Dinosaur Fossils Facts: Curious Answers On Dinosaur Body Fossils

We are talking about the dinosaurs that dominated the Earth way before humans existed.

We all know about the giant animals which existed over 200 million years ago. Keep reading to know more about dinosaurs as well as dinosaur fossil facts.

Dinosaurs have been a topic of research and study for a very long time. People have been intrigued by these gigantic animals. The era of dinosaurs is often known as the Mesozoic Era.

The Mesozoic Era consisted of Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods. These huge animals existed for about 174 million years. They went extinct at the end of the Cretaceous period about 65 million years ago when an asteroid hit Earth.

The scientists have divided dinosaurs into two diverse groups- avian (flying) and non-flying (all others). Some of the most popular dinosaur species include the Tyrannosaurus Rex, Triceratops, Velociraptor, Stegosaurus, Brachiosaurus, Mosasaur, and many others.

There are usually two types of fossils- trace fossils and body fossils. The oldest fossil discovered was the Nyasasaurus. Many footprints and teeth of the dinosaurs have been found.

It was one of the five mass extinctions experienced by the Earth. Approximately 70% of species died when the asteroid, Chicxulub impactor, hit the Earth near Mexico. Earthquakes and tsunamis ripple the planet.

Various rocks and debris started falling due to an earthquake. It killed a lot of nearby animals. Meanwhile, a giant dust cloud formed and started covering the planet.

It was known as ejecta cloud. This cloud was charged by static electricity, which formed a vast electrical storm. The cloud started hailing rocks that rose in the atmosphere during the impact.

These rocks were extremely heated. Many avians, as well as non-avian dinosaurs, were killed during this rain of fire. The temperature started rising at an alarming rate.

It reached over 302 F (150 C). Almost 70% of animals died within the next few hours. Acid rain oxidized the oceans, which led to the death of various marine animals and plants.

Due to the ejecta cloud, there wasn’t any sunlight for the next year. This resulted in the death of many plants. Few animals that survived the disaster included turtles, a few underground animals, ancestors of crocodiles, and a few others.

After reading about the natural history of dinosaurs, do check out a red giant and Azerbaijan facts here on Kidadl.

Country That Has Found The Largest Dinosaur Fossils

The word ‘fossils’ means the remains of an ancient organism found in Earth’s crust. Scientists who study fossils are called palaeontologists. They are extremely helpful in studying extinct organisms and discovering new ones. The fossil of the world’s largest dinosaur was discovered in Argentina. It is considered one of the biggest creatures to ever walk on this Earth.

Dinosaurs become fossils after they die. The animal’s body slowly gets buried in the ground. The organic material gets decomposed.

It is surrounded by lots of rocks, sediments, and minerals. They preserve the bones, and it becomes a fossil. Many times when a fossil is extracted from the floor, it is covered with minerals, sedimentary rocks, and rocks. They are removed to extract the preserved bones.

Fossils help scientists to know the physical features and characteristics of an ancient or extinct animal or plant. It determines the evolution of various animals and plants. Here are some details about the fossils of the world’s biggest dinosaur.

In 2012, palaeontologists discovered fossils in the Neuquen Province near the Patagonia region of Argentina.The fossils found were thought to be over 98 million years old. The fossilized bones may belong to one of the largest titanosaurs to ever exist. It was found in the Candeleros Formation.

Previously many huge fossils of the species titanosaur have been found in Patagonia. The name ‘Titanosaur’ means titanic lizard.

It is believed to have a small head and long neck along with a broad chest, huge body, whip-like tail, long limbs, and thin pelvis. It belongs to the sauropod group of dinosaurs. They have about 150 bones in their body.

How to find dinosaur fossils?

Dinosaurs existed millions of years ago. They inhabited the Earth long before humans. So basically, we don’t know the exact place where dinosaurs lived. Researchers have worked for several years to find the bones of these prehistoric creatures.

You cannot start digging anywhere and expect to find a dinosaur fossil. But if you do find one, you can sell it to a shop or person.

The body fossils include body parts like teeth, shells, bones, stems, fossilized resin, and branches. The trace fossils consist only of shells and teeth, which determine the biological activities of the animal. They are usually covered in mud.

The process of discovering dinosaur bones includes prospecting. During this, researchers or paleontologists move around the geological site and look around for fossils.

After they find the buried fossil, they brush away dirt surrounding it. It is done to check if the bone is still buried deep in the ground.

Tools are used to extract the fossil from the floor, and glue is used to fill any cracks. The fossil is then wrapped using plaster of Paris and bandages. This prevents it from breaking while taken to the lab.

When it reaches the lab, the plaster is opened, and all the rocks and debris surrounding it is removed. Here is how you can find fossils.

You need to look for rocks that might belong to the Mesozoic era (Triassic, Jurassic, or Cretaceous).

The geological maps will help you in finding the areas or locations where you may find these old rocks having common fossils. They are usually covered with sedimentary rock.

The bones must be eroded on the surface to belong to a dinosaur since they existed a long time ago.

If you find a fossil or a bone in the ground, it is possible that there may be a fossil around.

You might need a microscope to confirm if it’s a fossil or just a rock. The bones will show a honeycomb-like pattern under the microscope.

If you are sure about the place, you can dig the ground for bones. Researchers use huge pieces of machinery to dig the ground as the fossils are more likely to be buried deep in the floor.

The bones need to be extracted from the ground with extreme caution as they may break due to their age.

It is highly unlikely to find the whole skeleton.

Researchers usually use plaster of Paris to transport the bones to the laboratories.

Reasons Why Few Dinosaur Fossils Have Been Found In Antarctica

Throughout the years', dinosaur fossils have been found in various parts of the world. They have been found on all the continents of the world. But there are places where no (Hawaii, Washington, Philippines) or very few (Antarctica) fossils have been found.

Various dinosaurs lived in Antarctica during the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods. The list includes Ankylosaurs, Mosasaurs, Plesiosaurs, Cryolophosaurus, and many others. Over the years, palaeontologists have found few fossils in this continent. The fossils of mosasaur, a few sauropods, Lystosaurus, Pterosaur, iguanodontid, and some others have been found.

They were mostly found on the underexposed ground. It is very difficult to find a fossil here. There are various reasons why palaeontologists do not find a lot of dinosaur fossils in Antarctica. Some of them are mentioned down below.

The continents we have today were in a completely different place during the Mesozoic Era. It is maybe due to this that few fossils of marine dinosaurs have been found here. It is not very feasible to dig the ground in Antarctica.

The reason for this is the thick layer of ice covering the continent. The process will take a lot more time and will be much more expensive. The weather conditions are also harsh, which makes it more difficult to extract the fossils.

How do you differ a dinosaur bone from a rock?

Fossils are imprints or preserved animals found buried in the deep levels of the ground. They are very similar to rocks. It might get very difficult to distinguish a bone from a rock. Sometimes bones are even covered by mud and rock debris.

Many people search for fossils, especially dinosaur fossils. It is not easy to find fossils. But if you do find them, you may not know how to distinguish between a fossil bone and a rock.

They might misunderstand a fossil bone for a rock. There are various ways by which you can easily identify the fossil and distinguish it from the rock. Here are a few ways in which you can tell a dinosaur bone from a rock.

The fossil bone tends to be much heavier than a recent bone. This is because, over the years, minerals have been deposited on it.

The rocks are usually light in color. This is a distinguishing feature, and the fossil will be darker in color.

Dinosaur fossil bones have small holes known as pores on them. You can identify the bone using this feature.

You can use a microscope to determine the fossil. It will have a honeycomb-like structure.

The rock will have a similar structure on the inside, but a fossil bone will probably have a preserved bone-like internal structure.

You can always go to a paleontologist for a much better inspection.

If you wish to determine that is a dinosaur tooth real or fake, you ought to make inquiries about its origin and price. Also, check the fossil for structure of the fossil and determine if it is one original piece or whether several pieces

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