Fossils

What is a fossil?

• A prehistoric organism's remains or impression preserved in petrified form

• A historical document

• A type of rock

• A kind of ancient tool

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

What do paleontologists study?

• Modern animals

• Ancient artifacts

• Ocean currents

• Fossil remains to learn about ancient life

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

NGSS.MS-LS4-2

What is a trace fossil?

• A fossil from plant leaves

• A fossil made from the body parts like bones and teeth

• A fossil made from things like footprints or animal waste left behind

• A fossil of a whole animal

How are fossils commonly formed?

• When minerals fill in spaces of plants and animals over years

• By being frozen in ice

• All plants and animals become fossils

• Through exposure to sunlight

What can scientists learn from mummified fossils?

• Plant growth patterns

• Modern animal behaviors

• What animals looked like and how they lived

• Future predictions

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

NGSS.MS-LS4-2