P3 Cloze 40

Fossils are the remains or traces of ancient plants and animals that have been preserved in rocks. They tell us about the vast number of ________that existed millions of years ago on earth.

They also tell us about the ________ of various species over the years.

Fossils can be mineralised bones, teeth, shells, wood or actual ________material from a frozen organism like its fur.

They are called body fossils. Eggs, nests, footprints, leaf impressions and dung are some examples of trace fossils which record the movement or behaviour of an organism or the ________of a plant. One thing all fossils have in common is that they are at least 10,000 years old.

Remains or traces of life are ________when they get buried by sand, mud and clay brought about by the wind or water.

In this way, they are protected from total destruction. Paleontologists, people who ________inthestudy of fossils, usually look.for fossils in sedimentary rocks.

They look out for ________shapes and textures such as objects that are clearly different from the rocks around them.

They take their time and work slowly and carefully to clean and ________the fossils they have found.

They need to handle their find with care as it may be ________.

They also take note of the location of their find because it may be an important historical ________.The tools used to find fossils are neither fancy nor expensive. A butter knife and a toothbrush may be all an amateur paleontologist would need for a start