What is a Steinkern?
Lab 3 Worksheet Fossils Spring 2018
Name ______ (-2 points if missing)
Date _______
Use your lab book, lab and lecture PowerPoints, and internet as needed to answer all questions in each of the 2 parts. Please explain everything in your own words. Some digital images will be required for submission.
Part 1 Fossils and Preservation
1. Choose one type of trace fossil. Describe what it is, what we can know about it.
a.
2. Describe how a mold is formed.
a.
3. What is a steinkern?
a.
4. Outline the taxonomic hierarchy of humans.
a. Phylum:
b. Class:
c. Order:
d. Family:
e. Genus:
f. Species:
5. What are the two common groups in phylum Cnideria? (common names, not scientific names)
a.
b.
6. How are bryozoan different from corals?
a.
7. To which phylum do sponges belong?
a.
8. What is a gastrolith?
a.
9. Which two parts of the taxonomic classification are used in the binomial system?
a.
b.
Part 2 Evidence of Evolution
1. The stratigraphic positions of the ammonoids, as represented by their sutures, have intentionally been rearranged. By studying the ontogeny of Perrinities (Fig 9.1), rearrange the sutures in figure 9.2 into proper stratigraphic order, based on the biogenetic law
a.
2. Various bones are identified on the skeleton of a human in Figure 9.4. Homologize as many of these bones as possible on Dimetrodon (Fig 9.3). (You must take a digital image and paste it into this document.
3. Color each of the homologous bones of the front limb of the mammals, reptiles, and birds in figure 9.5. You may choose any color for each bone, but use the same color for the same bone in each diagram. Color the scapula, humerus, radius, ulna, metacarpals, and phalanges. You must take a digital image and paste it into this document.
Sample Solution
What is a Steinkern?
Fossils provide remarkable glimpses into the history of life on earth. Trace fossils give glimpses into how animals behaved and what their activities were like, including what they ate. Gastroliths is an example of a type of trace fossil. Gastroliths translates to “stomach stones” and are found in the stomachs or gizzards of birds, many reptiles and some mammals. In birds, the stones help grind up the bird`s food. In crocodiles, the stones may help grind up or break down food. In seals and whales, the stones may be a side effect of their eating habits, swallowed accidentally. Similar interpretations have been applied when gastroliths are found within the rib cages of fossilized dinosaurs.
