Which statement best describes why most individuals organisms never fossilized
• Only organisms that lived in the ocean fossilize.
Conditions for fossilization are rare.
Chemicals that fossilize organisms are rare.
• Only organisms with hard parts fossilize.
The statement that best describes why most individual organisms never fossilize is:
Conditions for fossilization are rare.
Fossilization is a process that typically requires a very specific set of conditions, including rapid burial to protect the remains from scavengers, decomposition, and weathering, as well as the presence of minerals that can replace the organic materials over time. While it is more common for organisms with hard parts such as bones, shells, or exoskeletons to leave behind fossils, the rarity of the necessary conditions for fossilization makes it an exceptional event for any organism, regardless of where it lived or what it was made of. Hence, the vast majority of organisms that have ever lived on Earth have not been fossilized and have left no trace in the fossil record.