|
This site provides an extensive overview about many aspects of paleontology. Topics include what fossils are, types of fossils, and how they are formed. There are also tips on collecting and purchasing fossils and descriptions of some of the major fossil groups. Educational materials include a geologic time scale and clock of eras, lesson plans, and activities.
|
|
|
|
|
Choosing & Using this resource...
Related resources and collections
This resource is included in the following collections:
|
||||
|
This
article
describes
the
occurrence
and
habits
of
Mesosaurus,
a
small
marine
reptile
that
lived
during
the
late
Carboniferous
and
early
Permian
periods,
as
seen
at
a
site
in
Namibia.
Topics
include
the
distribution
of
Mesosaurus
fossils
in
both
African
and
South
American
rock
formations
(evidence
of
continental
drift),
the
shallow
sea
habitats
in
which
Mesosuarus
existed
280
to
320
million
years
...
|
|
|
|
|
Choosing & Using this resource...
Examples of use
Read (1)
Related resources and collections
This resource is included in the following collections:
|
||||||
|
This text and accompanying video provide an overview of how fossils are formed and preserved. A video clip from the NOVA television program, 'In Search of Human Origins', shows how the famous early hominid 'Lucy' might have died and been fossiliized, and points out the rare set of circumstances that must occur for an organism to be fossilized. Questions for discussion are included.
|
|
|
|
|
Choosing & Using this resource...
Related resources and collections
This resource is part of :
Teacher's Domain: Fun with Fossils -
http:/
This resource is included in the following collections:
|
||||
|
The
word
fossil,
derived
from
a
Latin
word
meaning
'something
dug
up',
refers
to
the
preserved
remains
or
traces
of
ancient
life.
Careful
study
of
these
remains
can
answer
questions
about
life
and
evolution,
and
provide
information
about
the
history
of
Earth
itself;
for
example,
revealing
that
a
tropical
sea
was
present
where
only
a
desert
exists
today.
This
interactive
feature
explores
the
kinds
...
|
|
|
|
|
Choosing & Using this resource...
Related resources and collections
This resource is included in the following collections:
|
||||
|
This
spreadsheet
application
allows
users
to
make
graphs
of
the
diversity
and
stratigraphic
ranges
of
Phanerozoic
marine
animals.
FossilPlot
uses
the
compendium
of
marine
animal
genera
compiled
by
J.J.
Sepkoski
and
his
associates
at
the
University
of
Chicago,
from
'A
compendium
of
fossil
marine
animal
genera',
found
in
Bulletins
of
American
Paleontology,
v.
363,
p.
1-560.
The
application
operates
...
|
|
|
|
|
Choosing & Using this resource...
Related resources and collections
This resource is included in the following collections:
|
||||
|
This slide show presents images of dinosaur bones and shows paleotologists at work excavating and preserving these fossils, the best evidence remaining of these long-lost creatures. A background essay and discussion questons are included.
|
|
|
|
|
Choosing & Using this resource...
Educational standards associated with this resource:
National Science Education Standards (NSES): Read
Related resources and collections
This resource is included in the following collections:
|
||||
|
Paleontologists
seldom
have
the
good
fortune
to
find
a
complete
set
of
remains
of
an
ancient
organism
that
is
wholly
intact.
For
instance,
the
discovery
of
a
frozen
woolly
mammoth
carcass,
preserved
hair
and
all,
was
a
truly
rare
event.
More
common
are
discoveries
of
incomplete
remains,
such
as
bones,
teeth,
or
hair,
and
trace
fossils,
such
as
footprints
or
leaf
impressions,
which
indicate
an
organism
...
|
|
|
|
|
Choosing & Using this resource...
Educational standards associated with this resource:
National Science Education Standards (NSES): Read
Related resources and collections
This resource is included in the following collections:
|
||||
|
Paleontologists
have
been
remarkably
successful
in
determining
what
earlier
life
forms
looked
like,
as
well
as
how
they
probably
behaved
when
alive.
This
interactive
feature
illustrates
a
slab
of
rock
containing
fossils
of
several
types
of
creatures
that
once
inhabited
the
Borden
Sea,
over
300
million
years
ago
in
what
is
now
central
Indiana.
Clicking
on
highlighted
fossils
accesses
animations
of
...
|
|
|
|
|
Choosing & Using this resource...
Educational standards associated with this resource:
National Science Education Standards (NSES): Read
Related resources and collections
This resource is included in the following collections:
|
||||
|
This
collection
is
intended
to
provide
scientific
resources
and
information
to
help
students
explore
paleontology
and
learn
about
research
in
the
field
of
paleontology.
It
features
a
module
that
explores
a
variety
of
current
topics
in
paleontology,
including
morphology,
histology
(the
study
of
biological
tissues),
taphonomy
(the
study
of
preservation),
and
ichnology
(the
study
of
tracks
and
traces).
...
|
|
|
|
|
Choosing & Using this resource...
Related resources and collections
This resource is part of :
This resource is included in the following collections:
|
||||
|
In
this
classroom
activity
young
students
explore
the
meanings
behind
dinosaurs'
names.
It
opens
with
background
information
for
teachers
about
the
Greek
and
Latin
roots
of
dinosaur
names.
After
discussing
what
they
know
about
dinosaurs,
students
learn
that
dinosaur
names
can
describe
what
the
dinosaur
looked
like,
how
it
might
have
acted,
or
where
it
was
found.
Working
as
a
class,
students
use
a
...
|
|
|
|
|
Choosing & Using this resource...
Educational standards associated with this resource:
National Science Education Standards (NSES): Read
Related resources and collections
This resource is included in the following collections:
|
||||
