Characteristics of Fossils

A boy was hiking through a desert with his family. He found a fossilized insect that has pinchers for eating grass while he was digging in the sand. What can the boy conclude about the

habitat of the once living insect?

• The area was always a desert and someone put the fossil there.

• The area was once covered in water and must have had sea animals.

• The area must have once had lots of grass because of the characteristics of the fossil.

• The area has always been a desert because of the location where the fossil was found.

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NGSS.MS-LS4-1

A student was observing a full fossilized skeleton of an animal at a museum. He wants to know more about the animal and is curious about the type of habitat it lived in when it was alive. What clues below would BEST help him to find out what he wants to know?

• The animal has very sharp teeth and a really large skull.

• The animal has large flat teeth and really large rib bones.

• The animal has a very large body and flipper-like front feet.

• The animal has large tusks with very short front legs and long legs in back.

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NGSS.MS-LS4-2

A student went on a fossil dig in the desert and found the two above fossils.

Based upon the evidence of the fossils, what can the student conclude when comparing the environment of the location the two fossils were found in?

• The environment has always been a desert environment because a horseshoe crab and ammonite fossil were found in a desert.

• The environment has changed over time from an area covered with water to a desert because long ago the animals lived in water.

• The environment has always been a desert environment, but the horseshoe crab and ammonite fossil moved locations over time.

• The environment has changed over time from an area covered in forests with a lot of trees since there is water for these creatures to live in.

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Two fossils are found in a cold mountain region. One is a fish fossil and the other is a palm tree fossil. What can you infer about the environment in which these organisms lived?

• A hot desert because palm trees are found in hot areas.

• A warm mountain region because since there are palm trees, the area needs to be warm.

• A cold mountain region because an environment cannot change its type of environment over time.

• A warm ocean environment because fish are found in areas with water and palm trees are found in warm ocean environments.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

A student is observing two fossils found in a warm wooded region. One fossil is of an animal and one of a plant. Both of these fossils appear to have the same characteristic that they retain water. What can you infer about the environment in which these organisms lived?

• The fossils are of organisms that once lived in a wooded area because there are a lot of types of plants and animals found in this region.

• The fossils are of organisms that once lived on the coast next to the ocean because they lived on land, but need access to the ocean.

• The fossils are of organisms that once lived in a desert since these organisms are able to live where there is limited water.

• The fossils are of organisms that once lived in an ocean because they need water in order to survive.

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Why is it important to study fossils?

•  Fossils are evidence of organisms that lived long ago.
• Fossils are fortune tellers.
• Fossils are fun to study.
• Fossils are found everywhere in the world.

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If a scientist found a fish fossil in the desert, what can they infer?

• An animal ate the fish.

• The water covered the area long ago.

• Today's fish looks the same

• The fish is endangered.

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A group of friends were hiking to the top of a mountain. When they got to the top of the mountain, they discovered several fossils of animals like the one pictured above.

What clues does the fossil give you about how the animal moved and what type of habitat it lived in?

• This animal lived at the bottom of the mountain since it was discovered at the mountain, but the mountain rose in height over time.

• This animal lived at the top of a mountain since that is the location it was discovered.

• This animal lived in a water environment such as a lake or ocean since it has bones.

• This animal lived in a water environment since it has dorsal fins.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

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