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Cambrian Period (570-500) MYA
The Cambrian Period had an abundant amount of marine organisms and the Earth was covered by oceans. -
Ordovician Period (488-443 MYA)
Marine life still flourishes. Molluscs, Arthopods, and Fish, the worlds first true Vertebrates continue to evolve. Life has yet to diversifiy on land. -
Silurian Period (443-416)
Sea levels rise due to glaciers melting. Earths climate is stable opposed to the erratic fluctuations from before. Rapid spread of jawless fish, while fish with jaws are appearing as well. First good evidence of life on land such as relatives of spiders and centipedes. Plant life begins on land. -
Devonian Period (416-358) MYA
Coral reefs form in shallow waters making new ecosystems. Earths fisrt forests form during this period. Insects begin to diversify on land. As well as first tetrapod, Tiktaalik is found during this period. It's said to be the link between lobe-finned fish and ampihibains -
Carboniferous Period (359-299) MYA
Labeled the Carboniferous for the rich amounts of coal that was produced during the era. The first evidence of the amniote egg is found during this era. This allowed further exploration by tetrapods. Gave early animals ability to lay eggs on land with no fear of desiccation -
Permian Period (299-251) MYA
The Permian period saw the largest mass extinction recorded in Earth's history. Most of the marine invertibrates went extinct. The super continent Pangea also formed during this time period. -
Triassic Period (251-199) MYA
The first period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the age of the reptiles because of the diversity of life on land. The first mammals also started to evolve toward the end of this period. -
Jurassic Period (199-145) MYA
During this time, the land was dominated by large plant-eating dinosaurs and smaller carniverous dinosaurs. The oceans were abundant with fish, squid, and coiled ammonites. Vertebrates started to take the sky as well, seeing the first birds. -
Cretaceous Period (145-65) MYA
Known for the end of the age of the dinosausrs because of the mass extinction from a meteor. The first fossils of insect groups are seen during this time. This period also saw modern mammal and bird groups, as well as flowering plants. -
Tertiary Period (65-2.6) MYA
Gondwana the south super continent finally split apart. After the end of the Cretaceous period, there was room for a new dominent species. That species was the mammals. During the Pilocene the first hominids appeared. These were our human ancestors. -
Quaternary Period 2.6 MYA-present
Glaciers advance from the poles and then retreat, which carved and molded the land. Whales and sharks rule the seas and mammals on land. The Quaternary is known as the "Age of Humans" due to homo erectus appearing in Africa at the start of the period.
