Fossils: 95% Plants, 1/4% Vertebrates - Fact or Fiction?

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The discussion centers around the validity of a Facebook post claiming that 95% of the fossil record consists of plants, with shellfish and coral making up most of the remainder, while vertebrates account for only a small fraction. Participants express skepticism about the accuracy of these claims, emphasizing the lack of citations and clarity on how the fossil record was quantified. They stress the importance of relying on peer-reviewed sources from reputable publications, dismissing unverified information from social media as unreliable. The conversation highlights the need for critical evaluation of claims regarding the fossil record and the necessity of credible evidence in scientific discussions.
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Hello! I read this post on Facebook and I am curious as to its validity and accuracy:

95% of the fossil record is made of plants. Shellfish & coral make up most of the rest while vertebrates (fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds & mammals) make only 1/4 of 1% of the fossil record & only 1 of every 500 of these consist of more than one bone!

This doesn't seem that far from accurate, but I'd love to see peer-reviewed sources on this. Also, the fossil count must be in the several hundred millions because we have hundreds, if not, thousands of fossils JUST in the human evolutionary tree.

Thanks, guys!
 
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Hello! I read this post on Facebook and I am curious as to its validity and accuracy:
That's easy - it's on Facebook and no citations were given? No note of how the contribution to the overall fossil record was measured was given (i.e by weight, volume, raw number??) or even what "fossil record" means in this context? - therefore it is invalid and meaningless.

Ask the person who posted it to supply a citation.
 
Garbage posted on facebook is..garbage. If there is no peer reviewed source linked to a respected publication, ignore it. You shouldn't even need to ask.
 

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