wunder beta🐚 Types of Fossils
Not all fossils are dinosaur bones! Discover the different types — from bones turned to stone and molds and casts, to insects trapped in amber and footprints left behind.
What you’ll learn
- Two Big GroupsUnderstand that fossils split into two big groups: body fossils and trace fossils.Fossils come in many types, sorted into two big groups. Body fossils are actual parts of a living thing, like bones, teeth, and shells. Trace fossils are signs an animal left behind, like footprints, burrows, and dung.
- Body FossilsIdentify kinds of body fossils, including bones, petrified remains, molds and casts, and amber.Body fossils are actual parts of living things. They include bones, teeth, and shells, petrified remains turned fully to stone like petrified wood, molds and casts, and amber, hardened tree resin that can trap insects perfectly inside.
- Trace FossilsIdentify trace fossils and sort fossils into body and trace groups.Trace fossils are marks and signs an animal left behind while alive, such as footprints, burrows, and coprolites (fossil dung). Sorting fossils into body fossils and trace fossils helps us understand both what animals looked like and what they did.
Questions this course answers
What are the two big groups of fossils?
Fossils are sorted into body fossils (actual body parts) and trace fossils (signs an animal left behind).
Which of these is a body fossil?
A tooth is an actual part of an animal's body, so it is a body fossil.
What is petrified wood?
Petrified wood is ancient wood that turned entirely to stone while keeping its rings and grain.
How does an insect end up trapped in amber?
Insects got stuck in sticky tree resin, and when the resin hardened into amber they were trapped inside.
Which of these is a trace fossil?
A footprint is a sign an animal left behind, which makes it a trace fossil.
A mold fossil is best described as what?
A mold is the empty hollow left behind when a shell or bone dissolves; a cast is the copy that fills it.
Grounded in trusted sources
- Natural History Museum (London)
- Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History
- American Museum of Natural History
- Britannica Kids
Every Wunder lesson is built from real, reputable sources — never invented.
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