Question

Which of the following would most likely become fossilized?

An invertebrate buried in sand.
A vertebrate buried in mud.

Justify your response in two or more complete sentences.

Answer 1

Mud, because mud (When wet) can keep the shape of the object being fossilized. 

Answer 2

The correct answer is - A vertebrate buried in mud.

A vertebrate that has been buried in mud has relatively high chances of being fossilized and preserved, and that is because of two reasons.

The first reason is that the vertebrates have bone structure, and the bones are very hard to dispose, especially if the conditions are right. And even if they do dispose after some time, they will live a print behind them.

The second reason is the mud. The mud will cover all of the vertebrate. Slow down the decomposition, and when the decomposition is over, the bones will be in a place that can protect them from the outside influences, thus preserving them for a very long period of time.