Fossils and Ancient Environments - Part 1

What is a fossil?

• A living organism

• A pile of dirt

• A preserved remain or trace of ancient life

• A modern plant

What do fossils tell scientists?

• How to make tools

• What weather will be tomorrow

• What life and environments were like long ago

• Where to plant trees

What kind of fossil is formed when an animal gets trapped in tree resin?

• Petrified fossil

• Imprint fossil

• Amber fossil

• Shell fossil

What does the presence of fern fossils tell scientists?

• The land was cold and dry

• The area was once a warm, moist environment

• There was once a volcano

• The land was always a desert

How can scientists tell if an animal lived in water?

• By its color

• By the food it ate

• By its flippers or paddle-like limbs

• By its location

What is the term for an animal that is no longer alive anywhere on Earth?

• Fossilized

• Ancient

• Extinct

• Rare

Which body structure would suggest a fossil belonged to a land animal?

• Flippers

• Antlers

• Fins

• Gills

What is an inference?

• A fact you already know

• A wild guess

• A conclusion based on evidence

• A repeated experiment

Which of these fossils is most likely aquatic?

• Fern

• Irish elk

• Mosasaur

• Dragonfly

What is the correct formula for estimating a dinosaur’s hip height from its footprint?

• H = 2l

• H = 4l

• H = l + 4

• H = 2 × l + 1