Training Module 1 – Cretaceous Creatures

How would you describe your fossil?

1. Isolated teeth

2. Jaws and tooth plates

3. Vertebrae

4. Scales, shells, and plates

5. Bones and bone fragments

Try again! Isolated teeth usually have pointy tips or rounded ends.

Try again! Jaws and tooth plates usually have rows of repeating teeth or sockets for teeth that fell out.

Try again! Vertebrae usually have a broad surface that is flat or bumpy.

Try again! Bone fragments usually have broken cross sections that look like a hollow tube or like the end of a broken pencil.

ID Sheet 2

1. My fossil curves inwards on both ends.

2. My fossil is flat on both ends and one side has ridges that make an hourglass shape.

3. My fossil curves inward on one end and outward on the other.

4. My fossil is a vertebra that is too fragmented to further identify.

ID Sheet 2-A

1. My fossil has a hole through the middle.

2. My fossil does not have a hole through the middle.

3. My fossil has two cup-like structures on one side.

Try again! Focus on the ends of your fossil. They should curve inward on both sides.

Try again! Focus on the surface of the outer rim. It should have a series of long pits.

You did it! You found a bony fish vertebra!

Fun Facts!

1. Each vertebra has a hole through the center for the spinal cord. Vertebrae make up the segments of the backbone and protect the spinal cord and nerves.
2. Small fish living today have approximately 30 of these tiny vertebrae to make up their entire backbone. Large sharks have approximately 180 vertebrae.
3. The indigenous people of California may have used the vertebrae of great white sharks as ornamental jewelry or as part of game.

Place your fossil in the correct box on the Fossil Training Sheet.

Click here to identify another microfossil.

Try again! Look at your fossil from the side. It should be shorter from cup to cup than it is tall.

Try again! Look at your fossil so that you can see the hole through the middle. Your fossil should not have any struts or spines sticking out. Also, your fossil should only have one cup on each side (two total cups).

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