Paleontologists can also estimate dinosaur gait and speed from some footprint track ways. If the footprints are close together, this might show they were running. If the footprints are spaced farther apart, the dinosaurs may have been walking.
- What can fossilized footprints tell us?
- What can a fossil tell a paleontologist?
- What kind of information can you gain by studying trace fossils?
- What type of fossil Do footprints represent?
- What can you tell from a footprint?
- How would a footprint become a fossil?
- What do paleontologist do?
- What are the fossils discuss the importance of paleontology?
- How do scientists know that the footprints they found came from dinosaurs?
What can fossilized footprints tell us?
Fossil tracks can tell us many things. They can tell us how animals moved, what shape and how big their feet were, and the length of their steps. Some tracks can also provide clues about animal behavior, such as where they looked for food or whether they congregated in groups.
What can a fossil tell a paleontologist?
Paleontologists use fossil remains to understand different aspects of extinct and living organisms. Individual fossils may contain information about an organism's life and environment. Much like the rings of a tree, for example, each ring on the surface of an oyster shell denotes one year of its life.
What kind of information can you gain by studying trace fossils?
By studying the fossil record we can tell how long life has existed on Earth, and how different plants and animals are related to each other. Often we can work out how and where they lived, and use this information to find out about ancient environments.
What type of fossil Do footprints represent?
Trace fossils include footprints, trails, burrows, feeding marks, and resting marks. Trace fossils provide information about the organism that is not revealed by body fossils. Trace fossils are formed when an organism makes a mark in mud or sand.
What can you tell from a footprint?
This is because footprints are a record of the living, moving animal, while the skeleton is simply the remains of its dead body. The footprints of any animal can tell you a number of things about it, such as its size, and how it stood, ran, or walked.
How would a footprint become a fossil?
Once it is dry, it is more resistant to the effects of wind or water. Eventually, a new layer of sediment buries the hardened mud or sand, preserving the footprints. As the sediment becomes compacted and cemented together to form rock, the footprints become fossilized.
What do paleontologist do?
Paleontologists study the record of life on Earth left as fossils. More than 99 percent of all species that have ever lived are extinct, so paleontologists will not run out of work any time soon.
What are the fossils discuss the importance of paleontology?
Paleontological resources, or fossils, are any evidence of past life preserved in geologic context. They are a tangible connection to life, landscapes, and climates of the past. They show us how life, landscapes, and climate have changed over time and how living things responded to those changes.
How do scientists know that the footprints they found came from dinosaurs?
Paleontologists can also estimate dinosaur gait and speed from some footprint track ways. If the footprints are close together, this might show they were running. If the footprints are spaced farther apart, the dinosaurs may have been walking.