This resource is part of the Museum Snapshot collection - a collection of smaller resources perfect for starters, plenaries or spare moments to explore something fascinating.

Curriculum Links:

KS1 and KS2 Science: Rocks and Fossils

This starfish fossil is over 175 million years old. It dates from the Jurassic period, when dinosaurs walked the Earth, and the Yorkshire Coast was beneath a warm tropical sea!

The fossil was collected 150 years ago by someone from Scarborough, who gave it to the museum in Scarborough. 

Illustration showing dinosaurs of the same period as the starfish.

Discussion Ideas:

• This starfish has five 'arms', how you think they move?
• Starfish have eyes on the end of their 'arms', why do you think this is?
• Where do starfish live?
  
  • What adaptations do they have to help them survive?
• What other kinds of fossils can you find on beaches? These might be shells, leaf imprints or even poo!
• Draw a comic strip to explain how this starfish became a fossil
• This starfish was alive when dinosaurs were walking the earth and swimming in the sea. Write a short story describing a day in the life of the starfish.
  • What did it see?
  • Where did it go?
  • What happened to it?