Fossils

People who study fossils are called ____.

• meterologists
• fossilologists
• paleontologists
• fossil hunters

Which of the following is NOT an example of a fossil?

• a petrified dinosaur bone
• a footprint captured in mud
• a seashell found on the beach
• an insect stuck in amber

Which of the following is NOT something you could learn from a fossil?

• The size of the animal
• What the animal ate
• The color of the animal
• Where the animal lived

Which of the following describes a group of living things that is no longer living.

• fossil
• extinct
• mold
• cast

The hardened remains of a living thing that died long ago.

• extinct
• cast
• fossil
• bone

Why are there more animal fossils than plant fossils?

• Animals eat plants.
• Plants are smaller than animals.
• Plants have softer body parts than animals. 
• There were more ancient animals than ancient plants.

What could the fossil of a tooth tell us about an animal from long ago?

• where it lived

• what the animal might have eaten

• what color the animal was

• how many babies it had

A fossil animal has a mouth full of sharp, pointed teeth.  What can you infer about the animal?

• The animal ate fruits and vegetables.
• The animal is closely related to a shark.
• The animal did not live on land.
• The animal ate meat.

If scientists found this fossil, what could they infer?

• what fish are like today
• that this fish lacked oxygen
• what kind of animal ate this fish
• that water once covered the area

this type of fossil is a mark or cavity made in sediment in the shape of a shell or other body

• cast
• trace
• petrified
• mold