This Kapow pupil video is part of the Kapow Science scheme of work. A body fossil forms when the remains of an animal, like a dinosaur, are preserved in rock. First, the dinosaur dies and falls to the ground. Its bones are buried under a layer of sediment, such as mud, sand, or volcanic ash. Over time, more layers build up on top, and the weight of these layers squashes the bones and sediment beneath them.

Water from the surrounding sediment seeps into the bones. Over millions of years, the sediment layers turn into sedimentary rock. The water inside the bones leaves behind minerals, which replace the bone material, turning the bones into rock. The result is a fossil – a preserved copy of the dinosaur’s bones – known as a body fossil.

The video is designed to be shown to pupils as part of Science, key stage 2, Year 3, Materials: Rocks and soil, Lesson 3: Fossil formation