They move at a very slow rate – usually measured in millions of years – and continents are either torn apart or collide together to form very large single continents. Fossils of the same genus/species suggest that contents that were once together, must have been together in the geological past .
Why are fossils of the same organism found on different continents?
They move at a very slow rate – usually measured in millions of years – and continents are either torn apart or collide together to form very large single continents. Fossils of the same genus/species suggest that contents that were once together, must have been together in the geological past .
Which statement best explains how fossils evidence of the same species can be found on multiple continents today?
Which statement explains how fossils of the same species can be found on different continents? Plate tectonics moved species on land masses that were once connected. You just studied 90 terms!
Why do scientist think the fossil came from the same species that is living today?
Fossils are important evidence for evolution because they show that life on earth was once different from life found on earth today . ... Paleontologists can determine the age of fossils using methods like radiometric dating and categorize them to determine the evolutionary relationships between organisms.
How do scientists explain the existence of fossils of the same plants and animals on continents?
Fossils from many millions of years ago also show that one big continent had once existed and then broken apart. ... Scientists have noticed that similar plants and animals have left fossils on land masses separated by large oceans . Exactly the same animal or plant can't have evolved on different continents.
What is the distribution of fossils on different continents?
Fossils are found in Australia, South Africa,South America, India and Antarctica. When the continents of the southern hemisphere are re-assembled into the single land mass of Gondwanaland, the distribution of these four fossil types form linear and continuous patterns of distribution across continental boundaries.
Is the presence of animal fossils tells that South America?
Answer: Yes , because these fossils indicated the former connections of the continents before which was called Gondwana in the Triassic Period, 200 million years ago.
Which is evidence of a supercontinent?
When looking for evidence of past supercontinents, geologists love grains of zircon , a durable mineral that forms from melted rocks at high temperatures. “Zircons are so robust that they survive most geologic events,” said Liu.
What could explain how the same fossils are found across an ocean?
The only way these fossils can be found on continents that are separated by oceans is if the continents were once together (connected) . ... Therefore, these creatures must have lived on a giant continent that later broke apart, and the pieces drifted away from each other.
What kinds of evidence can be used to show that a supercontinent once existed?
Wegner's Evidence for Continental Drift
Evidence from fossilized organisms and mountain chains can be used to reconstruct the positions of today's continents and landmasses to form the supercontinent Pangea. Glossopteris ferns had very heavy seeds that could not move by wind or drift on ocean currents.
What are the 5 evidences of evolution?
There are five lines of evidence that support evolution: the fossil record, biogeography, comparative anatomy, comparative embryology, and molecular biology .
What are the 6 evidences of evolution?
- Anatomy. Species may share similar physical features because the feature was present in a common ancestor (homologous structures).
- Molecular biology. DNA and the genetic code reflect the shared ancestry of life. ...
- Biogeography. ...
- Fossils. ...
- Direct observation.
What can't fossils tell us?
This evidence reveals what our planet was like long ago. Fossils also show how animals changed over time and how they are related to one another. Fossils can ‘t tell us everything . While fossils reveal what ancient living things looked like, they keep us guessing about their color, sounds, and most of their behavior.
What is the name of a person who studies fossils?
Paleontologists use fossil remains to understand different aspects of extinct and living organisms. Individual fossils may contain information about an organism's life and environment.
Why are fossils important to Earth's history?
Fossils are physical evidence of preexisting organisms , either plant or animal. ... Fossils of any kind are useful in “reading the rock record,” meaning they help us decipher the history of the earth. They can help us determine the geologic age and environment (the paleoenvironment) in which they were deposited.
What's the study of fossils?
Paleontology is the study of ancient life, from dinosaurs to prehistoric plants, mammals, fish, insects, fungi, and even microbes. Fossil evidence reveals how organisms changed over time and what our planet was like long ago.
