For many of us, the world of ancient animals seems to be herds of dinosaurs or, in extreme cases, mammoths. In fact, it is much more diverse and fantastic. Our planet was inhabited by millions of creatures, most of which disappeared forever from the face of the Earth, leaving us with only their fossil remains, fossilized traces, drawings of ancient people, or nothing at all. But each of them served as a brick of a great kingdom called flora and fauna.
Fantastic Beasts
Ancient animals began their existence in the form of spineless microorganisms long before Homo sapiens appeared. So says official science. Unofficial, based on hundreds of artifacts found in different parts of the Earth, believes that before the advent of our civilization there were others no less developed than we are. Of course, not only people lived then, but also animals. What they were is almost impossible to determine. The only thing left of them is the mention in ancient manuscripts and myths about all kinds of dragons, elves, incredible monsters, unicorns. However, there is the only museum in the world where the exhibits arereal, according to its workers, the remains of unicorns, mermaids and other outlandish creatures. Among them are fragments of dragons, mermaids, mythical two-headed snakes and other monsters, extracted by enthusiastic archaeologists from the bowels of the Earth.
How it all began
The official science of paleontology adheres to the theory that life originated in the Precambrian period. This is the most impressive period of time, which accounts for 90% of the duration of the existence of all living things. It lasted almost 5 billion years, from the beginning of the formation of the Earth to the Cambrian. At first, our planet had no atmosphere, no water, nothing, not even volcanoes.
Gloomy and lifeless, it silently rushed through its orbit. This period is called Catharche. 4 billion years ago, it was replaced by Archaea, which was marked by the appearance of an atmosphere, however, practically without oxygen. At the same time, the first seas arose, which were acid-s alt solutions. In these terrible conditions, life was born. The most ancient animal on Earth is cyanobacteria. They lived in colonies, forming films or layered mats on the substrate. Their memory is calcareous stromatolites.
Continuing development of life
Archaean lasted 1.5 billion years. Cyanobacteria filled the atmosphere with oxygen and ensured the emergence of hundreds of new types of microorganisms, thanks to the vital activity of which we have mineral deposits.
Approximately 540 million years ago, the Cambrian began, lasting 55-56 million years. Its first era is the Paleozoic. This Greek word means "ancient life" ("paleozoi"). In the Paleozoic, the first and only
continent Gondwana was formed. The climate was warm, close to subtropical, which was ideal for the development of life. Then it existed mainly in the water. Its representatives were not only unicellular, but also entire systems of algae, polyps, corals, hydras, ancient sponges and other things. These ancient animals gradually ate all those who formed stromatolites. In the same period, they began to develop land.
Ancient plants
It is believed that plants were the first to “come out” on land. At first it was algae from shallow waters that dried up from time to time. Blue-green algae are considered the first plants on the planet. They were replaced by psilophytes. They did not yet have roots, but tissues already existed that carried water and nutrients through the cells. Then horsetails, club mosses and ferns appeared. In size, these plants were real giants, the height of a 10-story building. In their forests it was gloomy and very humid. The first gymnosperms arose not from ferns, but from ferns, which already had roots, bark, core and crown. During the glaciation, the ancestors of the gymnosperms died out. Angiosperms appeared in the Cretaceous period. They significantly pressed their ancestors - gymnosperms, changing the face of the planet and becoming the ruling class.
First sunrise and first sunset
The appearance of plants on land contributed to the emergence and development of insects. The most ancient sushi animal is arachnids, a prominent representative of which is the armored spider. Later, winged insects appeared, and then amphibians. By the end of the Paleozoic, reptiles dominated land, which had a very impressive size. Among them are three-meter pareiasaurs, pelycosaurs that grew up to 6.5 meters, and therapsids. The latter were the most numerous class, having both small representatives and giants in their ranks. Approximately 252 million years ago, a global natural disaster occurred, which resulted in the complete disappearance of 70% of all land animals, 96% of marine life and 83% of insects. It happened in the Permian period. It ended with the Paleozoic and began with the Mesozoic. It lasted as much as 185-186 million years. The Mesozoic includes the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Ancient animals and plants that survived the catastrophe continued to develop. From the second half of the Triassic to the end of the Mesozoic, dinosaurs dominated.
Dinosaur Lords
These reptiles numbered more than a thousand species, which help to establish and study the remains of ancient animals. The very first dinosaur is considered to be a staurikosaurus, whose body length was less than a meter and weighed about 30 kg. Later, the Errorasaurus, Eoraptor, Plesiosaurus, Tyrannosaurus and others appeared. They completely mastered the land, the oceans, rose into the air. The most famous flying lizard is the pterodactyl. There were many types of them, from babiesthe size of a sparrow to giants with a wingspan of 12-13 meters. They ate fish, insects and their brethren. In 1964, during excavations, the remains of a creature called Deinonychus were found. It was the first warm-blooded dinosaur. Presumably, he was the ancestor of birds, as he had plumage.
Dinosaurs are amazing ancient animals. Many consider them stupid and primitive, but they knew how not only to lay eggs, but also to hatch them, to take care of their offspring, protecting and teaching their children. Pelycosaurs were the progenitors of the first mammals.
Mammal Kingdom
Approximately 65 million years ago, at the end of the Mesozoic, another terrible catastrophe occurred, as a result of which all dinosaurs became extinct. Most species of mollusks, aquatic reptiles, and plants also disappeared. And again, the death of some gave rise to the emergence and development of others. Warm-blooded mammals have gone through a long evolution and gradually populated all natural niches. It happened in the Cenozoic, which replaced the Mesozoic. In his Quaternary period, which continues even now, man appeared. The ancient animals of the Earth that survived natural disasters were exterminated by primitive people at the dawn of mankind and by a reasonable man in the recent past. So, by 1500, all the moa birds were killed. At the end of the 17th century, dodos, dodos, tours, and passenger pigeons ceased to exist. In the 18th century, the last sea cow was killed. In the 19th, the last zebra-like quagga died, and in the 20th, the Tasmanian wolf. And this is only a small part of the impressive list.
Unusual finds
All these animals were killed by human greed. However, there are many wonderful people in the world who care about the conservation of existing species on Earth and undertake expeditions to discover new ones. Enthusiasts believe that not all ancient animals are extinct. There is even a science - cryptozoology, dealing with unusual relic species. The most famous of them are the Loch Ness Plesiosaur and the Puerto Rican Chupacabra. Skeptics do not believe in their existence, but relatively recently, no one believed in the existence of okapi, pygmy hippos, lobe-finned fish, pygmy deer and other animals discovered in the 18-20 centuries. As if to confirm that new discoveries are yet to come, people find extraordinary skeletons or body fragments of creatures unknown to science that are waiting to be described and classified.
