0
Fossils
This category is for questions about the bones, fragments, imprints, and other remainders from a different time. The questions and answer you will find here are history set in stone -- our past, immortalized in solid rock. You will also be able to find questions pertaining to the locations of these fossils, how you might identify them, and how they were formed.
3,454 Questions
How would a scientist determine the age of a fossilized dinosaur egg?
That can be deduced from the geological layer in which it is found; or (probably more accurate), radiometric dating can be used.
What three features must a fossil have in order to be an index fossil?
* the organism must be common in rocks from most of the world
*the organism must have lived for only a geologically short period of time( a few million years to a few hundred million years)
*the organism must be easy to identify.(trilobites and ammonites are 2 kinds of organisms that are used as index fossils).
What is example of a question you could ask about a fossil of an extinct organism?
You could ask what era is it from.
no moonrocks are from the moon well, that is true but moonrocks are generally found to be igneous. This is because they were probably solidified from being magma after the big bang or whenever they were formed, and since there is not much atmosphere on the moon and in space, they could not have changed (weathered, melted, or pressurized) to become any other form of rock.
How are fossils and artifacts different?
Fossils are the remains of dinosaurs, prehistoric plants and other prehistoric creatures which lived millions of years ago. Artifacts are items that were made by intelligent homonids or by ourselves (homo sapiens) in the past not so long ago.
In what type of rock do most fossils appear?
Rarely a fossil may appear in metamorphic or igneous rock, but the vast majority of fossil evidence presents itself in sedimentary rock. Remains or evidences of life are often preserved by being covered in sediments before decaying or being consumed by predators. The sediments may turn to rock through the process of lithification over time, leaving a record of their presence.
Limestone - by far
No. It only means that it is difficult to use that geological column to date that particular fossil which has managed to survive subsequent erosion of successive layers. Trees are generally quite long and because of this they may often be stretched through several layers.
Where can you find pictures of Cheetah fossils?
The most widely-held view is that the Cheetah evolved in North America. Only a mutual evolutionary race would be likely to create the two fastest animals: the Cheetah and the Pronghorn.
However, there were once several quite distinct different types of Cheetah. The North American Cheetah was meant to be far more bulkily built to allow it to take down larger prey.
A Cheetah ancestry website clearly states that many scientists believe that Cheetahs belong to Africa. But studies show that Cheetahs actually originated in North America as Mirocinonyx - considered to be the common ancestors of Cheetahs and Pumas.'
Having said that, all Cheetah went through a bottleneck 10,000 years ago- which meant that all Cheetah are very closely related (many sources say as closely as identical twins).
The Cheetah is the most ancient of all the members of the cat family, originating approximately 4 million years ago. The oldest fossils suggest its earliest habitat to be in North America (the areas of Texas, Nevada, and Wyoming). Until 10,000 years ago (the end of the last Ice Age), Acinonyx jubatus was common throughout Asia, Africa, Europe and North America. Due to the devastating climatic changes, vast numbers of mammals (including the Cheetah) disappeared or became reduced to very small populations. Virtually all the Cheetah in North America and Europe perished, while most of those in Asia and Africa were drastically reduced. The resultant genetic "bottleneck" is responsible for today's surviving cheetahs being as genetically alike as identical twins. Some scientists have even theorized that the surviving African cheetahs may all come from one female that managed to survive the climatic changes.
Cheetahs are thought to have originated in Africa during the Miocene epoch (26 million to 7.5 million years ago), migrating to Asia shortly thereafter. This would have been during the same time period that gazelles evolved. True Cheetahs appeared in the form of Acinonyx pardinensis during the Pliocene epoch (7.5 to 3.75 million years ago) but were much larger (to 200 lb.) than living cheetahs. Their remains have been found in Europe, India and China. A more recent but slightly smaller Cheetah, Acinonyx intermedius, evolved during the mid-Pleistocene period (3.8 to 1.9 million years ago) and extended its range into China. Living Cheetahs, Acinonyx jubatus, became extinct in eastern Asia at the end of the Ice Age, giving way to other felid predators. In Africa, the earliest Cheetah fossil is from Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania and dates to the lower Pleistocene epoch.
During the late Pleistocene epoch of North America, 100,000 years ago, two species of Cheetah, Miracinonyx studeri and Miracinonyx trumani, existed. Both shared similar morphological features with living Cheetahs, including facial shortening and nasal expansion in order to facilitate the enlargement of respiratory passages to support oxygen uptake and distribution while running. Their presence on the American prairies is considered the primary reason living Pronghorn "antelope" are so fast, there being no living predator that can match them in speed. Yet another extinct Cheetah, Miracinonyx inexpectatus, from the early Pleistocene of North America (1 to 1.5 millions years BP) is thought to be closely related to the Puma. Its body proportions are intermediate between those of a Puma and those of living Cheetahs, Acinonyx. The lower limbs of this cat were not as elongated and the claws were fully retractable. Based on skeletal features, Miracinonyx inexpectatus is thought to have been faster- running than the Puma but stronger and better equipped for climbing than Acinonyx.
The link listed as 'Cheetah History' (below) shows one depiction.
This and the other link listed should help you get started in the right direction.
The ideas of descent with modification are based on fossils and the modern organisms he found basically says that genetic changes are inherited by later generations.
What type of organism would be most useful as an index fossil?
Those that have hard parts that fossilize, are plentiful, ubiquitous and evolve rapidly.
Which layer is most likely to contain fossils that resemble existing species?
new layer of the fossils
Why does marble rarely contain fossils?
This is because of the way that it is formed.
When you have a rock that is formed through metamorphisis then it has been created through heat and pressure acting on other rocks.
Fossils are inherently delicate things and therefore precious little would withstand the conditions that are required to create marble - and therefore marble hardly ever contains fossils as a direct result of this
IS fossils common noun or proper noun?
Common. A proper noun is the name of a specific person or thing, like a person's name.
Fish fossils are formed when a dead fish is buried in sediment that eventually hardens into rock. Over time, the organic material in the fish decays, leaving behind a cavity that gets filled in with minerals. These minerals create a cast of the fish's body, which becomes a fossil.
How would you explain a species that remains the same for millions of years?
This can happen by certain species already well adapted to their environment, such as certain fish and so on... OR. Species have had the perfect enviorment for them to live in!
AP BIOLOGY!
What animal would be more likely to leave fossil remains Explain?
Larger animals, such as dinosaurs or marine creatures like whales, are more likely to leave fossil remains due to their size and bone structure, which are more durable and easier to fossilize. Additionally, animals with hard parts, such as shells or teeth, have a higher chance of being preserved compared to those with softer bodies. Environmental factors, like rapid burial in sediment, also play a crucial role in fossilization, making habitats like river deltas or ocean floors more conducive to preserving remains.
Is a mark or shape in rock left by a plant or animal that lived iong ago?
The remains are known as a fossil.
What does the wavy line between layers A and Q represent?
The wavy line between layers A and Q typically represents a boundary or transition zone, indicating changes in material properties, composition, or geological conditions. In geological contexts, it may signify an unconformity, erosion, or sediment deposition events. This visual cue helps scientists interpret the history and age of the layers involved.
3 characteristics that are necessary to be considered a index fossils?
the parts are a match, but don't look the same . the background is not of poor record, and the traditional test methods are used
Would a tool made from an animal bone be a fossil or an artifact?
Artifact. It was made into a tool for use by man.
Did scavengers aid fossil formation?
No. Scavengers eat the bodies of dead animals, making it less likely that they will be fossilized.
