Question

Fossils of the same life form species have been found on continents that are now divided by oceans. In one to two sentences, explain how this could be possible if a supercontinent did not exist.

Answer 1

The existence of similar fossils on separate continents is evidence for a historic supercontinent known as Pangaea, which allowed species to disperse widely before being separated by continental drift.

Step-by-step explanation:

Fossils of the same life-form species found on continents now divided by oceans suggest that these landmasses were once joined. This idea supports the concept of a supercontinent such as Pangaea, which existed approximately 200 million years ago. At that time, all of Earth's continents were connected, allowing species to inhabit widespread areas. As the supercontinent broke apart, due to continental drift and the movement of tectonic plates, these species became separated by the oceans that formed in between the drifting continents. The discovery of similar fossils on now-distant continents is one piece of evidence that supports this theory.