Name:_____________________ Class:_____________________
Directions: As you navigate through Getting Into the Fossil Record, keep your eyes open for answers to the following questions. Hint: The questions are in order of appearance.
1. Name five kinds of trace fossils.
2. Find the walnut. How did it become a fossil?
3. What happened to the mammoth?
4. Why are the mouse and the jellyfish being compared?
5. Why is it difficult for an organism living in the rainforest to become a fossil?
6. What are two reasons why many organisms never become part of the fossil record?
7. What are two ways that geologic processes can destroy a fossil?
8. Why isn't igneous rock a good place to look for fossils?
9. Find the map of Montana. What are two things to keep in mind when you are looking for a fossil like T. rex? What do the colors and letters represent?
BONUS: You are a paleontologist at a fossil dig site in the Gobi Desert. You find a site filled with many fossilized leaves, teeth, bones, eggs and even footprints from a variety of creatures. BUT you find no trace of insects. One possible explanation is that no insects lived in the Gobi at that time. What is another possible explanation for the lack of insects?