Dinosaurs Around the World · Drawing 31 of 34
How Does a Fossil Form?
Fossils and Science
When a plant or animal is buried, it can sometimes become a fossil. Mud and sand cover it in layers, which slowly harden into rock.
Did you know?
Most living things do not become fossils.
Look together
Which fossils can you see in the rock layers?
An idea to try
Choose a colour for each rock layer.
For the adult reading along
A little more to discover
This schematic cutaway shows a leaf, shells and a bone within several rock layers. It illustrates burial and preservation, not successive stages or an identified real site. Fossilization is rare. Sediment can cover some remains and may become rock over time. The bone shape is illustrative and is not assigned to a species.
Sources and illustration notes (1)
Simplified reconstruction. Pose, unpreserved tissues and setting are interpreted. Choose your own colours; animals are not to one scale.
These links lead to other websites. Explore them with an adult. References identify the institution and the related lesson; some linked pages are in French.
- Natural History Museum: How are dinosaur fossils formed?Follow one simplified route from burial to preservation in rock.
Page prepared on October 4, 2026. Illustrations are simplified for colouring.
This drawing is from the book Dinosaurs Around the World to Colour
Tax calculated at checkout. Terms of sale