origin and evolution of species [2]

Since its formation some 4.6 billion years ago, the Earth has witnessed the genesis of continents and oceans and the appearance of animals and vegetation.

Carboniferous

Geological period marked by the appearance of reptiles and winged insects. Plants (ferns, cereals) continued evolving.

falcatus

Shark fossil with sharp teeth. The male had a dentate dorsal fin pointing forward.

arthropleura

Invertebrate fossil with a multi-segmented body. Found in damp forests, it measured almost 7 ft in length.

meganeura

Winged insect fossil. No other insect has ever reached the size of this giant dragonfly (28 in long).

Devonian

Geological period marked by the appearance of amphibians, insects and the first land animals. This period saw the proliferation of fish and plants.

ichthyostega

Four-limbed vertebrate fossil descended from fish; the ancestor of today’s amphibians and one of the first vertebrates to adapt to land.

ferns

These plants developed by the water’s edge. Consisting of roots, a stem and leaves, they could reach the height of present-day trees.

archaeognatha

The oldest known insect fossil; it was wingless and had long antennae.

Silurian

Geological period marked by the appearance of fish with jaws and the first land plants.

acanthodian

First fish with a jaw; most of its fins were supported by a spine. It disappeared in the Permian period.

cooksonia

One of the first land plants, having a stem but no leaves or roots; it developed in coastal and marshy zones.