Paleontologist: history and fun facts
Everything a curious kid might want to know about this job.
Did you know?
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Some fossils are footprints! Paleontologists can learn how an animal walked by looking at the marks it left in mud long ago.
Through history
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Long ago
People found giant bones in the ground long before anyone knew dinosaurs had lived. Scientists then began to study these bones carefully.
Tools of the trade
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Soft brush
A paleontologist uses a small, soft brush to gently sweep away dust and dirt around a fossil. It helps keep the fossil safe.
A day in the job
- Morning on the hillsideThe paleontologist kneels in the dusty dirt and carefully brushes around a giant bone, one tiny bit at a time.
Words to know
- Fossil
- A fossil is an old bone, shell, footprint or leaf that has slowly turned into stone over a very long time.
Quiz time
Paleontologists study dinosaurs that lived long, long ago.
Paleontologists study the stars in the sky.
A plaster jacket helps protect a fossil while it is moved.