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Grade 5 Technology Term 3,4 > Fossils > Flashcards

Flashcards in Fossils Deck (22)
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1
Q

Why are fossils important

A

Fossils are a record of the history of life on earth

2
Q

What are fossils

A

They are the remains of ancient plants and animals preserved in rock

3
Q

How are fossils formed?

A

When an animal or plant does it falls to the ground. The body is covered by a layer of sediment. More layers form over time. The layers of sediment become heavy and are squashed to become sedimentary rocks

4
Q

What forms body fossils

A

The hard parts of plants animals, including teeth, bones,shells,stems and leaves

5
Q

What do we learn from fossilised teeth?

A

Whether the animal was a herbivore or carnivore

6
Q

What do learn from fossilised bones?

A

Bones help scientists to reconstruct the shape and size of the animal, and a model is created

7
Q

What fossils are commonly found?

A

Shells. They are almost always found in the sedimentary rocks

8
Q

What does petrified mean

A

Organic matter turns to stone

9
Q

How are plants fossilised?

A

The stems and seeds are petrified, and the softer parts like leaves are trapped in the rock layers or in resin. The resin becomes hard and forms Amber

10
Q

Give 4 examples of trace fossils

A

Footprints
Eggs
Nests
Droppings

11
Q

What do footprint fossils tell us?

A

They give information about the speed, length of stride, the bone structure of the foot, and whether the animal walked on 2 or 4 legs

12
Q

What do fossil eggs tell us?

A

Eggs contain parts of an embryo, which helps scientists to match the egg with a species

13
Q

What do fossil nests tell us?

A

They tell us about the nurturing behaviour of the animal

14
Q

What do fossilised droppings tell us?

A

What the animal ate

15
Q

Complete:
The .…… structures of many animals are found in ……
These fossils are .…… to many of the bones of …… animals

A

Skeleton
Fossils
Similar
Modern

16
Q

What is the coelacanth

A

A type of lung fish. It was thought to have died millions of years ago but in 1938 a live fish was found off the coast of South Africa

17
Q

What is the massospondylus?

A

A dinosaur found in Africa

18
Q

Where is the cradle of humankind?

A

In sterkfontein near Johannesburg

19
Q

Why is the cradle of humankind important?

A

Important humankind fossils have been found here

20
Q

What was found at the cradle of humankind in 2010?

A

The remains of 2 hominids that lived nearly 2 million years ago

21
Q

When was mrs ples found?

A

1947

22
Q

What is tuang child

A

A fossil skull discovered in 1924