Animals Through Time Mystery Science

How can you match a newly found fossil with other fossils that you have found?

• Compare them by their traits, such as if it has legs or fins.

• Compare them by their weight, such as heavy or light.

• Compare them by their color, such as brown or green.

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You take a trip to the local quarry. You walk all the way to the very bottom. At the bottom of the quarry, you find the fossils in the picture. What kind of habitat do you think was in this location when these animals were alive?

• Grassland

• River

• Ocean

• Desert

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NGSS.MS-LS4-1

Scientists found a whale fossil in the middle of the desert because...

• whales live in the desert habitat

• whales used to live in the desert habitat

• there used to be a lake in the middle of the desert habitat

• the desert habitat used to be an ocean

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

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Kayla went swimming so she could see sharks and sea turtles. When she started swimming, she saw many tree trunks on the ocean floor. What kind of habitat do you think was in this location a long time ago?

• Forest

• Grassland

• Ocean

• Desert

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

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You take a trip to the local quarry. You walk all the way to the very bottom. At the bottom of the quarry you find the fossils shown in the image above. What kind of habitat do you think was in this location when these animals were alive?

• Grassland

• River

• Ocean

• Desert

Why did you choose this answer? What evidence do the fossils give you to support your claim?

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NGSS.MS-LS4-1

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Why are green anoles better climbers today than the green anoles that lived a long time ago? How did they get to be that way?

• A long time ago, there were some green anoles that were better climbers than other green anoles. The better climbers were more likely to escape the brown anoles and have babies. 

• The older anoles taught the young anoles how to climb to survive. 

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NGSS.MS-LS4-2

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How do scientists determine the age of a fossil?

• By measuring the amount of carbon-14 remaining in the fossil.

• By comparing the fossil's size to modern animals.

• By analyzing the color of the fossil.

• By observing the location where the fossil was found.

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What adaptation might help an animal survive in a cold environment?

• Thick fur or blubber.

• Brightly colored feathers.

• Long, thin legs.

• Large ears.

Why might a species go extinct?

• Loss of habitat.

• Increase in population.

• Abundance of food.

• Stable climate conditions.

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NGSS.MS-LS2-4

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