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Fossil Teeth and Past Environments

Fossil teeth are a commonly preserved part of ancient animals due to their resilient composition of calcium fluorophosphates. This material is also known as apatite and is chemical-resistant and difficult to break down under much use. The apatite is covered with another very strong coat of enamel. For these reasons, fossil teeth are usually very well preserved and can be used to uncover valuable information about the lifestyles of extinct animals. Fossil teeth can also be compared to the teeth of living relatives to determine how species have evolved. Sometimes, scientists will reconstruct an ecosystem simply using the fossil teeth found in a geological deposit. In order to do this, scientists typically look at fossil teeth to determine whether an animal was a carnivore or an herbivore. Often, the shape of the fossil teeth will give it away but sometimes it is necessary to analyze the isotopic composition of the teeth to determine the nutritional components of the animal’s diet.

   

Ammonite Fossil
Animal Fossils
Crinoid Fossils
Fish Fossils
Fossil Teeth
Petrified Wood
Plant Fossils
Trilobite Fossils
State Fossil Information


Wooly Mammoth
Saber Tooth Cat

Dinosaur Eggs
Dinosaur Footprints
Dinosaur Bones
Tyrannosaurus rex

Agate Fossil Beds
Burgess Shale
Dinosaur National Monument
Florissant Fossil Beds
Fossil Butte National Monument
Green River Shale
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John Day Fossil Beds
La Brea Tar Pits
Mississippi Petrified Forest
Morrision Formation
Petrified Forest National Park