What is the fossil record?

The fossil record refers to the collection of physical and research evidence that paleontologists and geologists have used to prove the veracity of evolutionary theory. The physical evidence in the fossil record comes from fossilized remains of prehistoric animals.

Rather than being a formal set of specific evidence, the fossil record simply refers to the collective evidence that exists in physical and research form that proves the existence of evolution. When fossils of specific animals are assembled in chronological order, they prove the development of a species over time. For example, scallop fossils show the way this animal has gradually developed over thousands of years.