Fossils are the remains of animals and plants, which have been preserved naturally. Their size can vary from entire dinosaurs skeletons to microscopic plants and animals. They may be of similar composition to the living tissue or be mineral replacements. Mostly it is the hard tissue of animals and plants, which are preserved, such as bones, shells, teeth and wood. Occasionally burrows, eggs, footprints and nests can be petrified and rarely soft tissues such as leaves and skin can be fossilised too. Almost complete animals and plants have been found preserved in amber, copal, ice, peat and tar. Amber and copal being the resins of ancient trees.

ammonite (england)

belmnites (england)

Fossilisation takes millions of years and is a process fraught with chance. When something dies it immediately starts to rot and unless it is rapidly buried it will decompose before it is fossilised. As mentioned the hard tissues last longer, but these are often destroyed or scattered by animals or the elements. Even if a fossil is formed it may later dissolve, be chemically altered or be destroyed by high temperature or pressure. Only a very small percentage of all living things are fossilised.

Fossils are formed in the strangest of places. Because of movements of the earths crust, continental drift and varying climates and sea levels. We find sea animal fossils in deserts and tropical plants' fossils in frozen landscapes.

fossil fish

fossil fish

Although fossils have been observed and revered by ancient cultures for at least ten thousand years, palaeontology; the scientific study of fossils, began only 300 years ago.

Traditionally fossils are said to have supernatural powers, healing powers and medicinal uses. In Traditional Chinese Medicine - Shiy-Yen (fossilised brachiopods) (Photo) are prepared as a cure for rheumatism, cataracts, anaemia and digestive problems. Toad stones (fossil fish teeth) were used throughout Europe to treat epilepsy and the effects or poisoning.

orthocerus (morocco)

sand dollar (france)

The esoteric properties of fossils include promoting quality and excellence, creating structures and stimulation of the thymus gland. They also are said to promote success in business ventures.

Plant Fossils other than petrified wood, are rare because they decompose rapidly
Ammonites, now extinct, are relatively common although good examples are rarer. This is due to their hard shell being formed from Aragonite sometimes with an outer layer of Mother of Pearl. The females were always much larger than the males of the same species, there were hundreds of different Ammonites species. Multiple fossils are often found where animals lived together in large numbers.

Ammonites were also called "snakestones" thought to be coiled snakes.

They are believed to help people who build or design things to see the necessary structures to make these things work. They can also help you find structure in your own life.

) Sea Urchins, known as "Magic Stones" or "Thunderstones" were thought to have fallen form the sky during thunderstorms. They are said to keep evil spirits away and prevent milk turning sour. They are often found in ancient human burial mounds.

The Sea Urchin Balanocidaris were known as "Jewstones" because they were found in Ancient Judea. They have been used as charms since at least 650BC

Sand Dollars are another type of sea urchin, which feed by lifting sediment from the sea bed. They are unusual because they are flat with holes through them. The food would be pushed up through these holes and passed along towards the months.

Belemnites have been known as "thunderbolts" and were believed to come from heaven during thunderstorms. This gave them great protective magical powers and these are often found with human skeletons in ancient burial mounds.

There are over 10,000 known species of Trilobites. All are marine animals with shells made of Calcite and so resist decay. Some had efficient eyes, some could curl up for defence and some had no eyes living deep in the sea below the depths to which natural light penetrates.

Crinoids, known as "flowers of the sea", were in fact animals. Their evolutionary descendants are featherstars, which are still alive today.

there are some 20,000 species of fossil fish ranging in time from 500 million years ago to today.

Sharks teeth are not uncommon because sharks grow new teeth all the time to replace old teeth, which drop out. Because they are hard structures they may have been fossilised.

Dinosaurs are what many people think of when they hear the word fossil. They reigned this planet for 150 million years. Mankind has only been around for about 2 million years at most. There were thousands of species of dinosaur, but they died out rapidly at the end of the cretaceous period. The wonderful complete dinosaur skeletons in the world's museums are very rare, but bits of dinosaur bone are usually available for collectors.

It is known that less than twenty different dinosaur species survived the cretaceous disaster that wiped out so much of life on earth at that time. Some people believe that some of these may still exist in remote areas of the world today.

Fossil wood is the relatively common type of plant fossil. Because wood is the hard structure of plants, it decomposes slowly and has a chance to be fossilised. This occurs as the tissues of the wood are replaced by minerals and the wood becomes petrified - literally "turned to stone". Minerals often involved in this process include Agate, Chalcedony, Opal, and Quartz.