Fossil Outcome

Introduction
Fossils are a valuable resource that tell us about how different plants and organisms lived in the
past. Fossils were once hard parts of an organism, such as bones and shell but over time these have
become preserved in rock, soil or amber. Due to this there are different types of fossils preserved in
a variety of ways. Fossils can show us more than just what an organism looked like, they also hold
clues as to where an organism lived, how long ago they lived and under what conditions. Fossils can
further show the evolution of certain organisms by tracing their lineage back in time and looking
common features such as bone structure.
One example of a fossil that can be used to show evolution is the skull. Skull remains are one of the
most descriptive parts of an individuals skeleton and can give clues as to the age, sex, size, ethnicity,
and occasionally socio-economic status of an individual. In studying human evolution, skulls can
show many subtle differences between species, and gradual changes from apelike early human
ancestors to more modern looking human species.
Please be very careful in handling the skulls. They can be broken if you are not careful, even when
turning them over on the lab tables. Many of the teeth are fragile, and will not tolerate being
bumped by the edges of lab tables, so handle them over a towel, or on graph paper.

Aim
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

Materials
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

Skulls
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.

Homo sapiens
Homo erectus
Homo neadnerthalensis
Australopithecus boisei
Australopithecus afarensis
Chimpanzee
Gorilla

Note All these skull fossils are half size replicas (2:1 ratio). Remember to take this into
consideration when taking measurements or completing any calculations.

Method
The room will be setup into a series of stations, at each station you will have to complete a set task.
After completing the task, you will be required to fill in the appropriate part of the results section.
After completing all stations, you will need to answer the questions in the discussion section and
complete a formal conclusion.

Making a Fossil

Using the equipment provided, produce a fossil sample of one of the objects
After completing your fossil, compile a formal prac write up explaining the Aim, Equipment
Used and Method

__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

Results

Gorilla

Chimpanzee

Australopithecus
boisei

Homo
neadnerthalensis

Homo erectus

Homo sapiens

Australopithecus
afarensis

1. Examining & Measuring skulls. Choose two skulls and take measurements of the following.

Cranial







Length

Cranial







Breadth

Facial







Breadth

Number







of Teeth

2. After examining two skulls. List and describe any of the observable differences between the
two skulls.
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

3. After your fossil has dried, glue or tape it below and label the fossil.

Discussion
1. List and describe two types of fossils.
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
2. How are fossils formed?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
3. Explain the two main ways of dating fossils?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
4. What do fossil records tell us about life in the past?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

5. What conclusions can we draw about the differences between the skulls examined?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

6. Using the provided images, place these in order of fossil formation and glue into the spaces
provided below. Under each image, write a description of the process occurring.

1._____________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________

2._______________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________

3._____________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________

4._______________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________