Paleontology is a branch of sedimentary rock science that studies the processes of fossilization of animals and plants after they are buried, such as whether the fossils were buried alive or after death, whether they were buried in situ or elsewhere, and the environmental conditions during burial. In Inner Mongolia, China, there is a famous "dinosaur cemetery", but there are very few dinosaur fossils in the same strata around it. Why is this? Although there are many dinosaur fossils in the "cemetery", most of them are fragmented, and few are complete. Why is this? Moreover, why are many dinosaurs with different habits buried together? Scientists found that the dinosaur bones in this "cemetery" came from three different places, and they were transported here by floods and piled up. For example, in the Hulu Cave in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, the number of mammal fossils in different parts varies greatly. Why is this? There are no ash layers or stone tools in the cave, indicating that there was no ancient human habitation, so why are there so many fossils? Why are herbivorous dinosaur fossils so common in caves that are not inhabited by humans? Why have only ape skull fossils been found, with no limb bone fossils? It turns out that these fossils were carried into the cave by flowing water, so there are more fossils at the naturally formed entrances of the caves, while the number decreases significantly on both sides.
Therefore, when collecting fossils, it is first necessary to observe the burial conditions of the fossils. For example, when collecting egg fossils, it is necessary to observe whether it is one egg or two eggs. If it is two eggs, are they closely together? If so, they are likely to be eggs laid by dinosaurs, because dinosaurs had double oviducts and laid two eggs at a time. In addition, it is necessary to see how the eggs are arranged, whether they are arranged in rows, radially, or spirally, or randomly... The arrangement of eggs is different for different dinosaurs. Of course, it is also necessary to observe the characteristics of the rocks around the fossils to determine the burial environment at that time. For example, you can see whether the egg fossils are found in red sandy soil or yellowish brown sandy soil, whether there are other fossils associated with them, and whether the strata are horizontal or inclined.
When you find precious dinosaur fossils in the wild, don't rush to dig them out, but first protect the surrounding environment and wait for professional personnel to excavate them, so as to obtain the most paleontological information.