Ancient Evidence
Clark Benson

1Through the efforts of paleontologists, or researchers who look for evidence of ancient plants and animals, millions of fossils have been discovered across the globe. Simply defined, fossils are the remains of a living thing and are usually encased in stone. They include the remains from prehistoric living things, ranging from woolly mammoths, to prehistoric fish, to dinosaurs. It can take thousands, if not millions of years for a fossil to form. This is why, even today, so many fossils remain and allow us to find evidence of animals that roamed the earth even before humans came into the picture.

2Paleontologists have classified fossils into two major types. Type I fossils, which are also called body fossils, can be the complete impression of the actual living thing outlined in stone. Body fossils also include bones and teeth, since these are made of hard substances that can endure the ravages of time. Type II fossils are something that were made by the animal while it was living that has hardened into stone; a physical impression the animal has left behind. The second type is also called a trace fossil. Examples of a trace fossil include animal footprints and burrows, or the animal’s home or place of dwelling.

3Paleontologists can spend their whole career looking for that one unique fossil. One of the more recent interesting fossil discoveries occurred in Madagascar, an island off the southern coast of Africa. There, a team of researchers found the fossil of what may be the largest frog to have ever lived. This giant frog, termed “the Beelzebufo,” grew to be about 16 inches long while it lived, and it weighed approximately 10 pounds. To get a clearer picture, imagine that this amphibian grew to about the size of a beach ball by the time it reached adulthood!

4On the opposite end of amazing finds in the fossil world is the Europasaurus. This interesting little dinosaur also impressed scientists with its size. However, the Europasaurus was not colossal, but rather so small that it was compared to its cousin the brachiosaur. When paleontologists found some very small dinosaur bones in the mountains of Germany, they first thought they had found the fossils of baby dinosaurs. However, by using growth marks (similar to the inside of a tree trunk) found on the bones, they were able to determine that these “baby” dinosaurs were in fact full grown adults, even though they were six to seven times smaller than the brachiosaur!

5Considering all of the millions of fossils that can be found in museums, universities, and in the homes of private collectors, we have managed to unearth quite a lot of fossils! However, when you further consider how many billions and billions of living things have inhabited the earth over the last couple hundred million years, only a very small percentage of them have been immortalized in stone for us to discover!
What is the purpose of the author's use of the transitional phrase On the opposite end at the beginning of paragraph 4?

A) to serve as a transition into the conclusion of the author's argument for why fossils are worthy of study
B) to serve as a transition from the explanation of a large fossil to an explanation of a valuable small fossil
C) to serve as a transition between an explanation of the study of fossils to an explanation of the study of plant life
D) to serve as a transition into an argument for why fossils are over-rated and shouldn't be so valued by paleontologists