Fossils

A fossil as the remains of, or mark left by, an animal or plant from the past which has been preserved in the Earth’s crust. The fossil record is the main source of information about the history of life on Earth used in this website.

Most fossils were preserved in water because remains on land are easily destroyed. Anaerobic conditions in water are especially good at preserving fine details because nothing but anaerobic bacteria is present to destroy them.

The study of the fossil record is called paleontology.