trace fossil

noun

1. a fossilized track, trail, burrow, boring, or other structure in sedimentary rock that records the presence or behavior of the organism that made it.

trace fossil

noun

1. the fossilized remains of a track, trail, footprint, burrow, etc, of an organism

trace fossil

1. A fossil consisting of an imprint of or a mark left by an organism, as opposed to physical remains. Trace fossils are produced in soft sediments and include surface tracks, molded impressions left by organisms or tissues that later decayed, and subsurface burrows or tunnelings.

Example Sentences

The team’s findings “are a thrilling study,” says Anthony Martin, a trace fossil expert at Emory University in Atlanta who wasn’t involved in the research.

From Science News

“Compared to other trace fossils, which are usually only a few tens of centimeters long, this trace fossil was huge,” says Yu-Yen Pan.

From Science News For Students

“Compared to other trace fossils, which are usually only a few tens of centimeters long, this trace fossil was huge,” says Yu-Yen Pan, a geologist at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, Canada.

From Science News

The fossilized guts, or cololites, are a type of trace fossil.

From Science News For Students