Because the shapes of the two are so different but similar
If you look at a picture of south America and Africa and then you cut them out they should fit together like a puzzle piece!
The clincher was that the fossil record on the coastlines of both continents were identical.
It is the theory that the origins of our human species were located in the Rift Valley of east Africa, and that humans first began to make their way (migration) out of Africa approximately 100,000 years ago. As such, all of our ancestors were originally from Africa. The first migration was to the Middle East, then slowly beyond. The last areas to be populated by humans were North and South America, with the first humans having trekked across the "land bridge" during the last Ice Age, about 11,000 to 15,000 years ago.
It is based on the fact that all the oldest hominid fossils have been found in Africa. As a result of that the theory goes that human life originated in Africa.
Abraham Ortelius was the first to note the remarkable fit of the coastlines of South America and Africa in the year 1596. In 1858, geographer Antonio Snider-Pellegrini made two maps of the globe showing his version of how South America and Africa may once have fit together, then later separated. Later, in the early 20th century, Alfered Wegener developed the (incorrect) theory of "continental drift" that revived interest in the subject and lead to the current theory of plate tectonics.
If you look at a picture of south America and Africa and then you cut them out they should fit together like a puzzle piece!
If you look at a picture of south America and Africa and then you cut them out they should fit together like a puzzle piece!
If you look at a picture of south America and Africa and then you cut them out they should fit together like a puzzle piece!
South America and Africa are often considered to fit together well due to their similar shapes along the Atlantic Ocean coastlines. This observation was one of the key pieces of evidence used to support the theory of plate tectonics and the concept of continental drift.
The fossil of Mesosaurus, a small aquatic reptile, was found in both South America and Africa. Its presence on different continents was used as evidence to support the theory of continental drift, as it suggested that the continents were once connected and later drifted apart.
Alfred Wegener observed the apparent fit of the coastlines of South America and Africa, suggesting they were once joined. This observation helped support his theory of continental drift, which proposed that continents were once connected in a single landmass called Pangaea and drifted apart over time. This theory laid the foundation for the modern theory of plate tectonics.
The origin in uncertain, there is a theory that the word came from Africa to America with the slave trade.
Cynognathus is a good candidate for providing evidence for the continental drift theory because its fossil has been found in both South America and Africa, which were once connected in the supercontinent Gondwana. This distribution pattern supports the idea of continental drift, as it suggests that these continents were once joined together and later drifted apart.
One reason of how they was NOT is : Africans crossed into South America when Africa and South America were one continent.
Fossil evidence, such as similar plant and animal species found on both continents, as well as rock formations that match up when the continents are reconstructed into a supercontinent called Pangaea, suggest that Africa and America were once connected. Additionally, the discovery of similar geological features, such as mountain ranges and coastlines, along the western coast of Africa and eastern coast of South America provides further support for this theory.
Wegener knew that fossil plants and animals such as mesosaurs, a freshwater reptile found only South America and Africa during the Permian period, could be found on many continents.
The clincher was that the fossil record on the coastlines of both continents were identical.