Fossil Record

Why are similar fossils found all over the world?

• The animals swam to new parts of the world before going extinct

• The land masses were once connected

• The organisms were transported to different areas of the world

• They are not similar fossils.

Fossils of plants and animals suited for a warmer environment have been found in Antarctica. What does that suggest about how the movement of Antarctica affected its environment?

• It was colder at one point, before it moved

• It was warmer at one point, before it moved

• The organisms migrated to Antarctica after it moved

• People planted the fossils

What is the Law of Superposition?

• In a sequence of rocks, the youngest rocks/fossils make up the top layer and the oldest make up the bottom layer

• In a sequence of rocks, the oldest rocks/fossils make up the top layer and the youngest make up the bottom layer

• Layers that have the same fossils are always different ages

• The earth has not changed much over the years

Using the diagram to the right, which of the following fossils (A, B or C ) is the oldest? how do you know?

• A - it is at the top layer

• B - it is the most complex organism

• C - it is at the bottom layer

Looking at these two fossil cores from different continents, which two layers are of approximately the same age? How do you know?

• A and D - both at the top

• B and E - neither have fossils evidence

• C and D - have the same fossil evidence

• C and F - the rock pattern looks the most similar

When a fossil is found in Africa, and the same type of fossil is found in South America, what might scientists conclude? select all that apply

• The animal swam from one continent to the other

• Africa and South America were connected at some point

• The fossil is from a mammal

• If one of them is an index fossil (a fossil that can be associated with a specific time) then it can be used to determine the date of the other fossil.

How could scientists use core samples of fossils to study extinct organisms?

• They could determine relative age of an extinct organism

• They could determine how the organism went extinct

• The could determine the color of the organisms fur

• The could determine how the organism sounded

What is a transitional species? select all that apply

• A species that migrates a lot

• A species that shows how organisms changed over time

• A species that existed for a very long time

• A species that shows the intermediate (middle) state between an ancestor and a known descendant.

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How do transitional species help show evolution has occurred?

• They show the changes that occurred over time

• They show that an organism still lives today

• They show how an organism died

• They show an organism that was poorly adapted to its environment

How does the fossil record provide evidence for evolution?

• Finding the age of fossils (through radioactive dating) shows the earth is very old - showing there was enough time for natural selection to occur

• Similar fossils can be found on different continents, thus showing the continents were connected once and thus showing how species changed as their environments changed when the continents moved

• Some fossils show species that show the transition from one known ancestor to a known modern day species

• Fossil don't provide evidence for evolution.