ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Dinosaur biostratigraphy

Okay kiddo, so you know how we talk about different types of dinosaurs, like the T-Rex and the Triceratops? Well, scientists can actually learn a lot about ancient times by looking at the different kinds of dinosaurs that lived during certain periods. This is called dinosaur biostratigraphy.

See, when a dinosaur dies, it leaves behind fossils - which are like really old bones that have been preserved in the ground for millions and millions of years. Scientists can study these fossils to see what kind of dinosaurs lived in an area during a certain time. They can even use these fossils to figure out how long ago certain things happened.

So, let's say that a group of scientists finds some fossils of a Triceratops. They can compare those fossils to other fossils of Triceratops that have been found before to figure out how old they are. Then, they can look at other fossils that were found at the same time and place as the Triceratops fossils to see what other kinds of dinosaurs were around at that time. By doing this, they can create a timeline of when different types of dinosaurs lived and how they evolved over time.

Overall, dinosaur biostratigraphy is really just a way for scientists to learn more about what life was like on Earth a really long time ago based on the dinosaurs that lived back then.