3-Replacement Fossils
For a replacement fossil, water and dissolved minerals must flow into to pores in the bones, hoof, and teeth of the hyracotherinum. Sooner or later, the water will either evaporate or be forced out due to the sediment on top of the "horse", but the minerals will be left behind. As the organs decompose, they would be slowly replaced by more minerals, until the whole body of our hyracotherinum is perfectly recreated in rock: an effigy of past life. Below is an image of a replacement fossil. Can you tell what creature this once was?