Lucy Fossil
"Nature Explorations for Kids"
Fossil for Child ~ Lucy Fossil
~ when we started our fossil lesson plan we came across the fossil called "Lucy"
~ Now that was curious and we investigated our "namesake :-)
~ She is a female skeleton that has been found in Ethopia by 2 famous paleontologists , read more about her here
~"Lucy," is a 3 million-year-old fossil
~"Lucy"offered evidence that early humans walked erect at the end of Pliocene era.
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| Who is the " Fossil Lucy "
| Fossil Fact |
| ~ Lucy was found by Donald Johanson and Tom Gray on the 24th of November, 1974 in Ethiopia.
~At first they spotted a right proximal ulna (forearm bone)
~ They soon found out it belonged to a hominid.
~They explored further and found an occipital (skull) bone, then a femur, some ribs, a pelvis, and the lower jaw.
~ With lost more investigation it took them about 2 weeks to find hundreds of fragments of fossil bones
~ when the put them all together it turned out to be a hominid skeleton ( about 40% of the whole fossil bones belonging to the skeleton where found) | 
The Lucy Fossil Picture
~ Prepare to be amazed what fossil finds are right under your nose |
| Paleontology |
| What does a paleontologist do? |
| What is the difference between a paleontologist and an archeologist? |
How did Lucy
Fossil get her name ?
| Paleontologist Picture |
~ it is thought that much celebrating went on when the fossil bones were found and while they paleontologists partyed the song by the beatles "Lucy in the sky with diamonds" played over and over again
~ nobody really knows how it happended or who said it first but suddely the fossil bones of the female skeleton were called "Lucy" and it stuck | Paleontologist tool |
 
A Kid's Guide to Digging Up Dinosaurs, Exploring Evolution, and Finding Fossils  |
| Where is Lucy now ? | Fossil Pictures |
| ~ The Lucy fossil is currently stored in the Paleoanthropology Laboratories of the National Museum of Ethiopia in Addis Ababa
~ the are kept in specially designed containers that allow for their preservation
~ for study purposes molds have been made and replica fossil bones constructed | more info on the Lucy Fossil including research on how we can tell that she walked upright and a movie |
| Fossils for Kids |
Tip:
~ Ancient fossils can help get kids exited in discovering more about prehistory and their historical implications
~ Famous paleontologist like Robert Bakker and Mary Anning are often brilliant rolemodels that make it "real" for kids when putting a face behind the adventure
~ Learn a little bit more about these famous paleontologist and their famous fossil finds
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| Fossil Hunts for Kids Paleontology Explained |
Fossils for Kids
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