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A fossil is a remnant or trace of an organism of a past geologic age, such as a skeleton or leaf imprint, embedded and preserved in the earth's crust. == ==

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Is a fossil living or nonliving?

All fossils are non-living. However, they are always created by living things. Fossils are either a form of preserved remains of a living thing from at least hundreds of thousands of years ago (otherwise they are simply remains), or they are the remnants of signs of a living thing from an equally long period ago (footprints, imprints, fossilized dung, etc).


What are preserved remains of a living thing called?

Preserved remains of a living thing are called fossils. Fossils can be bones, shells, imprints, or traces of ancient organisms that have been preserved in rocks. They provide valuable information about past life forms and environments.


Why animals are called as living fossils?

There is no such thing as a "living fossil". The Coelacanth was thought to have been extinct since the time dinosaurs disappeared until the first live specimen was found in 1938. Just because fossils of an organism have not been found for a long time doesn't mean they're not alive somewhere. The case shows two things, it is rare for any animal or plant to fossilize and how little we still know about the deep oceans.


If a paleontologist finds a fossil of an unknown insect how can he or she classify the fossil and what will he compare it to?

The insect fossil would be examined for revelations about it's physical attributes and compared to other identified fossil and living insets. If the insect is unknown, it would be classified as a new species.


The number and location of bones of many fossil vertebrates are similar to those in living vertebrates Most biologists would probably explain this fact on the basis of a the needs of the organisms?

No, b) a common ancestor.