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PAST LIFE
Lesson 1 - Page 2

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Fossils are not always that easy to determine. From the time of the ancient Greeks until 1600's, fossils were thought to be oddities of nature. Shiny, button-shaped fossil teeth from fossil fish were thought to come from the heads of living toads. Clam fossils were hoof marks of recent sheep.

Fossils were also explained through myths and stories. Ammonites, a type of extinct sea animal, were believed to be coiled snakes turned to stone by a saint. The fossil tusk of the narwhal, a small whale, was for many years thought to be from the magical unicorn. Fossil oysters were nicknamed the Devil's Toenails.

When humans discovered there was a connection between fossils and now extinct species, it was a breakthrough in understanding the significance of fossils and geologic time. 


Living Narwhal


Oyster fossil


Ammonites


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