Vocabulary
The study of fossils is called:
paleontology
Dead organisms' hard body parts fossilize in this type of rock.
Sedimentary
Organisms that are buried slowly have a better chance of getting into the fossil record?
False
Minerals that fill a mold and have the same shape as the original living organism is this type of fossil.
A cast fossil
The first thing that must happen for a fossil to form.
The organism must die.
What do we call the remains or traces of past life, usually found in sedimentary rock?
Fossils
Entire animals, for example, ants, can be preserved when they are trapped in this hardened tree sap.
Amber
Less than 10% of all organisms become fossils.
True
Why do scientists study fossils and compare them to living things today?
That's how scientists know how living things have changed over time.
Name three things that could preserve a whole fossil.
Ice, tar and tree sap.
An example of this type of fossil is a worm burrow.
A trace fossil.
A mammoth was fossilized as original material by ___________.
ice
Many fossils have been found in the rainforest.
False
Why must paleontologists be very careful when excavating fossils?
They must be careful so they don't destroy the fossil.
Which layer of rock would be the oldest - the bottom or the top?
The bottom layer of rock is the oldest.
What is the fossil imprint made by the outside of a dead plant or animal?
Mold
What is the back gooey substance that formed some fossils?
Tar
Organisms with hard bodies are fossilized more often that soft-bodied organisms.
True
If a fossil animal was a carnivore, what would its teeth look like?
They would look sharp and pointy, because it was a meat eater.
You can tell how an animal moved and its size from ______.
footprint
The type of rock that fossils are usually found in.
Sedimentary rock.
The walnut was fossilized through this process.
Mineralization
A footprint is an example of this type of fossil.
A trace fossil.
If a fish fossil is found in the desert, what could you infer about the what the area was once like?
You could infer that the area was once covered by water.
If a fossil animal has flat teeth, what can we infer about what this animal ate?
It ate plants.