Scientists reconstructed the fossil found in the Badlands of South Dakota, creating a complete skeleton shown in Figure 2. They used different strategies to figure out what kind of organism the fossil might belong to.

Question

Instructions: Use the table below to decide if each strategy would be helpful (and realistic) for understanding what the organism is.

(1 point)
Helpful NOT Helpful
Patterns from other fossils

Common body structures

Photographs of ancient organisms

Comparing to modern day organisms

How scattered the fossils were

Answer 1

Here’s a breakdown of the strategies listed in the table and whether they would be helpful or not helpful in understanding what the organism might be:

| Strategy | Helpful | NOT Helpful | |-----------------------------------|----------|-------------| | Patterns from other fossils | Helpful | | | Common body structures | Helpful | | | Photographs of ancient organisms | Helpful | | | Comparing to modern day organisms | Helpful | | | How scattered the fossils were | NOT Helpful | |

Explanation:

• Patterns from other fossils: This is helpful because scientists can identify similar features and characteristics across different fossil finds which can inform them about the organism.

• Common body structures: Helpful as comparing body structures can reveal evolutionary relationships and classifications.

• Photographs of ancient organisms: Helpful for visual comparison and understanding the appearance and characteristics of related species.

• Comparing to modern day organisms: Helpful in drawing parallels and understanding possible behaviors, habitats, and adaptations, which can inform about the fossil organism's characteristics.

• How scattered the fossils were: NOT helpful as the distribution of fossils does not directly give information about the anatomy or type of organism but rather about the preservation or discovery conditions.