Fossils Lessons

Which of the following is the BEST statement for a scientist to explain how two different organisms found in different parts of the world could have lived on Earth during the same time period?

• Their fossilized remains are similar in structure. 

• The fossils are identical to organisms currently on Earth. 

• The fossils found for both organisms are in the same strata layer. 

• Their fossilized remains were located within 18 months of each other. 

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NGSS.MS-LS4-1

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Paleontologists study fossils by comparing where they are located in the rock layers to make fossil records.  They also compare fossils to similar modern-day species in order to find patterns in the bone structures.  Scientists use this data to make conclusions about connections between past and present life. What claim could a paleontologist make about the modern-day whale based on the fossil record represented in the diagram?

• All modern-day water-dwelling mammals evolved from animals that once lived on land.

• Modern-day whales have evolved from ancestors that could move on land as well as water.

• The Rodhocetus is more closely related to the Indohyus than to the modern-day whale.

• Some types of modern-day whales evolved from ancestors that once lived on land, while other modern-whales evolved from ancestors that have always been aquatic species.

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NGSS.MS-LS4-1

NGSS.MS-LS4-2

Paleontologists study fossils by comparing where they are located in the rock layers to make fossil records.  They also compare fossils to similar modern-day species in order to find patterns in the bone structures.  Scientists use this data to make conclusions about connections between past and present life.  Modern-day whales have evolved from ancestors that could move on land as well as water. What evidence supports this claim?

• The modern-day whale still has full leg bone structures present that are no longer used.

• The Rodhocetus and the Indohyus fossils both have four feet and are only three rock layers apart from each other.

• The earliest fossil of a cousin whale has leg-like structures that are similar to those that land animals have today.

• All whales in the fossil record, regardless of size and age, had body shapes and bone structures that are adapted to aquatic and land life.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

NGSS.MS-LS4-2

Paleontologists study fossils by comparing where they are located in the rock layers to make fossil records.  They also compare fossils to similar modern-day species in order to find patterns in the bone structures.  Scientists use this data to make conclusions about connections between past and present life.  Modern-day whales have evolved from ancestors that could move on land as well as water. The earliest fossil of a cousin whale has leg-like structures that are similar to those that land animals have today. What supports this claim and evidence?

• The fossil record supports the claim that current life forms have common ancestors which resulted from the evolution of species through mutations and changes in the environment.

• The fossil record shows that clues to a species' ancestors are only found in the later above and below the fossil that is being studied.

• Regardless of which layer a fossil is found, the more structures species have in common, the more closely related are the species.

• The distance the two different fossils in the rock record, the greater number of ancestors they have in common.

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NGSS.MS-LS4-1

NGSS.MS-LS4-2

An archaeologist's team discovers a fossil in Layer G.  After testing the fossil with carbon dating, the team discovers the age of the fossil is 100 million years.  A second fossil and third fossil are discovered in the same region, but different layers.  The second fossil is 150 million years old and the third fossil is 125 million years old. Finally, they determine that Layer A fossils are 5 million years old and Layer D fossils are 25 million years old. The second fossil was likely found in Layer  ___________  and the third fossil was likely found in Layer  ___________ .

• C, D

• I, H

• A, E

• G, A

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Which fossil type helps geologists infer that rock layers in different geographic locations are similar in age?

• carbon film

• index fossil

• preserved remains

• trace fossil

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James Hutton and William Smith are credited for advancing the concept of geological time. Hutton concluded, after studying rocks of the Earth, that each layer represented a specific interval of geologic time. These rock layers are now referred to as _____.  Smith discovered that certain rock layers contained fossils unlike fossils found in other layers. These _____ fossils are used as a key to help identify and date particular layers of rock throughout the world.

• strata, index

• levels, cast

• beds, petrified

• sheets, preserved

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NGSS.MS-LS4-1

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

Scientists are doing research in a desert.  There are very few species of plants in the desert except for some cacti and succulents that have adaptations, allowing them to survive with very little water.  The scientists discover many fossils of large leaves that resemble modern tropical plants that need a lot of water.

Which conclusion about the history of the area is MOST LIKELY true?

• The area used to have more water that supported the growth of tropical plants.

• People brought fossils of tropical plants and left them in the desert for others to find.

• Tropical plants in ancient times did not require as much water as tropical plants now.

• Cacti used to be tropical plants, needing a lot of water.

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Rocks on the Earth’s surface are broken down through weathering and erosion. These broken pieces collect at the bottom of lakes and oceans over time and compact together to become sandstone, limestone, or mudstone. Places like the Grand Canyon have strata of these types of stone where fossils can be found.

What type of rock creates these layers of stone?

• molten rock

• lava rock

• metamorphic rock

• sedimentary rock

Which part of a dinosaur is least likely to be fossilized?

• bone

• brain

• horn

• tooth