Devonian Example Ordovician Example Triassic Examples

LOCATIONLOCATION AND INTRODUCTION Poplar leaf Use the following slides and readings to draw and answer the questions in your packet like we did for the first few in class

2 This is a deciduous tree leaf. Today deciduous trees have leaves that turn color in the autumn and fall off the tree. This means there must have been a tree, similar to an aspen tree, in the ancient environment. 3 Modern Aspen trees grow in temperate forests and mountains. So the paleoenvironment may have been a forest of some sort. FOSSIL INFORMATION SLIDE 1

2 This is a downy bird feather. Feathers like these can come from any type of bird. Since birds live in 3 all types of environments it is difficult to determine what kind of bird or what kind of environment. So the paleoenvironment could have been 3 any kind of environment. FOSSIL INFORMATION SLIDE 2

Pretty obvious. This 2 crocodile fossil is about 12 feet long. Crocodiles today live in 3 fresh water marshes or salt water marshes in tropical and subtropical environments. FOSSIL INFORMATION SLIDE 3

This is a fossil 2 bat. Based on the teeth he was an 2 herbivore. Bats today live in 3 many kinds of environments. They live in temperate areas that can be very cold or very warm depending on the time of the year. Some bats also live in tropical areas that are warm all year long. FOSSIL INFORMATION SLIDE 4

These are fossils of 2 bird tracks. The tracks look webbed and could have been made by any of many different shore birds. Many types of ducks have webbed feet. These tracks are about 1 in long so they are a medium size for a duck. Tracks like these today are usually made in 3 muddy marshes or shorelines. The sediments need to be wet enough to let the feet make an imprint that stays for a while before they are buried. FOSSIL INFORMATION SLIDE 5

This is a fossil of an organism that is related to sharks. Can you guess what it is???? A 2 stingray. Most stingrays today live in 3 warm ocean (salt) water. There are some freshwater stingrays, but they are very rare. FOSSIL INFORMATION SLIDE 6

Another obvious one. This is a 2 turtle fossil and is about 2 feet across. Modern turtles live in many different habitats. 3 Larger turtles tend to live in subtropical or tropical environments. 3 Smaller turtles tend to live in temperate areas that are warm in the summer and cold during winter. In temperate areas turtles need to hibernate. FOSSIL INFORMATION SLIDE 7

This is a fossil of an 2 Alligator Gar. Alligator Gar get their name from their snout and teeth which resemble an alligator. It is a type of fish that is still alive today. This guy (or girl????) is about 4 feet long and is not considered very big. 3 Alligator Gar that live today tend to live in large fresh water rivers in warm regions (tropical or subtropical). FOSSIL INFORMATION SLIDE 8

This is a fossil of a 2 palm tree frond. 3 Palm trees, today thrive in tropical to subtropical regions. They can be short (a few feet) to 60 feet tall. There is some extra information on this sample. What else does this sample tell you about the paleoenvironment? FOSSIL INFORMATION SLIDE 9

Now that you have explored these fossils from the Green River Formation what do you think the paleoenvironment was when all these organisms were alive at the same time? You can write or draw. Use the rubric as a guide PALEOENVIRONMENTAL INTERPRETATION