Fossils Quiz

Fossils are how we know a lot of what we know about the prehistoric world. You've seen 'em in natural history museums... but how much do you know about them? Test your knowledge with this quiz.

If you want to become a fossil, what's the best place for your dead body to end up?

In a still pond.

In a prairie.

In a rainforest.

You chose: You chose:

In a still pond, ideally one where lots of sediment is likely to settle on you. Fossilization is not normal; most stuff that dies decomposes. You want to die somewhere where scavengers won't get you, and away from oxygen. A mudslide would also be great. Or a tar pit.

What is a coprolite?

Fossilized wood

Fossilized copper

Fossilized poop

You chose: You chose:

Fossilized poop. The Royal Saskatchewan Museum has a coprolite that is 17 inches long - it probably came from a Tyrannosaurus.

When preparators at the National Museum of Natural History are working on a big fossil, what do they use to support it?

A sandbox

A vise

An intern

You chose: You chose:

A sandbox, filled with sand made from crushed garnets. Most of these fossils spent most of their lives embedded in solid rock; they're really heavy and can't necessarily hold their own weight. The museum's vertebrate paleontology folks are in the process of making custom-fitted foam and plaster cases for the heavy bones.

True/false: Some dinosaur fossils have feathers.

True

False

You chose: You chose:

Yep! Fossils aren't just bone; sometimes, other tissues can be preserved, too. This is part of the reason why many paleontologists now believe that birds are descended from dinosaurs.

What are the oldest fossils?

Dinosaurs

Cyanobacteria

Tree ferns

You chose: You chose:

Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, left behind layered mats called stromatolites. The oldest are thought to be about 3.5 billion years old. That's way before plants and animals evolved.

True/false: All known fossils from the Jurassic period are of dinosaurs.

True

False

You chose: You chose:

Heck no. There's fossils of mammals, trees, bugs – even other reptiles, like pterosaurs and ichthyosaurs. When dinosaurs roamed the earth, a lot of other stuff roamed the earth, too.

What kind of rock are fossils mostly found in?

Sedimentary

Igneous

Metamorphic

You chose: You chose:

Sedimentary rock, which is formed by layers of material being deposited on the earth's surface. Igneous rock is formed by cooling magma. If rock was hot enough to be magma, it doesn't have any fossils left in it. Metamorphic rock, which has been deformed by squishing and heating, may still have squished fossils in it.

Where was the first fossil of Archaeopteryx, thought to be the earliest bird, found?

Germany

China

Kansas

You chose: You chose:

It was found in limestone in southern Germany — like all the other Archaeopteryx fossils.

Correct

1-3 correct: Hmm. Let's go back to basics. Start with the Dinosaur Quiz and then come back and try again!

Correct

4-6 correct: Not bad! Now, find out how much you know about Ancient Civilizations.

Correct

7-9 correct: Wow! You're a regular paleo-expert! Now find out how much you know about what we make out of fossils: Take the Fossil Fuels Quiz!

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