 Two bird species living today, the

touraco and the hoatzin, have

claws which allow them to hold
onto branches. Other toothed-
birds are also known to have
lived in the same period.
 Asymmetrical feathers prove
that it was flying like modern
birds

Ostrich
 Due to incomplete fossil record, the exact
amount of mass extinctions are not known
for sure. However 5 are known for sure:
› 439 mya – drop in sea levels due to formation of
glaciers followed by spontaneous rising of sea
levels due to melting of glaciers
› 364 mya – unknown causes
› 250 mya – comet or volcano eruption*
› 199 mya – global flooding and volcanic eruption
› 65 mya – asteroid impact in the gulf of Mexico -
volcanic eruptions*
› Current? – mega faunal extinction
 Ancient life forms that have been preserved in rocks,
tar, sap and ice. – palaentology
 Sedimentary rocks are the richest source of fossils.

 The process of fossil formation:

› Sand and silt from land are swept into water bodies
› The dead organism settles to the bottom
› Mineral salts settle to the bottom and enter into the body
of the organism and turns it into stone – petrify/
petrification
› If decomposition occurs before petrification, the fossil is
just an imprint on the organism.
› If petrification occurs first, the fossil is the actual organism
 Over time, layers of sedimentary rock pile up in
strata.
› Oldest layer at the bottom
› Youngest layer on top.
 By studying the different layers, a time line is
created and information is gathered.
 Fossils that are known to have formed in a
particular period – they were found in a
specific strata – index fossils – used in relative
dating

 Examples of fossils – pg 314

Radiometric dating – the process

1. Living organisms contain carbon -12 and carbon -14

2. Carbon -14 is radioactive.
3. When the organism dies, the carbon -14 becomes
nitrogen-14.
4. Carbon-14 turns to nitrogen-14 at a fixed rate.
5. Scientists are able to work out the age of the fossil
by comparing the ratio of carbon -14 to total carbon
and nitrogen-14.
 Fossil Evidence
One of the oldest evidence of life on Earth is found
in Barberton in Mpumalanga.
These are fossilized photosynthetic bacteria cells.
These fossil are about 3400 million years old.
The bacteria had jelly like substance around it.
Fine rock particles became attached to the jelly
like substance, this forces the bacteria to grow
upward to search for light.
This results in the formation of a structure called
stromatolites.
Stromatolites

These are dome-shaped mat like layers of rock.

 Oldest fossil of multi-cellular organism
The oldest known multi cellular organism is found in
Namibia.
The multi-cellular organisms are sponges called
Otavia.
They are found in limestone rocks found in northern
Namibia.
These fossilized sponges are thought to be 650
million years old.
A similar type of fossil and fossils of other soft body
invertebrates have been found in North Cape.
Fossils of algae and early land plants have
been found in the Eastern Cape near
Grahamstown.
These fossils are about 350 million years
old.
A nearly 280 million year old fossil of cone
bearing plants have been found near Mooi
River and Escourt in Kwa Zulu Natal.
A picture of Glossopteris
fossil
Glossopteris
 These fossils are called
Glossopteris. These Glossopteris
occupied Gondwanaland for
almost 60 million years. These
plants were responsible for the
coal deposits found in Southern
Africa.
 The picture is a reconstruction of
what the Glossopteris may have
looked like.
 Reptiles
 Fossils of reptiles such as
Lystrosaurus and Thrinaxodon have
been found in the Karoo.

 These reptiles were believed to Lystrosaurus

give rise to mammals.
 They lived between 280 and 100
million years ago.

Thrinaxodon
 Dinosaurs
Dinosaurs lived 210 million years ago in
Lesotho, north-eastern Free State, Kwa Zulu
Natal and the north eastern parts of Eastern
Cape.
This is supported by findings of fossilized
footprints of dinosaurs in these areas.
Fossilized dinosaur bones have been found in
Maluti and Drakensberg mountain ranges.
 Dinosaurs

Euskelosarus  Euskelosarus was a

very early dinosaur.
 It was a herbivore.
 The first fossils of the
skull and skeleton
were found near
Ladybrand in the
Eastern Free State.
Fossil tourism is a type of ecotourism, but in
fossil tourism the main attraction is its
fossils.
One of the most famous fossils sites is the
Cradle of Humankind.
The Cradle of Humankind is found in
Gauteng and North West Province.
 Cradle of Humankind

Found in Sterkfontein, Swartkrans, Kromdraai

regions.
It is a World Heritage Site since 1999.
It is one of the richest source of fossils of
early humans.
Nearly half of all human-ancestor fossils have
been found here.
 West Coast Fossil Park

The West Coast Fossil Park is found in the Western

Cape Province.
It is found along the west coast, a few kilometers
inland of the Langebaan Lagoon.
This was once a phosphate mine.
It has the greatest diversity of five million old fossils.
It contained the fossils of the first bear ever found
south of the Sahara.
Fossils of the extinct true seal and four extinct
species of penguins were found here.
 West Coast Fossil Park
The many hand on activities at the park that makes
it very exciting for the tourist.

Tourists can sift in the sand looking for fossils, with

the promise that if you find something new ( no one
has found) then it will be named after you.

Plans have been put into place to start a national

fossil and rock art route, that joins the Fossil Park to
the Cradle.
 Museums
Important fossils have been moved to
museums once they have been discovered.
The dinosaur fossil found in the Karoo have
been moved to the museum in Graaff-Reinet.
The museums become important fossil tourist
attractions.
 Advantages of Fossil Tourism
Fossil tourism:
1. Creates jobs.

2. Generates income for people living in these

areas.

3. Creates business opportunities for travel agents

and tour operators.
1. Remains of ancient life forms preserved in rock.
2. The study of fossils.
3. Means to turn into stone.
4. Shape left behind when the organisms start to
decay before it becomes petrified.
5. The layers in which sedimentary rock pile up.
6. Fossils which have occurred in a particular period of
time and then can be used to determine the age of
other fossils by comparison with them.
7. The hardened form of liquid sap.
8. Finding the age of the fossil by comparing it to
another fossil or geological event.
9. Method to find out how long ago a particular
fossil was formed.
10. Dome-shaped mat like layers of rock.
11. Type of ecotourism, where the main attraction
is its fossils.