NATURAL SCIENCES & TECHNOLOGY GRADE 5 Planet Earth and Beyond: Types of Fossils NATURAL SCIENCES GRADE 5

NATURAL SCIENCES GRADE 5 Types of Fossils There are two main types of fossils: Body fossils Formed from the hard parts of plant and animals e.g. teeth, bones, shells, stems, leaves and seeds. Trace fossils Fossils formed from traces (or clues) left by animals e.g. footprints, nests, eggs and droppings. There are two main types of fossils: A) Body fossils • Formed from the hard parts of plant and animals e.g. teeth, bones, shells, stems, leaves and seeds. B) Trace fossils • Fossils formed from traces (or clues) left by animals e.g. footprints, nests, eggs and droppings. NATURAL SCIENCES GRADE 5

NATURAL SCIENCES GRADE 5 Body Fossils 1. Teeth and bones A bit of broken tooth can be found within another animal’s bones Teeth help us to see whether the extinct animal was a carnivore or a herbivore Bones help us to determine the size and the shape of the animal Scientists use the bones to reconstruct (put back together) extinct animals NATURAL SCIENCES GRADE 5

NATURAL SCIENCES GRADE 5 Body Fossils Let’s watch this video to find out how scientists use fossils to recreate dinosaurs! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awUiKgjtlCs&feature=player_embedded NATURAL SCIENCES GRADE 5

NATURAL SCIENCES GRADE 5 Body Fossils 2. Shells Most commonly found fossils Because they are naturally hard, they fossilise easily Almost always found in sedimentary rock Shells are the most commonly found fossils. Because they are naturally hard to begin with, they fossilise easily. Shells are almost always found in sedimentary rock. NATURAL SCIENCES GRADE 5

NATURAL SCIENCES GRADE 5 Body Fossils 3. Stems, leaves and seeds Stems and seeds can be petrified. Petrified means “turned to stone” Stems and seeds can be petrified. Petrified is the process of how organic matter is turned into stone. NATURAL SCIENCES GRADE 5

NATURAL SCIENCES GRADE 5 Body Fossils The softer parts, like the leaves, are trapped between sedimentary layers or in resin Resin is a sticky substance that plants produce The softer parts, like the leaves, are trapped between sedimentary layers, or in resin. Resin is a sticky substance that plants produce. This becomes hard and forms amber. NATURAL SCIENCES GRADE 5

NATURAL SCIENCES GRADE 5 Body Fossils Resin becomes hard and forms amber The same can happen to animals. Whole animals are captured for us to study The resin becomes hard and forms amber. The same can happen to animals. Whole animals are captures for us to study. Unpolished amber stones NATURAL SCIENCES GRADE 5

NATURAL SCIENCES GRADE 5 Trace Fossils 1. Footprints Fossil footprints are signs that organisms once lived on our planet Difficult to identify the type of animal • Footprints • Fossil footprints are signs that organisms were once alive and lived on our planet. • It is very difficult to identify the type of animal that made the footprint. • NATURAL SCIENCES GRADE 5

NATURAL SCIENCES GRADE 5 Trace Fossils Fossil footprints give us information about: The speed of the animal Length of stride Whether the animal walked on two or four legs The bone structure of the foot This 1.5-million-year-old fossil footprint, showing an upright stride, was discovered at a site in Kenya NATURAL SCIENCES GRADE 5

NATURAL SCIENCES GRADE 5 Trace Fossils 2. Eggs Many fossilised eggs have been found They often contain parts of an embryo An embryo is an organism in its very early stages of development, before you can recognise it The picture shows a fossilised nest of dinosaur eggs. NATURAL SCIENCES GRADE 5

NATURAL SCIENCES GRADE 5 Trace Fossils We can then match an egg with an animal species The inside is not preserved during fossilization (apart from some rare dinosaur babies). However, there are some clues to what the inside of the eggs looked like. NATURAL SCIENCES GRADE 5

NATURAL SCIENCES GRADE 5 Trace Fossils 3. Nests Nests can be made from clay, sticks, grass and leaves The nests and the eggs found can tell us a lot about animals like dinosaurs Nests Nests can be made from clay, sticks, grass and leaves. The nests and the eggs found can tell us a lot about animals like dinosaurs NATURAL SCIENCES GRADE 5

NATURAL SCIENCES GRADE 5 Trace Fossils 4. Droppings Fossilised droppings can be studied It can be taken apart to study the different parts that it is made up of It can tell us what type of food the animal ate 4. Droppings Fossilised droppings can be studied It can be taken apart to study the different parts that it is made up of. It can tell us what type of food the animal ate. Hyena droppings NATURAL SCIENCES GRADE 5

NATURAL SCIENCES GRADE 5 Acknowledgements Image: http://pterodata.blogspot.com/2010_03_01_archive.html Image: http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Strangest-Cambrian-Creatures-Ever-Discovered#slide7738093 Image: www.statesymbolsusa.org Image: www.rockrollers.com Image: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amber Image: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trace_fossil Image: www.gemologyonline.com Image: www.en.citizendium.org Image: http://www.mylearning.org/cave-hunter/images/1-4218/ www.thunderboltkids.com http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awUiKgjtlCs&feature=player_embedded CAPS Natural Sciences and Technology Grade 5 Barnard T, Bevan W, Collett H, McKay R, Turley C. 2013. Oxford Successful Natural Science Grade 5 Leaner’s Book. Cape Town: Oxford University Press NATURAL SCIENCES GRADE 5