Palaeontology is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene Epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present day). It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms’ evolution and interactions with each other and their environments (their paleoecology). Palaeontological observations have been documented as far back as the 5th century BC. The science became established in the 18th century as a result of Georges Cuvier’s work on comparative anatomy and developed rapidly in the 19th century.
In other worlds, palaeontology, is a science about extinct animals based on fossil record. The main goal of palaeontology is reconstruction of life’s evolution on Earth, and to understand its origin and development (Figure 1). Scientists who study fossils are called palaeontologists (Figure 2).
Fossil can be of…
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Stamp Collector (Digital) - 1 Issue, August 2024