Natural Sciences and Technology Grade 5 Term 4: Planet Earth and Beyond Fossils (PPT 2)

Topic 4 Fossils Types of fossils Gr 5 Natural Sciences and Technology – Term 4, Topic 4

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. Gr 5 Natural Sciences and Technology – Term 4, Topic 4

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. Gr 5 Natural Sciences and Technology – Term 4, Topic 4

Body fossils Teeth and bones Gr 5 Natural Sciences and Technology – Term 4, Topic 4

Body fossils 2. Shells Most commonly found fossils. Because they are naturally hard, they fossilise easily. Almost always found in sedimentary rock. Gr 5 Natural Sciences and Technology – Term 4, Topic 4

Body fossils Shells Gr 5 Natural Sciences and Technology – Term 4, Topic 4

Body fossils 3. Stems, leaves and seeds Most commonly found fossils. Because they are naturally hard, they fossilise easily. Almost always found in sedimentary rock. 3. Stems, leaves and seeds Gr 5 Natural Sciences and Technology – Term 4, Topic 4

Body fossils 3. Stems, leaves and seeds The softer parts, like the leaves, are trapped between sedimentary layers or in resin. Resin is a sticky substance that plants produce. Resin becomes hard and forms amber. Gr 5 Natural Sciences and Technology – Term 4, Topic 4

Body fossils 3. Stems, leaves and seeds The same can happen to animals. Whole animals are captured for us to study. Gr 5 Natural Sciences and Technology – Term 4, Topic 4

Trace fossils Footprints Fossil footprints are signs that organisms once lived on our planet. Difficult to identify the type of animal. Gr 5 Natural Sciences and Technology – Term 4, Topic 4

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. Gr 5 Natural Sciences and Technology – Term 4, Topic 4

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. Gr 5 Natural Sciences and Technology – Term 4, Topic 4

We can then match an egg with an animal species. Trace fossils We can then match an egg with an animal species. Gr 5 Natural Sciences and Technology – Term 4, Topic 4

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. Gr 5 Natural Sciences and Technology – Term 4, Topic 4

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. Gr 5 Natural Sciences and Technology – Term 4, Topic 4