A2 Exceptional Preservation

Question 1

Biota

Answer 1

refers to the plants and animals living in an area or environment.

Question 2

Low-energy

Answer 2

refers to the velocity of the water during deposition moving slowly or not at all. Examples of a low-energy environments are swamps, deep seas and lakes.

Question 3

Anaerobic

Answer 3

means without oxygen. This term is usually used to describe conditions within a sediment.

Question 4

Anoxic

Answer 4

means water without oxygen. Standard decomposing bacteria cannot live without oxygen, nor can scavengers.

Question 5

Metazoans

Answer 5

multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the animal kingdom.

Question 6

Unknown affinity

Answer 6

means unrelated to known organisms, living or extinct.

Question 7

Disarticulation

Answer 7

separation of body parts, such as shells, usually after death.

Question 8

Arthropods

Answer 8

invertebrate organisms with jointed appendages, segmented body and an exoskeleton.

Question 9

Lobopodians

Answer 9

are a group of worm-like taxa with stubby legs, often called velvet worms.

Question 10

Pterodactylus

Answer 10

an extinct flying reptile genus of pterosaurs, popularly known as pterodactyls. The wings are formed by skin and muscle membranes stretching from its fourth finger to its hind legs and a wing span of approximately one metre.

Question 11

Compsognathus

Answer 11

belong to the order Saurischia and are Theropod dinosaurs. They grew to the size of a turkey when adult.

Question 12

Archaeopteryx

Answer 12

a genus of a small, bird-like dinosaur, of a similar size to a raven.

Question 13

Necrolytic features

Answer 13

those features associated with a dramatic cause of death, such as death throes in a dying animal. It may also include destruction of tissues or cells in the organism.