Watergate scandal. Richard M. Nixon. President Nixon gives a press conference and talks to the press, March 12, 1971.

9 American Political Scandals

Timeline and Map of the Panama Canal

Four year old boy with grandfather and father lighting Hanukkah menorah. Photo taken on: December 21st, 2009

Which Is Correct: Hanukkah or Chanukah?

fossil

paleontology

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Nov 29, 2024 • Article History

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

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

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News •

A Fossil Gets Its Name From a Revived Indigenous Language • Nov. 28, 2024, 12:47 AM ET (New York Times)

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)

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