AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -For an organism to become a fossil, it must not decompose or be eaten. This can happen if the organism either lives within or is moved to a place where it can be buried and kept from decaying. When an organism is buried quickly, there is less decay and the better the chance for it to be preserved.

Detailed explanation-2: -Soft body parts, such as skin and hair, are less likely to be preserved as fossils. Indirect trace – Fossilized footprints, burrow marks, or coprolites all provide traces that an organism once existed, but are not preserved remains of the organism itself.

Detailed explanation-3: -For a soft-bodied animal to be fossilized, its body must be protected from decomposition. The body is usually exposed to air and water with a lot of oxygen, so it decomposes rapidly. The animal is likely to be fossilized only if it is buried soon after it dies (or when it is buried alive!).

Detailed explanation-4: -Soft parts, in contrast, are usually lost through scavenging and decay. In rare cases the soft (i.e., non-biomineralized) parts of animals survive and are fossilized alongside the hard skeleton, and even wholly soft-bodied organisms (those without biomineralized tissues) can be preserved.