CBSE Class 10 Answered

Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals, plants, and other organisms from the remote past.

The fossil records of geological timescale shows that fossils of only simple forms are found in lower or old strata while those of complex forms appear in upper or recent strata of the earth. This indicates that complex forms have been gradually evolved from preexisting simple ones. 

Fossils also reveal such forms like Neuropteris and Archaeopteryx, serving as connecting links. These connecting links clearly indicate the evolution of one organism from the other. 

Some ancient animals, such as trilobites, have no close living relatives. Others have very close relatives living today. By studying living animals and how they live, scientists can better understand how animals lived in the past.

The Palaeontologists have also been successful in tracing the complete ancestral record (Pedigree) of animals such as horse, elephant, camel etc. 

Fossils are an important piece of proving the theory of evolution because they present the physical proof of its' existence. We know that life has evolved by looking at fossils. The fossil record was one of the early sources of data relevant to the study of evolution and continues to be relevant to the history of life on Earth.

The fossil records thus show many direct and documentary evidences. Fossils are our only clues to life in the past. They help us learn about evolution - how living things have changed through time. It presents visible records of evolutionary changes in the strata of earth where there is no room for speculation or doubt.