Overblijfselen, afdrukken of sporen van dieren of planten uit vroegere geologische tijden, die zijn bewaard gebleven in de aardkorst.Restos, impresiones o indicios de animales o plantas de edades geológicas pasadas que han sido preservados en la corteza de la tierra.Überreste, Eindrücke oder Spuren von Tieren oder Pflanzen aus älteren Erdzeiten, die sich in der Erdkruste erhalten haben.Remains, impressions, or traces of humans, animals, or plants of past geological ages that have been preserved in the earth's crust. The complex of data recorded in fossils worldwide--known as the fossil record--is the primary source of information about the history of life on Earth. Only a small fraction of ancient organisms are preserved as fossils, and usually only organisms that have a solid and resistant skeleton are readily preserved.