1. We can learn what types of organisms lived at what times and where they lived.
2. We can learn about when certain groups of animals evolved and what their ancestors were like.
3. We can learn how the continents drifted by comparing where fossil species have been found (for example, a species that was found in Africa and South America but couldn't cross an ocean would tell us that Africa and South America used to be connected.
4. We can learn about organisms that no longer exist, including what they ate and looked like, how big they were, and other traits.