Question: was dinosors real?

Rosie Coates answered on 10 Mar 2014:

Yes, dinosaurs were real. There is lots of evidence to tell us that they were alive, the most exciting is that sometimes dinosaur skeletons are found. These skeletons have survived the 65 million years since dinosaurs became extinct because they became fossilised.

Skeletons can become fossilised when an animal, or dinosaur, dies and is quickly buried by lots of mud or sand for example. Over time the body is buried deeper and deeper while the soft parts of the body such as muscles and organs rot. The hard parts such as the bone are surrounded by soil and mud, this very slowly turns to stone because of the pressure from lots more mud and soil and sand pressing down on top of it. The bone then dissolves leaving a bone shaped mould in the stone around it. This mould is then filled with water containing minerals. Eventually these minerals fill the mould and we are left with a new rock that is the same shape as the old bone. we call this a fossil.

These fossils can stay hidden for millions of years until they are found and used by scientists called paleontologists to understand what dinosaurs looked like and how they might have lived.