Life in the Palaeozoic

Introduction

The Palaeozoic Era was a very important time in the history of life. Using evidence from fossils, we start by looking at the Cambrian explosion, when many forms of animal life first appeared about 545 million years ago. Then we move on to study creatures living in the Ordovician seas, including the extinct trilobites. Next, we'll investigate the invasion of land by plants and invertebrates that occurred in the Silurian Period, and look at life in Silurian seas. You'll also learn about the Devonian Period, when vertebrates first moved onto land. The course finishes with a brief outline of vertebrate evolution.

This OpenLearn course provides a sample of level 1 study in Environment & Development [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)]