What is a fossil?
Fossils (from Latin fossus, literally “having been dug up” ) are the mineralized or otherwise preserved remains or traces (such as footprints) of animals, plants, and other organisms. Sometimes the fossil is just an imprint such as a footprint, or even an animal’s dung. Fossils are generally found in rocks that were once under water. The animal or plant was first covered by mud, and over a very long time, many layers of soil or mud built up and were squeezed together. Water containing minerals seeped through the layers and changed the plant or animal remains into rock.