What were dinosaurs?

• The term DINOSAUR means “Terrible Lizard”. Some dinosaurs were as small as a chicken, while others grew to be almost 100 feet long, and weighed over 50 tons! The dinosaurs lived during the Mesozoic Era, which has been called “The Age of Reptiles”. This era was comprised of three periods: the Triassic, the Jurassic, and the Cretaceous, which ended 65 million years ago.

How does a prehistoric animal become a fossil?

• Fossils are the remains of the prehistoric animals skeleton. In order for a prehistoric animal skeleton to become fossilized, the animal had to be buried very soon after it died, often in a sandstorm or sudden flood. Then, over millions of years, the bones became mineralized, or turned to stone fossils.

About your Create-A-Fossil real fossil cast

• Create-A-Fossil real fossil molds are made from casts of actual dinosaur fossils. Casts are direct imprints made from actual specimens. and so they are almost identical to the creatures from which they are made. Many of the specimens in even the world’s most famous museums are actually casts. Now you can cast your own fossils, just like a real paleontologist.