Did I Find a Dinosaur Bone?
by Dr. Gabriela Haynes on Aug 06, 2025
We love hearing from you and answering your questions!
JD (age 11) asks,
“I found something that looks like a dinosaur bone. How can I verify that it’s a genuine dinosaur bone?”
That is an exciting question!
If you are walking around and see a piece of rock or a piece of bone, you can be a fossil detective and find out a lot of information about it.
What animal does the bone belong to? How did the animal die? When and where did it die? All of those questions can pop into your mind!
But to answer those questions, we need to start with some fundamental points. So there we go!
One of them is what a fossil is. Fossils are remains or traces of an organism that were preserved in rocks. A fossil is a reminder of a once-living creature—bones, shells, footprints, even burrows that turned to stone. However, the definition of what a fossil is can change depending on how the fossil detective sees things around them. That is what we call a worldview. In an evolutionary worldview, the detective will add the idea of millions of years to the definition of what a fossil is. They will also see fossil remains of an organism that inhabited or died in the environment in which it was found. Additionally, they believe that the death occurred under natural conditions. And that those remains were covered with sediment, little by little over time. That is, the organism was buried in a slow process.
Two Ways to Explain Fossils
| Creation Worldview | Evolutionary Worldview |
|---|---|
| Found where it was buried | Found where it lived or died |
| Buried quickly during Noah’s flood | Buried slowly |
| Catastrophic death | Died in natural condition |
| Remains or traces from the past | Remains or traces after millions of years |
Creation scientists understand that most fossils are the result of the catastrophic global flood mentioned in Genesis 6–9, known as Noah’s flood. And that is one of the reasons why we can find fossils today, because those organisms did not die millions of years ago but only a few thousand years ago. In the evolutionary story, all those fossils underwent numerous changes on earth without being broken or completely destroyed. But that does not make much sense. Additionally, if the organism died in natural conditions and was then buried slowly, not much of it would be preserved to form a fossil. Scavengers, the rotting process, and weathering would not allow much preservation. So it is essential to remember that when you find a fossil, you are probably touching an organism that died during Noah’s flood (or perhaps during the ice age that followed).
But now, let’s go back to how you can know whether the organism you found is a fossil or not!
Here are some characteristics to help you recognize if your finding is a genuine fossil.
- Feel the Weight – Because of the minerals and sediments that fill out the organism and cover it, a fossil will be heavier. It will be a solid piece of rock.
- Notice the Color – The fossil will exhibit a “shiny” color because of the minerals present in it, instead of an opaque color (something you can’t see through at all).
- Check Where It Was Found – It is essential to understand the type of fossils found in the area. That will make it easier to identify whether what you saw is a fossilized bone or an organism and help you determine the type of fossil it is.
- Examine the Surface Texture – The fossil will have a “grainy” texture because of the minerals and sediments that cover the bone or organism.
These four points can help you to easily identify a fossil and make you a great fossil detective! So grab a notebook, ask God for sharp eyes, and start exploring—creek beds, museum trips, or even your backyard garden can hide amazing fossils from the flood!
Happy hunting, detective! Want to find out more about fossils? Ask your parents to help you look at our engaging, hands-on science programs at the Creation Museum and Ark Encounter.1
Footnotes
- There are so many ways to learn at the Ark Encounter & Creation Museum—from half-day programs and science labs to multiday camps, exclusive experiences, tours, and so much more! Check out https://arkencounter.com/education/ and https://creationmuseum.org/education/.
