12 Fantastically Fun Facts About Fossils

You might have guessed that we are mad about fossils. Nothing makes us happier when walking on the beach and stumbling across a fossil. Wait, you didn’t know you can find fossils on a beach? Well, that is one extra fact you might have not known about fossils. And we want to teach you everything about fossils and there is no better place to start than with some fun fossils facts.

From frogs that ate dinosaurs, monster ants, and even fossils on Mars, we promise you, there is something here for everyone! Well, what are you waiting for, take a look at our 10 fun fossil facts below.

1. Giant frogs eat dinosaurs

You may not think this is fossil related, but the only way we knew about this was through fossils. Scientists have discovered fossils of a giant frog that used to eat dinosaurs! The frog, named Beelzebufo, lived about 68 million years ago in Madagascar. Its giant bite could exert a force similar to that of a wolf or female tiger, easily capable of munching through a juvenile dinosaur or two.

2. Crocodiles eat dinosaurs

OK, so this isn’t as interesting as frogs, but in Australia, a fossil has been found that showed a giant crocodile died shortly after eating a dinosaur! The fossilised remains of the crocodile, named Confractosuchus sauroktonos, were recovered from a sheep station in Queensland. Researchers discovered the skeleton of a small dinosaur inside its stomach. The fossils are thought to be more than 95 million years old.

3. You can get fossilised poo

The Natural History Museum has a collection of fossilised poo! Known as Coprolite, they are the fossilised faeces of animals that lived millions of years ago. By examining the size and shape of the fossils, scientists can learn more about what animals ate millions of years ago. But don’t worry, fossilised poo doesn’t smell.

4. The word ‘fossil’ comes from Latin

According to Collins English Dictionary, the word fossil comes from the Latin word fossilis, which literally means ‘dug up’ and from the word fodere, which means ‘to dig’.

5. Some dinosaurs had feathered tails

Another fact that without fossils, we would have never known about. Fossil hunters discovered the first-ever feathered dinosaur tail, perfectly preserved in amber. The 3-centimetre lump of resin contained the tail, covered in delicate brown and white feathers. Scientists still don’t know if the dinosaur could fly, however.

6. Fossils are not just of animals and plants

Human fossil remains have been discovered of more than 6,000 individuals! Perhaps the most famous of these is Lucy, discovered in 1974 in Ethiopia. Lucy measured just 1.05 metres tall and would have weighed around 28kg and lived on a diet of plants including grasses, fruits, and leaves.

7. There are fossils on Mars

In 1996, a team of NASA scientists announced they had discovered evidence for microscopic fossil life in a meteorite from Mars. Although the findings are controversial, NASA’s Perseverance rover is right now looking for chemical traces of life on Mars. Armed with multiple cameras and digging tools, will it be the NASA rover that discovers the first fossil on another planet?

8. Fossils help understand baby dinosaurs

A fossilised nest of 15 baby dinosaurs was found in Mongolia! The 70-million-year-old fossils helped prove that young dinosaurs remained in the nest through their early lives and were cared for by their parents. The Protoceratops would normally grow to about 3 metres long by the age of 10. Those found in the nest were thought to be less than one year old.

9. Fossils aren’t made from bone

If you find a fossil, it’s made of rock, not bone! As the ancient animal dies, the organic parts, like skin and fat decomposes, leaving behind the stronger inorganic parts like bones and claws. Over time, water containing minerals like iron and calcium gets absorbed by microscopic pores in the bone, which begins to change its structure. Over millions of years, other sediments in the water get absorbed by this new structure and the pressure from the sea and layers of silt above, form a sedimentary rock layer with the fossilised ‘bone’ inside. After even more time, the process of erosion exposes these layers, and the fossil made of rock is exposed. Bone to stone in only a few million years, a lot of pressure and the right minerals being in the right place.

10. Ants the size of hummingbirds roamed the Wyoming wilderness

The fossil of a ‘Monstrously Big Ant‘ was discovered in Wyoming. The fossil shows that 50 million years ago, ants the size of hummingbirds roamed the Wyoming wilderness. Giant ant fossils have also been discovered in Europe and possibly roamed the world for millions of years.

11. There is a lake in Africa that turns animals into stone

Lake Natron, in northern Tanzania, is extremely alkaline. The water’s pH has been measured as high as 10.5, similar to ammonia. Animals that venture into the toxic waters are killed and their bodies are turned to stone by a process known as calcification. Whilst not actually fossils, the haunting images are spectacular.

12. There are fossils of brains

Scientists have discovered the fossil of a brain! The fossil, of a clawed spider-like creature, showed clear evidence of a brain and of nerve cords running through the creature’s body. The fossil was placed in a CT scanner and then 3D software was used to see the structures not visible on the outside.

We hope you have enjoyed our twelve amazing and fun facts. Which was your favourite? Here at Finest Fossils, we are passionate about history and the fossils that tell the amazing story of life long ago. If we can help you with anything fossil related, please get in touch.