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Name______________________________
Period _________ date ________________
Lab 98 Family Histories
p. F-52
Some fossils were found in Precambrian rocks 3.5 billion years old and most were found in rocks of
the Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic eras less than 550 million years old. Fossil record refers to all
of the fossils that have been found on Earth.
The fossil record was used to classify fossils into families. A family is a category smaller than a
kingdom, phylum, class, or order, but larger than a genus or species. Dogs are in the family
Canidae, which also contains foxes, coyotes and wolves. Lions are in the same kingdom, phylum,
class, and order as dogs but they are in a different family: Felidae. This family includes leopards,
tigers, house cats, and the extinct saber-toothed cat. The numbers of families in the fish, mammal,
and reptile classes have changed classes over geological time.
*EQ: What can you learn about evolution by comparing the fossil records of fish, mammals, and
reptiles?
PROCEDURE
Follow procedures 1-4 on pages F-53-55. The bar graph of figure 1 is on the back of this paper.
Draw graphs of Table 2 and 3 under the one of Table 1 using the same scales so they are easy to
compare.
ANALYSIS (answer in complete sentences on your own paper)
1.
a. Use the graphs to put the 3 different classes (fish, mammals, and reptiles) in order, based
on when they first appeared in the fossil record.
b. What could this order tell you about the evolution of these types of species?
2.
a. What are 2 possible explanations for the disappearance of a family from the fossil record?
b. How could Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection explain the disappearance of a
family from the fossil record?
3.
What could explain the appearance of a family in the fossil record?
4.
a. The Cenozoic Era is often referred to as the “Age of Mammals.” Use information from
your graphs to explain why.
b. Based on this activity what would you call the Mesozoic Era? Why?
c. Look at the changes in families over time on the graphs. Why is it misleading to label an
era as the “age of” a class?
Name______________________________
Period _________ date ________________
Lab 98 Family Histories
p. F-52
Some fossils were found in Precambrian rocks 3.5 ________________ years old and most were
found in rocks of the Paleozoic, ________________, and Cenozoic eras less than 550 million years
old. Fossil record refers to all of the _______________ that have been found on Earth.
The fossil record was used to classify fossils into _________________. A family is a category smaller
than a kingdom, phylum, class, or ___________, but larger than a __________ or species. Dogs are
in the family Canidae, which also contains _____________, coyotes and wolves. Lions are in the
same kingdom, phylum, class, and order as _________ but they are in a different family: Felidae.
This family includes __________, tigers, house cats, and the extinct saber-toothed cat. The numbers
of families in the fish, mammal, and reptile classes have _____________classes over geological time.
*EQ: What can you learn about evolution by comparing the fossil records of fish, mammals, and
reptiles?
PROCEDURE
Follow procedures 1-4 on pages F-53-55. The bar graph of figure 1 is on the back of this paper.
Draw graphs of Table 2 and 3 under the one of Table 1 using the same scales so they are easy to
compare.
ANALYSIS (answer in complete sentences on your own paper)
1. a. Use the graphs to put the 3 different classes (fish, mammals and reptiles) in order, based on
when they first appeared in the fossil record.
b.What could this order tell you about the evolution of these types of species?
2.
a. What are 2 possible explanations for the disappearance of a family from the fossil record?
b. How could Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection explain the disappearance of a
family from the fossil record?
5. What could explain the appearance of a family in the fossil record?
6. a. The Cenozoic Era is often referred to as the “Age of Mammals.” Use information from
your graphs to explain why.
b. Based on this activity what would you call the Mesozoic Era? Why?
c. Look at the changes in families over time on the graphs. Why is it misleading to label
an era as the “age of” a class?
200
150
100
50
0
>545
Precambrian
485
425
Early Paleozoic
365
305
245
Late Paleozoic
185
125
Mesozoic
65
0
Cenozoic
Figure 1: Fossil Fish Families Over Time
200
150
100
50
0
>545
Precambrian
485
425
Early Paleozoic
365
305
245
Late Paleozoic
185
125
65
Mesozoic
0
Cenozoic
200
150
100
50
0
>545
Precambrian
485
Early Paleozoic
425
365
305
Late Paleozoic
245
185
Mesozoic
125
65
0
Cenozoic