Mold & Cast Fossils
A hollow imprint left behind in rock after an organism decomposes.
What is a mold fossil?
Trace fossils show evidence of an animal's activity rather than its actual _____.
What is its body?
Sticky tree sap that hardens over millions of years to trap insects.
What is amber?
The general definition of a fossil is the preserved remains or evidence of an organism that lived ______.
What is long ago?
A 3D replica formed when minerals fill in a hollow mold and harden into stone.
What is a cast fossil?
The most common trace fossil left behind by a walking dinosaur.
What is a footprint (or trackway)?
Prehistoric animals like saber-toothed cats were trapped in sticky pits filled with this natural material.
What is tar
What normally happens to a plant or animal after it dies under standard conditions?
What is decomposition (breaking down into soil)?
Pressing your hand into wet clay and pulling it away creates an impression representing this fossil type.
What is a mold fossil?
Scientific name for fossilized animal dung used to determine an ancient animal's diet.
What is coprolite?
True form fossils in arctic environments are preserved because extreme cold prevents this process.
What is decomposition (or decay)?
These hard body parts fossilize much more easily than soft tissues like muscles or skin.
What are bones, shells, or teeth?
Underground water carries these dissolved substances into a mold where they crystallize into stone.
What are minerals?
Name two types of animal structures or shelters preserved as trace fossils.
What are burrows and nests?
Unlike casts or molds, true form fossils consist of the organism's actual original ______.
What are body parts (tissues, bones, skin)?
The specific rock type formed from layers of mud, sand, and silt where most fossils are found.
What is sedimentary rock?
True or False: A cast fossil contains the actual original body parts of the living organism.
What is false? (It is made entirely of minerals/rock).
Paleontologists study trace fossils primarily to learn about animal
What is behavior (or movement / diet)?
True form preservation requires conditions that completely shut out these two decay factors.
What are oxygen and bacteria?
Name all four main categories of fossils covered in our study guide.
Mold, Cast, Trace, and True Form fossils?