We wouldn’t, even the information about animals that we know is very scarce. It’s almost a miracle that and individual is preserved to modern time.
Some animals existed for millions of years and were really abundant but we only found a few specimens. It’s entirely possible that no human fossil would be found in 50 million years.
You should read about the Silurian Hypothesis. Basically says that there may have even been intelligent dinosaurs in the way that we consider ourselves intelligent but if they existed and had industry for the same amount of time we’ve had so far and then we’re wiped out there would be no trace of them in the fossil record. There will probably also be no trace of us if we’re wiped out in a similar way.
Before people come at me, I’m summarizing this from what I remember, so relax.
Part of this comes down to how broadly you’d like to define the term fossils.
If we just lost the fossilized bones, we’d still have footprints and other impressions from being buried in mud or ash. You wouldn’t really be able to piece together what it was from a footprint, but you’d know there used to be something really big, and really weird around that we don’t see anymore.
Not really, no. We might find a few fossilized footprints and wonder what could have made them… but again, that’s a type of fossil.
In fact, it’s likely that only have a tiny fraction of the actual critters that lived even fossilized. Most of the life that came before us will forever remain lost to the mists of time.
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