How can a fish become a fossil?

How can a fish become a fossil?

Animals cannot live without oxygen, so no animals live there. In these situations, the only possibility of fossilization is if a fish or other swimming animal dies in oxygen-rich waters above, sinks down into the stagnant muddy bottom, and is buried by sediments.

How can a dead organism become a fossil?

For an organism to be fossilized, the remains usually need to be covered by sediment soon after death. Sediment can include the sandy seafloor, lava, and even sticky tar. Over time, minerals in the sediment seep into the remains. The remains become fossilized.

Can a fish be preserved as a fossil?

Such well-preserved fossils are rare. For every fish that was preserved with its soft organs intact, many others rotted and disappeared without a trace. Their loss was not in vain: Their bodies likely supplied the precious phosphorus that allowed others to live on, at least as fossils.

Can animals turn into rocks?

Fossils in Sedimentary Rock Most fossils form when an organism dies. The sediment is buried with even more sediment. Over time, the sediment turns into sedimentary rock. The remains of the plant or animal also turns to rock.

How do you create a fossil?

Fossils are formed in different ways, but most are formed when a plant or animal dies in a watery environment and is buried in mud and silt. Soft tissues quickly decompose leaving the hard bones or shells behind. Over time sediment builds over the top and hardens into rock.

How long does it take a fish to become a fossil?

The usual story is that fossilisation is a slow process, requiring several thousand to several million years. When a fish dies, it sinks to the bottom of the sea, is slowly covered with mud and becomes a fossil. Below is a typical illustration found in museums and textbooks.

Can a jellyfish become a fossil?

Every animal alive today will die eventually, but not every dead animal will become a fossil. Animals that lack a hard skeleton of bone or shell are unlikely to be fossilized. So if you want to be a fossil, the first step is to make sure that you have a hard skeleton. Jellyfish need not apply (usually).

How can an organism become a fossil underwater?

Many, if not most, underwater environments also have a lot of oxygen, since water can dissolve oxygen from the atmosphere. 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.

What happens to a fish when it dies?

There are, however, two variables that we need to address. First, not every fish has a swim bladder (sharks being a classic example), so when a bladderless fish dies, it will sink to the bottom. Secondly it has also been shown that in very cold water a fish bladder will not inflate, and such a fish will sink also.