An illustration can communicate a scientific idea while containing features the fossil cannot establish. The key is to know which parts represent preserved evidence, comparative anatomy or artistic choice. Our geological image is original illustrative artwork. It represents neither the field locality nor MCM A522.
Separate three layers
First, identify the specimen: where is it held, which identifier follows it, and what material is preserved? Second, identify the analysis: which observations support a diagnosis or evolutionary placement? Third, identify reconstruction choices: which missing portions borrow from related animals, and which colors or textures are artistic?
Questions for an anatomical claim
Look for a description tied to a named bone, view and specimen. Check whether a feature was directly exposed or reconstructed from scans. A composite diagnosis can distinguish a taxon even when individual traits occur elsewhere. Avoid treating a broad family characteristic as a directly documented feature of this individual.
Questions for a size claim
A precise total length needs an explained method and appropriate evidence. A partial skull does not provide a direct head-to-tail measurement. A comparison with relatives may produce an estimate, but the estimate should disclose its basis and uncertainty. This resource gives no established body length, height or mass for Nipponopelta.
Questions for an ecological claim
Ask whether the claim rests on teeth, associated deposits, trace fossils, a comparative model or a secondary narrative. Those sources address different questions. A suggestion about coastal preference should retain the uncertainty of the analysis. A dramatic scene of an animal crossing water cannot independently confirm swimming behavior.
A classroom exercise
Choose a claim from a news article. Write down its exact factual proposition without copying the article. Find the primary source behind it. Classify it as specimen observation, interpretation, or unresolved. Then revise the wording so the strength of the claim matches the evidence. Use the evidence explorer to compare your classification.