Do you know what the people who dig for fossils are called? They are called palaeontologists. You are going to be a palaeontologist now and excavate (dig out) a fossil.
Take your fossil and your tool and very gently start to chip away the rock around your fossil.
Be careful not to damage your fossil! Palaeontologists have to be really patient and it can take them a long time to excavate a fossil.
What do you think your fossil is?
Here is Electric Edward to explain what a fossil is and how they are made.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sDvnWsLK70[/embedyt]
Dinosaur Footprints
One way that scientists have discovered evidence of dinosaurs is by finding their footprints in the rock! In Dorset, on the Jurassic Coast, you can go and see real dinoaur footprints. You are going to make some pretend ones now.
Flatten our your clay so it is between 1cm and 2cm thick.
Take your toy dinosaur and press the feet into the clay, don’t press it all the way through, just enough to make an imprint in the clay. You may make more than one inprint if you like – like footsteps!
Leave your clay out for 24 hours to dry.
You now have your own mini dinosaur footprint fossil!
Dinosaur Poo
Palaeontologists have even found fossilised dinosaur poo! A fossilised dinosaur poo is called a coprolite. Coprolites helped scientists work out which dinosaurs were herbivores, which means they only ate plants, carnivores, which means they only ate meat, or omnivores, which means they ate plants and meat!
Take out your poo samples. These samples were found together, but scientists aren’t sure if they came from the same dinosaur. Can you help?
Break apart one of your poo samples, what can you see? Do you think this dinosaur was a herbivore or a carnivore?
Do the same with your other sample.
Do you think they came from the same dinosaur? If not, why?
Here is Chemical Cress with the answer
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9vrDZkqEMY[/embedyt]
Dinosaur trading card
Take your blank trading card and your toy dinosaur. Do you know what your dinosaur is called? See if you can use the information from the pictures and paragraphs below to fill in the stats on your card. You can draw a picture of your dinosaur in the space at the top of the card and/or write it’s name. Alternatively, if you want a slightly easier challenge, you can click here to download a complete set of cards and copy them onto your blank card. Don’t worry if your dinosaur is a different colour to the ones in the pictures below. Skin doesn’t fossilise so scientists don’t know for sure what colour dinosaurs were. They think they were probably dark grey or green to blend in with their surroundings but because we don’t really know, our dinosaurs are brightly coloured instead!
ParasaurolophusThe parasaurolophus was a dinosaur that lived 76-74 million years ago. It was a herbivore which means it only ate plants. It was 11 meters long and weighed roughly 3 tonnes. It could run at speeds of up to 25 miles per hour. This dinosaur has no claws, no armour and didn’t eat other animals so we have given it a killer instinct of 1. AnkylosaurusThe ankylosaurus had a clubbed tail that weighed roughly the same as a human man!They were 8 meters long, up to 8 tonnes in weight but very slow. They moved at around 6 miles per hour – just a bit faster than a turtle. Ankylosauruses were herbivores so they did not hunt or kill other animals but they would use their tail and armour to defend against predators. We have given them a killer instinct of 4.SpinosaurusSpinosaurus is one of the biggest carnivorous dinosaurs known to scientists today. It is even longer than the T. Rex. It was 18 meters long and weighed up to 9 tonnes. It had long, sharp teeth and claws to be able to catch prey. We have given it a killer instinct rating of 8. It could run at speeds of up to 11 miles per hour which is three times slower than Usain Bolt, the fastest man in the world. Tyrannosaurus rexTyrannosaurus rex (also known as T-rex) was a big, carnivorous dinosaur that was around 12 meters long and up to 6 meters tall. That’s around the size of a double decker bus. It could run at speeds of up to 16 miles per hour which is around the same as an average human running speed. Scientists think that T-rex dinosaurs could be up to 9 tonnes in weight – heavier than the heaviest elephant! T-rex’s are thought to have been the deadliest dinosaur with a bite strength 3 times as strong as a great white shark! We have given it a killer instinct rating of 10. BrontosaurusFor a while, scientists debated whether the brontosaurus really existed but they have now decided it did! It could be up to 23 meters long which includes its very long neck. They could run up to 19 miles per hour and weighed around 30 tonnes. It was a herbivore so it didn’t eat other animals but it did have a claw on each of its front legs and three claws on each of its back legs. We have given it a killer instinct rating of 3.TriceratopsThe Triceratops’ remains were found in North America; they lived in the late Cretaceous period and became extinct with the meteorite impact that hit Earth at its conclusion. Triceratopses have a similar shape to Rhinoceroses, and may have looked a lot like them. They were about 8 metres long (over four times the average human), and weighed about 12 tonnes, with a top speed of 20 miles per hour. Triceratops look aggressive, but were actually only Herbivores, feeding on trees and plants, so we’re happy to give them a killer instinct rating of 4.StegosaurusThe Stegosaurus was another large dinosaur, at about 9 metres long – though its brain was miniscule, about the size of a walnut! It also had a relatively small weight, at 3.1 tonnes. Like the Triceratops, it was a herbivore, but they wouldn’t have shared a meal, as the Stegosaurus came from an earlier era, the Jurrasic period. Despite its impressive spikes, a slow speed of 5 miles per hour means the Stegosaurus gets a killer instinct rating of 2.PterodactylThe Pterodactyl is the only flying dinosaur of our bunch, and their remains have been found mostly in Europe and Africa. Many of this family of dinosaur were small, but the largest weighed up to 250 kilograms (a quarter of a tonne) and had a wingspan greater than 9 metres! It could soar at about 56 miles per hour, and probably fed on fish and small animals. For that reason, it earns a killer instinct rating of 6.
The parasaurolophus was a dinosaur that lived 76-74 million years ago. It was a herbivore which means it only ate plants. It was 11 meters long and weighed roughly 3 tonnes. It could run at speeds of up to 25 miles per hour. This dinosaur has no claws, no armour and didn’t eat other animals so we have given it a killer instinct of 1. Ankylosaurus 
The ankylosaurus had a clubbed tail that weighed roughly the same as a human man!They were 8 meters long, up to 8 tonnes in weight but very slow. They moved at around 6 miles per hour – just a bit faster than a turtle. Ankylosauruses were herbivores so they did not hunt or kill other animals but they would use their tail and armour to defend against predators. We have given them a killer instinct of 4. Spinosaurus 
Spinosaurus is one of the biggest carnivorous dinosaurs known to scientists today. It is even longer than the T. Rex. It was 18 meters long and weighed up to 9 tonnes. It had long, sharp teeth and claws to be able to catch prey. We have given it a killer instinct rating of 8. It could run at speeds of up to 11 miles per hour which is three times slower than Usain Bolt, the fastest man in the world. Tyrannosaurus rex 
Tyrannosaurus rex (also known as T-rex) was a big, carnivorous dinosaur that was around 12 meters long and up to 6 meters tall. That’s around the size of a double decker bus. It could run at speeds of up to 16 miles per hour which is around the same as an average human running speed. Scientists think that T-rex dinosaurs could be up to 9 tonnes in weight – heavier than the heaviest elephant! T-rex’s are thought to have been the deadliest dinosaur with a bite strength 3 times as strong as a great white shark! We have given it a killer instinct rating of 10. Brontosaurus 
For a while, scientists debated whether the brontosaurus really existed but they have now decided it did! It could be up to 23 meters long which includes its very long neck. They could run up to 19 miles per hour and weighed around 30 tonnes. It was a herbivore so it didn’t eat other animals but it did have a claw on each of its front legs and three claws on each of its back legs. We have given it a killer instinct rating of 3. Triceratops 
The Triceratops’ remains were found in North America; they lived in the late Cretaceous period and became extinct with the meteorite impact that hit Earth at its conclusion. Triceratopses have a similar shape to Rhinoceroses, and may have looked a lot like them. They were about 8 metres long (over four times the average human), and weighed about 12 tonnes, with a top speed of 20 miles per hour. Triceratops look aggressive, but were actually only Herbivores, feeding on trees and plants, so we’re happy to give them a killer instinct rating of 4. Stegosaurus 
The Stegosaurus was another large dinosaur, at about 9 metres long – though its brain was miniscule, about the size of a walnut! It also had a relatively small weight, at 3.1 tonnes. Like the Triceratops, it was a herbivore, but they wouldn’t have shared a meal, as the Stegosaurus came from an earlier era, the Jurrasic period. Despite its impressive spikes, a slow speed of 5 miles per hour means the Stegosaurus gets a killer instinct rating of 2. Pterodactyl 
The Pterodactyl is the only flying dinosaur of our bunch, and their remains have been found mostly in Europe and Africa. Many of this family of dinosaur were small, but the largest weighed up to 250 kilograms (a quarter of a tonne) and had a wingspan greater than 9 metres! It could soar at about 56 miles per hour, and probably fed on fish and small animals. For that reason, it earns a killer instinct rating of 6.