Animals Through Time: Mystery 1

You take a trip to the local quarry. You walk all the way to the very bottom. At the bottom of the quarry you find the fossils shown in the image above. What kind of habitat do you think was in this location when these animals were alive?

• Grassland

• River

• Ocean

• Desert

Why did you choose this answer? What evidence do the fossils give you to support your claim?

• They are all grassland animals

• They are all ocean animals

• They are all river animals

• They are all desert animals

Kayla went swimming so she could see sharks and sea turtles. When she started swimming, she saw many tree trunks on the ocean floor. What kind of habitat do you think was in this location a long time ago?

• Forest

• Grassland

• Ocean

• Desert

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

The tree trunks are evidence that the habitat in this location has changed. What other evidence could you look for to support this claim?

• Fossils of other plants and animals that live in the desert

• Fossils of other plants and animals that live in the grassland

• Fossils of other plants and animals that live in the ocean

• Fossils of other plants and animals that live in the forest

Your friend Martha just found a crab shell on the ground. She’s really excited because she thinks it might be a fossil. She thinks this is evidence that your town used to be an ocean a very long time ago. The picture above shows you the location where she found the crab shell. Do you think your friend Martha found a fossil? Why or why not?

• Yes, it could have come from the beach.

• No, she didn't find it underground. It could have come from the crab shack.

You tell Martha that one crab shell is not enough evidence. If this habitat did use to be an ocean, what are examples of evidence that would support Martha’s claim?

• More crabs in a pile on top of the ground.

• If there are volcanoes near by.

• Digging and finding fossils of birds and monkeys.

• Digging in the ground and finding more fossils of crabs and other sea creatures.