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Micro-sort Activity Identification Guide Amber

 Amber is petrified tree sap.  Sometimes, small like insects get stuck in tree sap. When the sap fossilizes, the is preserved as well.  Amber is usually a golden color, like honey. However, sometimes it is a darker brown Ammonite

 Ammonites were ancient squid-like creatures that had an external shell  Similar to the Chambered Nautilus of today  They were abundant during the Mesozoic, and went Reconstruction of what extinct at the end of the ammonites may have , around 66 million looked like (PD-US) years ago  If you look closely at the shell, you can see what look like little squiggles. These are called suture marks, and show how the animal grew. Brachiopod  Brachiopods are a clam-like animal that first appeared before the Period, over 550 million years ago.  Once one of the most diverse form of , there are only a few species still alive today.  The best way to identify brachiopods is to look for the lines with a dip in the middle of the shell. Coral  Coral may look like plants, but they are actually colonies of very tiny animals.  Coral belongs to the family Cnidaria (Ni- dairy-a). This family also includes jellyfish!  Some islands in the Pacific are almost entirely made of coral.  The Great Barrier is a coral reef that can be seen from space!  To identify corals, look for lines that extend radially and along the length of the specimen.  While known as the “sea lily”, this actually comes from an animal in the same family as sea stars.  are found all over the world.  Crinoids survive today in deep ocean environments.  The best way to identify crinoid fossils is Reconstruc to look for what appears to be a stack tion of of rings. crinoids (PD-US) Gastropods

 Gastropods are an abundant group that still exist today. You probably know them as snails and slugs.  Gastropods are mollusks. This group also includes clams and squid.  Gastropod means “stomach foot.” It gets this name because the foot it moves around on is also its stomach.  Gastropods have been around for over 300 million years. Orthoceras

 Orthoceras in an extinct squid-like animal.  They had a straight shell, which is how they got their name “straight horn.”  The fossils we find are of the shell of this animal.  These were only alive during the Ordivician Period, over 400 million years ago.  These fossils will often look like thimbles in your sample. Petrified Wood

 Wood that has been turned into stone. This caused by minerals seeping into the pore spaces of the tree  Petrified Forest National Park contains a whole forest of petrified wood.  Trees have been around for over 300 million years!  Look for the grain on samples, this is the easiest way to identify petrified wood Sea Urchins

 Sea urchins are . They are in the same family as sea stars and crinoids.  Many sea urchins have spines that extend all round their body. This helps to protect them from predators  The parts you may find are the reconstruction (PD-US) spines, which are shaped like little tear drops Shark teeth

 Sharks are constantly loosing there teeth, which means they are constantly growing new ones.  The first sharks are found in rocks from over 400 million years ago.  Teeth are usually the only shark fossils found, because their skeletons are made of cartilage. This is the same material that your ears and nose are made of!  Scientists use the shape of fossil shark teeth to determine what it was eating.  The biggest shark teeth come from Carcharocles megalodon. They are sometimes over 7 inches long!