Although dinosaurs have been dead and buried for 65 million years, we know a lot about how those ruling reptiles lived and died from the clues they left behind.

The most direct links to the past are body fossils: actual bones, teeth, skin, eggs, and sometimes even DNA preserved in rocks. From such remains, scientists can figure out what dinosaurs looked like, where they lived, what they ate, and how their bodies functioned.

We also know the “terrible lizards” from trace fossils, which are impressions of life: footprints, bite marks, and nests, for example. These are full of information about dinosaur behavior, including social structure, hunting techniques, and migration patterns.

The key idea in this essay is how scientists discover information about dinosaurs. Which words or phrases below are used as pattern transitions to connect the paragraphs to that idea?

we

clues, fossils, links

dead, buried

dinosaurs, ruling reptiles, terrible lizards