which material preserves a whole plant or animal as a fossil?
<answer> Plants can be preserved with a carbon film on a piece of shale, an animal bone can be naturally replaced by minerals and preserved, or a footprint in the sand can harden into a fossil. <context> A fossil is the preserved remains or trace of a plant or animal from the past. That's the simple answer to what is a fossil? Plants can be preserved with a carbon film on a piece of shale, an animal bone can be naturally replaced by minerals and preserved, or a footprint in the sand can harden into a fossil.