Paleontologists understand that there are many reasons why the fossils they find represent only a partial picture of life in the past.

CLICK on the pictures to learn what these factors are.

Let’s review what it takes to get into the fossil record . . .

Of those that remain, only a few will resist destruction long enough to become fossils.

Only some of the remains of organisms that die resist destruction from environmental and biological factors.

Organisms live and die in different environments.

Some fossils will be destroyed by Earth’s forces, leaving even less evidence of life in the past.

Of those fossils that do exist, only some will be found and studied.