What do you call the preserved remains or traces of organisms that lived in the past?
decomposition
skulls
corals
fossils
Fossils are preserved remains or traces of organisms that lived in the past. Most preserved remains are hard parts, such as teeth, bones, or shells. Hard parts are less likely to be destroyed before they can become fossils. Even so, a very tiny percentage of living things become fossils. These types of fossils are called body fossils ( Figure below , Figure below , and Figure below ).