Fossils

What are fossils?

The remains of once living

things that died long ago

What scientists

study fossils?

Paleontologist

What can we learn

from studying fossils?

We can learn about the kinds of plants and

animals that used to live on Earth…as well

as what kinds of things animals ate.

What are the 3 types of fossils?

•Mold•Cast•Plant

Which fossil is the shape of a once-

living thing left in a sediment when rock

formed?

MOLD

Which fossil forms when mud or

minerals later fill a mold. This has the actual shape of the living thing-without being a real piece of

the living thing.

CAST

If a fossilized tooth of a dinosaur is sharp, what do

scientists predict it ate? Plants or

Meat???

Meat

Why are plant fossils not as common as

animal ones?

Because plants are a lot more fragile and don’t usually

survive the process of becoming a fossil

Why are more fossils found in

sedimentary rocks than in

others?

Because the sediment covers the fossil over

time. Heat and pressure from

metamorphic and igneous rock often

destroy any animal or plant remains

Are the fossils found on the

very bottom of a layer of rock

older or newer than other

layers?

OLDER. They started out a long time ago

and were covered by

newer ones on top

How are footprint fossils different than bone fossils?

Footprint fossils are cast fossils.

They are the shape or imprint of an animal or

plant.

Bone fossils are mold fossils. They are an

actual piece of the living thing.

Which of these is not a fossil? Why?A. a cast of a seashellB. A footprint of a dinosaurC. A chunk of petrified woodD. a bone of an elephant

An elephant bone…because elephants are not extinct.

What might scientists learn from a fern fossil?

A: what color the fern wasB: which animals ate the

fernC: How ferns have

changedD: which other plants lived

at the same time

How ferns have changed

What can you infer about a place that has

fish fossils?

That place was once under

water (sea).

What can a footprint tell you about the animal

that made it?

The animal’s size