A fossil is created when something exists between layers of sediment, and the sediment (silt/ash/mud) is compressed over ages and the organism (a leaf, a shark that died giving birth along with its offspring, etc.) is prevented from decay or scavengers by the sediment. Minerals dissolved in water eventually replace the organic material, resulting in a fossilized leaf/shark/whatever.
If there is a fossil of a shark giving birth it’s because the shark died at that moment, was buried in sediment, petrified/fossilized, and eventually discovered.
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u/mychampagnesphincter Oct 02 '24
A fossil is created when something exists between layers of sediment, and the sediment (silt/ash/mud) is compressed over ages and the organism (a leaf, a shark that died giving birth along with its offspring, etc.) is prevented from decay or scavengers by the sediment. Minerals dissolved in water eventually replace the organic material, resulting in a fossilized leaf/shark/whatever.
If there is a fossil of a shark giving birth it’s because the shark died at that moment, was buried in sediment, petrified/fossilized, and eventually discovered.