Book 5, Question 30
Missing Pieces! Why Are Most Fossils Not Whole Skeletons?
When an animal dies, its body can be eaten, broken, or washed away before it is buried. Only some parts end up in the right place to become fossils. That is why scientists usually find pieces and have to work out the rest.
From the book
Page from A Million Whys Book 5
More fun facts
- Becoming a fossil is rare for a large land animal.
- The fossils we have are only a tiny fraction of all the dinosaurs that ever lived.
- Usually the soft parts, like muscles, rot away, leaving only hard parts like bones behind.
- Most body fossils are not whole animals but only their toughest parts, like bones, teeth and shells.
- It is easiest to become a fossil if you have hard parts, live in water and have a small body.
- That is why most fossils are of sea creatures like shellfish and corals.
- Burying something bigger than an elephant all at once would be very hard.
Sources: National Park Service, National Park Service, BBC
Questions kids ask
Why are there so few complete dinosaur skeletons?
Big animals are hard to bury quickly, and bones often get scattered or worn away before they can become fossils.