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7.30: Caving for fossils

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Men in hard hats beside hold in ground
7.30: Caving for fossils

SUBJECTS:  Science

YEARS:  9–10


Imagine the enthusiasm of Australian paleontologists when they heard about the discovery of three caves in the middle of the Nullarbor Plain.

Watch this clip to find out just what was discovered in the caves and why it is so significant.


Things to think about

  1. 1.Have you ever been caving? What safety equipment would be necessary to explore a cave? What would you do if you discovered something significant in the cave? How would you record your discovery?
  2. 2.How long is it believed the 'Thylacoleo' species has been extinct? What items of safety equipment are the paleontologists using in their exploration of the cave? What tools do the paleontologists use to study the fossils in the cave?
  3. 3.How might the paleontologists use their knowledge of evolution and fossil formation to explain the existence of the fossils in the cave?
  4. 4.

    'Thylacoleo', also called the marsupial lion, may have to have once been Australia's most dangerous carnivore. Convergent evolution is thought to explain why this species had similar features to carnivores living in the northern hemisphere, such as wolves and lions. Draw a cartoon or fact sheet that explains the concept of convergent evolution and why 'Thylacoleo' evolved to share features with lions and wolves.



Date of broadcast: 16 Sep 2011


Copyright

Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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