Go through the list and ask the class what we would know about the horse if horses were extinct and all we had were fossilized bones and teeth of horses. The list of facts on the horse might include, but not be limited to: large size, fast runner, eats grass, has grinding teeth, has long hair for a mane and tail, whinnies, is intelligent, is sociable with other horses, makes a good pet.Ģ) What would we know if this animal was extinct ? Refer to the diagram ( Figure 1) and point out an important generalization of fossilization: most of the time, only the hard parts (bones and teeth) are preserved as fossils. The skeleton of a horse is used here, but there are many other possibilities (e.g., cow, dog, cat, sheep). ![]() This exercise is designed to get children to think about the quality of information that comes from the fossil record.ġ) List facts about a living animal. Bones and teeth are not always preserved together. These characteristics would usually be unknown in the fossil state, because most of the time only bones and teeth are preserved (there are exceptional cases where soft parts are preserved). Much of what we consider important about our own biology is in the soft tissues, such as skin, hair, and internal organs. Think, for example, of a vertebrate (such as ourselves). Much information is lost in the fossilization process. ![]() We could assume that they are from different animals when, in fact, they came from the same one. A fossil toe bone might be found at one place and a fossil rib at another location. The different parts can be transported by currents to different locations and be preserved separately. For example, plants and vertebrates (animals with bones) are made up of different parts that can separate after death. This also applies to the various parts of organisms. Some organisms, however, have better chances than others because of the composition of their skeletons or where they lived. The chances of a given individual being preserved in the fossil record are very small. ( Figures 1 and 2)ĭiscussion: Fossilization is a rare event. Materials: Drawings of horse and Stegosaurus skeletons. It may not be possible to know some details of what an ancient animal or plant was like because many parts of the anatomy may not become fossils. Objective: After completing these exercises students will be able to: evaluate the importance of fossils to our knowledge of past life identify conditions necessary for fossilization construct a possible scenario for formation of fossils understand how organisms are adapted to their environments and understand the relationships of modern and ancient communities with their environments (i.e., ecology and paleoecology).ĪCTIVITY I: FOSSILIZATION Message: Not all parts of animals become fossilized. They will also begin to think about how rare an event fossilization is. These exercises introduce the concept that fossils are remains or traces of ancient living things. By thinking about and participating in some simulated sedimentary processes, children will be able to remove much of the mystery behind fossils and fossilization. ![]() OVERVIEWHow does a living thing become a fossil? The mysterious processes by which evidence of past life is preserved are explored in these exercises. Marsha Fagnant, Fossil Butte National Monument, P.O. For more information on this curriculum guide distributed though the National Park Service, please contact Ms. H., 1994, Teaching Paleontology in the National Parks and Monuments: A curriculum guide for teachers of the second and third grade levels: National Park Service, Fossil Butte National Monument, Kemmerer, WY 103 p.). The following activities are modified from that guide (Leite, M. BREITHAUPT INTRODUCTIONAS THE concepts of time, past life, and fossils are often difficult for children to comprehend and as many of the National Parks and Monuments have important paleontological resources, Fossil Butte National Monument developed a fossil education curriculum guide designed to aid teachers presenting these principles to students in the second and third grades. ![]() FOSSILIZATION AND ADAPTATION FOSSILIZATION AND ADAPTATION:ĪCTIVITIES IN PALEONTOLOGY BRENT H.
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