Searching for dinosaurs

From the very outset, we need to approach the search for dinosaurs
systematically. On the basis of what we have learned so far, it is first
necessary to check where to find rocks of the appropriate age by
consulting geological maps of the country that is of interest. It is
equally important to ensure that the rocks are of a type that is
at least likely to preserve the remains of land animals; so some
geological knowledge is required in order to predict the likelihood
of finding dinosaur fossils, especially when visiting an area for the
first time.

Mostly, this involves developing a familiarity with rocks and their
appearance in the area being investigated; this is rather similar to
the way in which a hunter needs to study intently the terrain in
which the prey lives. It also requires the development of an ‘eye’ for
fossils, which comes simply from looking until fossil fragments are
eventually recognized, and this takes time.
Discovery provides the adrenaline-rush of excitement, but is also
the time when the discoverer needs to be most circumspect. All too
often fossil discoveries have been ruined, scientifically speaking, in
the frantic rush to dig the specimen up, so that it can be displayed
by its proud finder. Such impatience can result in great damage to
the fossil itself. Even worse, the object might be part of a larger
skeleton that might be far more profitably excavated carefully by a
larger team of trained palaeontologists. And, as the sleuth might
point out, the rocks in which the fossil was embedded may also have
important tales to tell concerning the circumstances under which
the animal died and was buried, in addition to the more obvious
information concerning the actual geological age of the specimen.
The search for, and discovery of, fossils can be a personally exciting
adventure as well as a technically fascinating process. However,
finding fossils is just the beginning of a process of scientific
investigation that can lead to an understanding of the biology
and way of life of the fossilized creature and the world in which it
once lived. In this latter respect, the science of palaeontology
exhibits some similarities to the work of the forensic pathologist:
both clearly share an intense interest in understanding the
circumstances surrounding the discovery of a body, and use science
to interpret and understand as many of the clues as possible in an
effort to leave, quite literally, no stone unturned.