Identifies and compares similarities and differences in fossils. Compares fossils to modern organisms. Fossils are the remains or traces of ancient life which have been preserved by natural causes in the Earth's crust. Paleontology is the science that studies fossils. Most organisms that lived in the past left no record of their existence.
Fossil preservation is a rare occurrence.
Be buried by sediment . Burial protects the organism from decay. Escape physical, chemical, and biological destruction after burial . Organisms do not all have an equal chance of being preserved. The organism must live in a suitable environment.