Trace Fossils

There are fossils that are found that tell us other things about dinosaurs. These types of fossils are called trace fossils. Trace fossils are various types of fossils, such as skin impressions, fossilized eggs and foot prints. Some dinosaurs were pressed against a piece of earth leaving an impression of their skin. Then the impression is quickly covered by sediment and fossilized. Other trace fossils are fossilized eggs. Some fossilized eggs have been found with mature embryos inside. These eggs were fossilized when rapidly covered with sediment and compressed. Another type of trace fossil is fossilized footprints. Fossilized footprints can be found in rock formations. Some fossilized footprints have been found with left foot and right foot impressions, which were rapidly covered with sediment and fossilized. Are all trace fossils made by dinosaurs? No. Paleontologists have also found fossilized human footprints, bird fossils, and insect fossils. Fossilized dinosaur and human footprints have been found side by side and some human footprints have also been found inside dinosaur footprints. Bird like animals have been found fossilized called pterosaurs. Insects have been caught in resin from sap trees and fossilized. Therefore skin impressions, egg and footprints are just three types of trace fossils discovered by Paleontologists today.