Fossil Teeth, Bones, and Tracks

In the picture

1. 1A sharp tooth in the fossil skull: it suggests a meat-eating diet.
2. 2A flat tooth in the fossil jaw: it suggests a plant-eating diet.
3. 3A footprint in the slab: it shows a step taken by an extinct animal.
4. 4A long fossil leg bone: it shows body size and how the animal stood.

Examples

• A lion’s sharp teeth are suited to tearing meat, while a cow’s flat teeth grind plants.
• Footprints in mud can show whether someone walked or ran.

Quiz: Fossil Teeth, Bones, and Tracks (Age 12)

1. 1

   A fossil skull contains a sharp tooth. What does this most likely suggest about the extinct animal?

   • It ate plants.
   • It ate meat.
   • It lived in groups.
2. 2

   What can a fossil footprint in a slab show paleontologists?

   • A step taken by an extinct animal.
   • The exact age of the extinct animal.
   • What the extinct animal ate.
3. 3

   What can paleontologists infer from a long fossil leg bone?

   • The animal’s body size and how it stood.
   • Whether the animal ate meat or plants.
   • How fast the animal could run.

The answers, each with its explanation, are in the app. This lesson has left the free week, so its quiz is part of the subscription.