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are greatly useful in assisting the preservation of organisms, whose soft parts usually rot before they can be fossilized. Mineralized exoskeletons can be preserved as shell fragments. The possession of an exoskeleton permits a couple of other routes to fossilization. For instance, the strong layer can resist compaction, allowing a mould of the organism to be formed underneath the skeleton, which may later decay. Alternatively, exceptional preservation may result in chitin

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