Fossils and Extinction

• when are fossils formed

  when decay of a species cannot occur
• how does a fossil form

  1. When an animal dies, soft parts of its body decay, leaving behind the harder parts
  2. The harder parts become buried by sediment
  3. More sediment builds on top and the sediment around the skeleton begins to compact and turn into rock
• what is extinction

  a permanent loss of a species from the earth
• how do species become extinct

  natural disasters, human activity, changes in climate and disease
• how do scientists study extinction

  by analysing the fossil record and patterns of extinction
• how can extinction be prevented

  preserving natural habitats of endangered species, reducing pollution and regulating harmful human activities