Question

if you found fossils of the same fern in Australia ,South America,and India,what would you infer about these fossils​

Answer 1

Answer:

Explanation:

There are many examples of fossils found on separate continents and nowhere else, suggesting the continents were once joined. If Continental Drift had not occurred, the alternative explanations would be:

The species evolved independently on separate continents – contradicting Darwin’s theory of evolution.

They swam to the other continent/s in breeding pairs to establish a second population.Remains of Mesosaurus, a freshwater crocodile-like reptile that lived during the early Permian (between 286 and 258 million years ago), are found solely in Southern Africa and Eastern South America. It would have been physiologically impossible for Mesosaurus to swim between the continents. This suggests that South America and Africa were joined during the Early Permian.

Cynognathus is an extinct mammal-like reptile. The name literally means ‘dog jaw’. Cynognathus was as large as a modern wolf and lived during the early to mid Triassic period (250 to 240 million years ago). It is found as fossils only in South Africa and South America.

Answer 2

If the fossils of the same fern are found in Australia, South America, and India, then the inference that could be drawn are as follows:

• Glossopteris was the fern belonging to the class Pteridophyta and one of the most important plant fossils discovered.
• All of the southern continents, including Australia, India, and South America, include Glossopteris fossils.
• As the Glossopteris seed is so big and heavy, it couldn't have sailed or flown over the oceans to another continent.
• To maintain the Glossopteris' widespread throughout the southern continents, the continents must have been connected at some point in the past.