Palaeontology is the study of fossils, which are the actual remains of the organisms living in past or just the impressions in the rocks. The word palaeontology has been derived from the Greek word, Palaeos , ancient + onta, existing things and logos, study or discourse.
Fossil can be defined as: Any body or traces of body, animal or vegetable buried and preserved by natural causes.
It means a fossil may be an entire organism which got buried in the snow in the remote past, a mould or cast of the entire organism or its parts or unchanged parts or their replica, footprints or even the imprint of a leaf on a stone.
Types of Fossils:
Body fossils-fossils of hard part of organisms
Subfossils- remains of plant and animals reserved in rocks less than 10,000 years.
Microfossils- fossils remains of microscopic animals and plants less than 0.5mm in size etc.
History
The palaeontological records furnish irrefutable proof that life on earth had changed through the ages. These have cast an entirely new light on the past history of the earth, the plants and the animals. Study of fossil records is comparable to an excursion through the prehistoric time. Although, so fruitful and fascinating, the study of fossil was not established as a well-distinguished branch of science till nineteenth century. Some early Greek and Roman scholars had made an abortive attempt to explain the origin and meaning of fossils but a significant advance was made in this direction in eighteenth century and nineteenth century.
The term Palaeontology was first introduced most probably in the year 1834 in France and Russia simultaneously. Anaximander (611-547 B.C.) was the first person who considered the real meaning of fossils.
Divisions of Palaeontology
1. Palaeobotany- It is the study of fossil plants
2. Palaeonzoology- It is the study of fossil animals. It is divided into two
i) Invertebrate Palaeontology
ii) Vertebrate Palaeontology and
iii) Micropalaeontology
Relationship with allied Sciences
1. Palaeontology and geology- The palaeontology is actually the subdivions of historical geology which is concerned with the history of earth and its inhabitants recorded in the rock of earth�s crust. A geologist after studying the rocks and the inhabitants concludes about the climate and other geographical conditions on which depends the nature of the plants and animals. Therfore, palaeontology and geology are closely inter-related branched of Science because the geologist concludes about the age of the rock.
2. Palaenotolody and Palaeogeography- By studying the fossils it is possible to ascertain the position of seas and land masses because the presence of fossils of corals, echinoderms, brachiopods and cephalopods (which always had marine existence) indicates the presence of sea. With the study of fossils, plants and animals, the boundaries of land and seas have been drawn and it has been noticed, that these were not exactly the same as today. For example, with the occurrence of fossils of marine in Himalayas and plains of Ganges it is inferred that these areas were under sea.
3. Palaeontology and stratigraphy- Fossils are best tools for the study of stratigraphy. These provide important clues to the age of rocks containing them.
