G3_U6L2_ What Do Fossils Tell Us about the Past?

What is terrestrial?

• Something that exists in or on land

• The remains or traces of an organism

  that lived long ago.

• Something that exists in or

  on water.

Which conclusion can be made from this picture? Choose all that apply

• This ginkgo trees have lived 3000 years ago

• Fossils show that ginkgo trees have

  not changed very much over time

• Plants can also be fossilized

• This fossil was found in rock

Choose one feature

that you think shows the most

evidence for the environment in which they lived.

• Woolly mammoths had curved

  tusks that were up to 5 meters long.

• Woolly mammoths were large,

  having a mass of 8,000 kg and

  reaching heights of 4 meters.

• Woolly mammoths were covered

  with thick fur to help protect them

  from the cold temperatures.

• Woolly mammoths had smaller ears

  than elephants.

Choose one feature

that you think shows the most

evidence for the environment in which they lived.

• Elephants have tusks that are up to

  3.5 meters long.

• Elephants are the largest modern

  land animal. They have a mass of

  up to 6,000 kg and reach heights of

  4 meters.

• Elephants have gray, wrinkled skin

  that is sensitive to touch.

• Elephants have very large ears that

  help keep them cool.

What can fossils tell us about the past? Check all that apply

• 
  Which organisms used to live on Earth and how they looked like

• How the environment has changed

• How organisms alive today have changed and adapted over time

Look at the photo and fill the blank. This organism lived in water. Scientists believe this because ___

• It has flippers for swimming

• It has long bones

• It has legs for walking

• It has wings for flying

Which is the most likely reason that woolly mammoths had

fur covering their bodies but modern elephants do not?

• The woolly mammoths lived on land, as do modern elephants.

• The woolly mammoths lived in water, and elephants live on

  land.

• The woolly mammoths lived in a warmer climate than

  elephants.

• The woolly mammoths lived in a colder climate than elephants.

The ginkgo tree is often called a “living fossil.” Why do you think

that is?

• The leaf from the modern tree looks very different from the

  fossil leaf.

• The leaf from the modern tree looks very similar to the fossil leaf.

• The modern tree grows to the same height as the extinct tree.

• The modern tree grows much taller than the extinct tree.

What should you do to learn about changes in a habitat over time?

• Make a map of the habitat.

• Ask people who moved there.

• Make a list of plants and animals that live there.

• Compare fossils to the animals that live there now.

In which type of environment did the

organism that left this fossil live?

• aquatic

• rock-like

• terrestrial

• forest-like