Cross Breeds

How do scientists know what extinct animals looked like from their fossilised remains?

I have just been showing my 7 year old daughter a news article about the oldest woolly rhino fossil being discovered and she asked me how they knew it was woolly if only its bones survived and I have realised I do not know. There seems to be a general consensus about the type of skin and colour of dinosaurs and prehistoric animals now extinct and also whether they were warm blooded or cold blooded etc. How is this information obtained from fossil remains? Thank you.

Public Comments

1. They allegedly proved those things on Discovery Channel
2. Actually, dinosaurs may not necessarily be green like we think they are. The colours, the furs and the behaviors of these extinct animals are only generally-accepted assumptions by scientists. Based on their natural environment and habitats, scientists can guess its characteristics. In short, everything we know about them are merely smart guesses or hypothesis. Just to let you know, a few fossils of dinosaurs have been found with some feather on them. This really astounded scientists and changed the way we think of dinosaurs. Can you imagine, a dinosaur with feathers?
3. The wooly rhino only died out recently, they've found actual remains, not just bones. There are also cave paintings of wooly rhinos alongside recognizable animals like horses. If you're talking about long-extinct animals, there's several methods. Skin impressions can be fossilized just like fingerprints. Recently they've compared the structure of fossilized melansomes with living creatures (like birds) to fill in the blanks. It's a recent development and hasn't been tested much but it's way beyond a wild guess. I think you have a budding paleontologist there, better start saving for college NOW. :)