Why don't you ever find partially fossilized items?

Question

Why don't you ever find partially fossilized items?

Answer 1

Such things are found.  Generally, fossils have had all the organic content replaced by minerals, but that isn't always the case.  If you look in the right sort of places, it's possible to find fossils whereby only part of the object has been mineralized.  For example, secure a leaf in a trickle of water in an area with plenty of limestone.  Limescale will build up around the leaf.  Some months later you can have the leaf nicely surrounded by that coating.  Internally, however, the leaf material hasn't been fossilized.  Natural processes sometimes achieve the same sort of effect.

Answer 2

We do. Many species are known only from a single bone, or partial specimen.

Partially fossilized remains may not be as readily identifiable as  complete specimens, so, it's harder to say "this is something!"  with only that little bit of information.

We may be finding partially fossilized things all the time, but, the better, more completely fossilized specimens get all of the glory - because they are readily identifiable.

Make sense?

Answer 3

Because what gets preserved is the rocky substance.  Lets suppose an animal dies, gets buried in wet clay soil and the chemicals in the clay start invading the cells of the bones, feathers, whatever.  Part way through this process, the proto-fossil is disturbed and moved from the clay soil.  It is now partly fossil substance and partly bone substance.  How strong is it going to be?  Not much.  It is likely to be easily crushed, sheared, etc.  

Normally fossils are found in material very much like the fossil, that has to be painstakingly chipped away like a dentist working on a tooth so that the not-fossil chips off at the interface, leaving the fossil intact.