Fossil Frenzy 2014
Fossil Frenzy 2014 – Event Leader Instructions rev. 3/28 KTF
Event Set up
This is a station event. There are 20 stations. If you have more than 20 teams you can print two sets of
stations. Spread the stations around the room. Put one team at each station, they will rotate through
all 20 stations in order. Teams can’t go back to a station after their 2 minutes is up.
Materials
If you have any of these specimens, please set them out with the questions, otherwise the pictures are
fine. If you asked for this from the State Office we are sending a bunch of the fossils to you.
Station 1: Fossilization process model (sand, dirt, shells, water in a bottle)
Station 2: T-Rex, Stegosaurus, Ankylosaurus, Apatosaurus
Station 3: Amber, copal, tar (preservation method), mummified anything
Station 4: Teeth/skulls (carnivore, herbivore, omnivore)
Station 5: Brachiopods. It doesn’t matter what kind.
Station 6: NEEDS A CALCULATOR AND RULER. Also put out fossil footprint or printed copy from end of test.
Station 7: Coprolites (fossilized poop)
Station 8: Petrified Wood, fossilized bone, mold and cast of any fossil (trilobite shown in picture)
Station 9: Coral- branching and colonial
Station 10: Clam, Cephalopod family anything (nautiloid, ammonoid, belemnoid)
Station 11: Sea Urchin, Sand Dollar, Sea Star, Brittle Star
Station 12: CUT OUT PICTURES FROM END OF TEST
Station 13: Ichthyosaur, Pterosaur
Station 14: Iguanodon, Triceratops, Velociraptor, Parasaurolophus
Station 15: Acrocanthosaurus
Station 16: Bony fish (any kind), Ray/Skate fossil
Station 17: Orthoceras
Station 18: Barnacles, Coelophysis, Shark, Belemnoid, Ammonite
Station 19: Nothing
Station 20: Trilobite (any kind)
Each team is allowed to bring:
Something to write with and 2 commercially produced field guides, OR 2 binders of information
contained in page protectors, OR 1 binder and 1 field guide. If they have anything else, take it away.
Running the Event:
Teams have 2 minutes per station. Teams should leave station pages with the question side down
until instructed to flip them over and begin. When each team is done at a station, they should flip the
station page back over. Be sure to instruct teams which way to move and allow adequate time for
transition between stations. Elementary kids get easily confused about which way to rotate, putting
arrows on the table might be helpful, especially when going from Station 20 back to Station 1.
A copy of the official rules is on the back of this page in case you or the students have a question
about the event that wasn’t answered here.
Fossil Frenzy 2014
Station 1
Complete the following paragraph using the word bank below.
When an organism is fossilized, its ____(1)_____ are covered quickly by minerals soon after it dies.
Over time, the soft parts of the organism ____(2)_____. After a very long period of time, the harder
parts of the organism, such as bones and ____(3)_____, change into rock. Water infused with
minerals seeps into the hard parts of the organism. The ____(4)_____ then collect within these hard
structures making them more ____(5)_____.
Word Bank
teeth
decay
remains
rock-like
minerals
Fossil Frenzy 2014
Station 2
Identify the dinosaur
6. This dinosaur walked on 2 feet, with a massive skull
balanced by a long, heavy tail. Relative to its large and
powerful hindlimbs, the forelimbs were short but
were unusually powerful for their size and bore two
claws.
7. Due to its distinctive tail spikes and plates, this is
one of the most recognizable dinosaurs. It had a
heavily rounded back, short forelimbs, head held
low to the ground and a stiffened tail held high in
the air.
8. This armored dinosaur was about 25-35 feet
long. The entire top of its body was protected
with thick, oval plates embedded into its
leathery skin. It also had two rows of spikes
along its body, large horns projecting from the
back of its head, and a club-like tail.
9. This was one of the largest land animals to
ever exist. It is a plant eater and at one point
in history it was called the Brontosaurus. It
was about 70-90 feel long and weighted
about 30-35 tons. It was an herbivore.
Fossil Frenzy 2014
Station 3
Use the Word Bank to determine which type of preservation is being described below.
Word Bank
tar
freezing
amber
mummification
10.
_____ is fossilized tree resin that preserves the full
organism.
11.
_____ is made from hardened tree resin that has
not yet fossilized. It is much younger than the other
form of this fossil and often contains species that are
still in existence today.
12.
Crude oil seeps to the surface of the Earth, forming a
large pit or pool of a sticky black substance. Larger animals
have gotten stuck in these pits and their bones have been
preserved.
13.
A very rare and unique form of preservation that takes place in
arid, dry areas like deserts and caves. The process preserves skin
color and texture, but leaves the organism extremely fragile.
14.
An organism can be found fully intact as if it recently died.
This baby mammoth was uncovered in Siberia in 2007, but actually
died 9,000 years ago at the end of the last ice age.
copal
Fossil Frenzy 2014
Station 4
Determine whether each of the following skulls is from a carnivore,
herbivore, or omnivore by looking at the teeth.
15.
Many sharp canines and
sharp molars and premolars
16.
Rows of flat molars and
premolars. No canines or incisors.
17.
Large canines, many
incisors, and a mixture of flat and
sharp molars and premolars
Fossil Frenzy 2014
Station 5
18.
19.
20.
What is this specimens name?
a.
b.
c.
d.
What environment are they usually found in?
arctic
marine
desert
freshwater
a.
b.
c.
d.
What description best fits this fossil?
solid shell like a snail
hinged shell
swims like a fish in water
crawls like a turtle on land
Fossil Frenzy 2014
Station 6
You can tell how tall a dinosaur was to their hip by measuring their
footprint and multiplying it by 4.
21. Measure the footprint in cm, round it to the nearest whole cm.
Measure from the back of the heel to the tip of the longest toe.
How many cm long is it?
22. Multiply the footprint length by 4. What did you get?
23. Given these dinosaur hip height ranges, which one do you think
left this footprint?
Dinosaur
Diplodocus
Tyrannosaurus Rex
Iguanodon
Ankylosaurus
Deinonychus
Velociraptor
Hip height in cm
480-520
242-258
175-195
150-170
85-100
70-85
Fossil Frenzy 2014
Station 7
24.
Fossilized dung has a special name. It is called a _____.
List three types of information we can learn about organisms by observing their
dung whether it is fresh or fossilized:
25.
__________
26.
__________
27.
__________
Fossil Frenzy 2014
Station 8
Name the type of fossilization for each example.
Word Bank
mold and cast
mineral replacement
28. Water containing minerals seeps into wood, shell,
or bone slowly and the minerals crystalize and
replace all the original tissues with rock. Both
hard and soft parts of the organism are preserved
in detail.
29. An organism’s hard parts, such as bones and
teeth, are replaced by minerals. Basically, a
mineral substitutes the original skeletal
material.
30. These form when an organism is covered
by sediment, decays, and leaves a hollow
space where it used to be. Mineral
deposits may fill this hollow space creating
a replica of the organism.
petrification
Fossil Frenzy 2014
Station 9
31. Animals can be classified as vertebrates and invertebrates. What is the main
distinguishing characteristic between vertebrates and invertebrates?
32. Identify the fossil seen in the picture.
33. What environment would you expect to find
this in?
a. arctic
b. marine
c. desert
d. freshwater
e. grassland
34. Identify the organism in the picture.
35. During what Era in geologic time did the organism
exist?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Paleozoic
Mesozoic
Cenozoic
Pleistocene
Fossil Frenzy 2014
Station 10
36. What type of mollusk is shown above?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Snail
Muscle
Squid
Clam
37. The above mollusk is a bivalve. What is a bivalve?
a.
b.
c.
d.
An invertebrate organism with a soft body enclosed in a hinged shell.
An invertebrate organism with a soft body enclosed in a coiled shell.
An invertebrate organism with a hard exoskeleton.
A vertebrate organism with a soft body and no shell.
38. Nautiloids, ammonoids, and belemnoids (pictured above) are all considered to be what
kind of mollusk?
a. Gastropods
b. Bivalves
c. Cephalopods
d. Echinoderms
39. In what type of environment are nautiloids, ammonoids, and belemnoids found?
a. Desert b. Marine
c. Forest
d. Tundra
Fossil Frenzy 2014
Station 11
Identify the invertebrate fossil in the pictures below. They have been found in oceans worldwide.
40. _____
41. _____
42.
_____
43.
_____
Fossil Frenzy 2014
Station 12
Geologic Time Scale
Each of the following fossils has been identified with a segment of time it was
commonly found in. Put them in order from oldest to youngest.
44.
______________ (Oldest)
45.
______________
46.
______________
47.
______________
48.
______________
49.
______________
50.
______________ (Youngest)
Fossil Frenzy 2014
Station 13
51.
Identify the organism in the picture above.
52.
In what type of environment did it live?
53.
It first appeared 245 million year ago in the middle of the Triassic Period when it
evolved from a group of land reptiles. It was abundant in the _____ Period until another
reptilian order became dominant.
54.
Pterosaurs ranged in size from that of today’s sparrows to the largest with a
wingspan of over 10 meters. They first appeared 215 million years ago and lived through
which two geological periods? _____ _____
Fossil Frenzy 2014
Station 14
Dinosaur Word Bank
Tyrannosaurus
Plateosaurus
Triceratops
Apatosaurus
Archaeopteryx
Diplodocus
Iguanodon
Parasaurolophus
Stegosaurus
Velociraptor
55. This 5-6 ft long dinosaur had 3.5-inch long, sickle-
like, retractable claws on the middle toe of each foot.
This claw was its main weapon, and could probably
kill most of its prey easily.
56. It has a large bony frill and three horns on its
large four-legged body, and is similar to the
modern rhinoceros.
57. This herbivore had a conical spike on each
thumb, a horny, toothless beak and tightly
packed cheek teeth. The thumb spike may have
been used for defense or in obtaining food. It
had a flat, stiff tail and could run on two legs or
walk on four.
58. This animal was a long-crested, duck-billed
dinosaur. Its extremely long, backwards-leaning,
hollow, bony crest was bigger than the rest of its
skull and may have been used to produce a lowfrequency, foghorn-like sound, enhance its sense
of smell, and/or used in courtship displays.
Fossil Frenzy 2014
Station 15
59. This dinosaur is the state dinosaur of North Carolina.
What is it?
60. Is this a carnivore, herbivore, or omnivore?
61. Where did this dinosaur live?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
62.
oceans
freshwater
land near the sea
high in the mountains
Antarctica
What geologic time period did this dinosaur live in?
Fossil Frenzy 2014
Station 16
63.
Bony fish and cartilage fish (sharks and rays) first appeared during the _____Era.
64.
Which kind is shown above, bony or cartilage?
65.
Which kind is shown below, bony or cartilage?
Fossil Frenzy 2014
Station 17
66. The animal above is a Nautiloid. What larger group are nautiloids part of?
67. Are these vertebrates or invertebrates?
68.
What environment would these live in?
a. marine
b. freshwater
c. grassland
d. high in the mountains
e. desert
Fossil Frenzy 2014
Station 18
When a species from the fossil record is still alive today, it is called a living fossil.
Identify if each of the following is a living fossil or extinct.
69. Barnacles
70. Coelophysis
71. Sharks
72. Belemnoids
73. Ammonoids
Fossil Frenzy 2014
Station 19
74.
The first modern humans appeared during which epoch?
75.
Did dinosaurs live in that same epoch?
76.
Which Era are we currently in?
Fossil Frenzy 2014
Station 20
77.
What is this fossil?
78.
Is it a vertebrate or an invertebrate?
79.
Is it extinct?
Fossil Frenzy 2014
Cut these pictures out for Station 12.
A. Sea Star – Cambrian
C. Pleisosaurus – Early Jurassic
D. Lobster – Cenozoic
B. Belemnoid – Cretaceous
Fossil Frenzy 2014
E. Coral – Late Jurassic
F. Mussel – Precambrian
G. Coelophysis – Triassic
Fossil Frenzy 2014
Use this for Station 6 if you don’t have the plaster footprint.
Fossil Frenzy 2014
Fossil Frenzy – Student Response Sheet
School: ___________________________________________________________ V
JV1
JV2
JV3
Student Names: _____________________________________________________________________
For each answer, fill in the blank or circle the correct response.
Station 1
1. _______________________
2. _______________________
3. _______________________
4. _______________________
5. _______________________
Station 2
6. _______________________
7. _______________________
8. _______________________
9. _______________________
Station 3
10. _______________________
11. _______________________
12. _______________________
13. _______________________
14. _______________________
Station 4
15. Carnivore, Herbivore, or Omnivore
16. Carnivore, Herbivore, or Omnivore
17. Carnivore, Herbivore, or Omnivore
Station 5
18. _______________________
19. A B
C
D
20. A B
C
D
Station 6
21. ____________
22. ____________
23. _______________________
Station 7
24. _____________________________
25. _____________________________
_____________________________
26. _____________________________
_____________________________
27. _____________________________
_____________________________
Station 8
28. _____________________________
29. _____________________________
30. _____________________________
Station 9
31. _____________________________
_____________________________
32. _____________________________
33. A B
C
D
E
34. _____________________________
35. A B
C
D
Station 10
36. A
37. A
38. A
39. A
B
B
B
B
C
C
C
C
D
D
D
D
Station 11
40. _____________________________
41. _____________________________
42. _____________________________
43. _____________________________
Fossil Frenzy 2014
Station 12
44. ________
45. ________
46. ________
47. ________
48. ________
49. ________
50. ________
Station 13
51. _____________________________
52. _____________________________
53. _____________________________
54. _____________________________
and__________________________
Station 14
55. _____________________________
56. _____________________________
57. _____________________________
58. _____________________________
Station 15
59. _____________________________
60. _____________________________
61. A B C D E
62. _____________________________
Station 16
63. _____________________________
64. BONY or CARTILAGE
65. BONY or CARTILAGE
Station 17
66. _____________________________
67. VERTEBRATE or INVERTEBRATE
68. A B C D E
Station 18
69. LIVING
70. LIVING
71. LIVING
72. LIVING
73. LIVING
or
or
or
or
or
EXTINCT
EXTINCT
EXTINCT
EXTINCT
EXTINCT
Station 19
74. _____________________________
75. YES or NO
76. _____________________________
Station 20
77. _____________________________
78. VERTEBRATE or INVERTEBRATE
79. YES or NO
Tiebreakers: Best station 3 score, then Station 8, then Station 19, then Station 12
Fossil Frenzy 2014
Fossil Frenzy –ANSWER KEY
Each blank is worth 1 point. 80 points max.
Station 1
1. REMAINS
2. DECAY
3. TEETH
4. MINERALS
5. ROCK-LIKE
Station 7 (25-27 in any order)
24. COPROLITE
25. How it ate,
26. What it ate/diet,
27. Habitat,
size or when it lived also acceptable
Station 2 (spelling must be close)
6. TYRANNOSAURUS REX
7. STEGOSAURUS
8. ANKYLOSAURUS
9. APATOSAURUS
Station 8
28. PETRIFICATION
29. MINERAL REPLACEMENT
30. MOLD AND CAST
Station 3
10. AMBER
11. COPAL
12. TAR
13. MUMMIFICATION
14. FREEZING
Station 9
31. Vertebrates have bone/backbone/spine,
internal skeleton. Invertebrates don’t.
32. COLONIAL CORAL
33. A B
C
D
E
34. BRANCHING CORAL
35. A B
C
D
Station 4
15. Carnivore, Herbivore, or Omnivore
16. Carnivore, Herbivore, or Omnivore
17. Carnivore, Herbivore, or Omnivore
Station 5
18. BRACHIOPOD
19. A B
C
20. A B
C
Station 6
21. 19 or 20
22. 76 or 80
23. VELOCIRAPTOR
D
D
Station 10
36. A
37. A
38. A
39. A
B
B
B
B
C
C
C
C
D
D
D
D
Station 11
40. SEA URCHIN
41. SAND DOLLAR
42. SEA STAR (or starfish)
43. BRITTLE STAR
Fossil Frenzy 2014
Station 12
44. F
45. A
46. G
47. C
48. E
49. B
50. D
Station 16
63. PALEOZOIC
64. BONY or CARTILAGE
65. BONY or CARTILAGE
Station 17 (spelling must be close)
66. CEPHALOPODS
67. VERTEBRATE or INVERTEBRATE
68. A B C D E
Station 13
51. ICHTHYOSAUR
52. MARINE or OCEAN
53. JURASSIC
54. JURASSIC and CRETACEOUS (either order)
Station 14
55. VELOCIRAPTOR
56. TRICERATOPS
57. IGUANADON
58. PARASAUROLOPHUS
Station 15 (spelling must be close)
59. ACROCANTHOSAURUS
60. CARNIVORE
61. A B C D E
62. CRETACEOUS
Station 18
69. LIVING
70. LIVING
71. LIVING
72. LIVING
73. LIVING
or
or
or
or
or
EXTINCT
EXTINCT
EXTINCT
EXTINCT
EXTINCT
Station 19
74. PLEISTOCENE
75. YES or NO
76. CENOZOIC
Station 20
77. TRILOBITE
78. VERTEBRATE or
79. YES or NO
INVERTEBRATE
Tiebreakers: Best station 3 score, then Station 8, then Station 19, then Station 12