Training Module 3 – Cretaceous Creatures

Which category best describes your fossil?

1. Isolated teeth

2. Jaws and tooth plates

3. Vertebrae

4. Scales, shells, and plates

5. Bones and bone fragments

Try again! Scales, shells, and plates usually have broad surfaces that are flat or bumpy.

Try again! Jaws and tooth plates usually have rows of teeth or sockets for teeth that fell out.

Try again! Vertebrae usually have circular cups at their ends and struts that stick out along the rim.

Try again! Bone fragments usually have broken cross sections that look like a hollow tube or like the end of a broken pencil.

ID Sheet 4

1. My fossil may have a pointed top or a rounded top.

2. My fossil is an irregular shape and has multiple cusps.

3. My fossil is shaped like a diamond.

4. My fossil is shaped like a flat triangle and may have tiny serrations.

5. My fossil is shaped like a hexagon and has two thick roots.

ID Sheet 4-D

1. My fossil has a ridge or multiple ridges across the surface.

2. My fossil does not have a ridge across the surface.

3. My fossil has serrations but is too fragmented to further identify.

Try again! Focus on the serrations of your fossil along the cutting edges. They should be curved.

Try again! Look at the base of your fossil. It should not have any roots.

Try again! Focus on the size and number of the serrations. Also, focus on how much it curves.

Try again! Look at your fossil from the side. It should be thin.

ID Sheet 4-D-II

1. My fossil is shaped like a long triangle with straight edges.

2. My fossil is shaped like a triangle with a few large serrations and a large ridge at the bottom.

3. My fossil has a wide base with serrations along the edge.

4. My fossil has large serrations along the edge that curve upward toward the tip.

5. My fossil has small serrations along the edge.

Try again! Look at the flat sides of your fossil. They should be smooth and have ridges.

Try again! Your fossil should be complete (not broken) and shaped like a triangle.

You did it! You found a cheek tooth from a dromaeosaur dinosaur!

1 – A dromaeosaur is a type of small to medium-sized dinosaur that was covered in feathers.
2 – Dromaeosaurs, sometimes referred to as raptors, had a big hooked claw on each foot.
3 -The serrations on the teeth were likely used to help this dinosaur slice and eat their food.

Place your fossil in the correct box on the Fossil Training Sheet.

Try again! Focus on the base of your fossil. It should have a large round area that curves inward towards a small tip.

Click here to identify another microfossil.

Try again! Look at the flat side of your fossil and focus on how much it curves.

Try again! Focus on the size of the serrations compared to the overall size of your fossil.

Try again! Focus on the shape and symmetry of the serrations and the direction they point.