For many of us the world of ancient animals seem to herds of dinosaurs or, in extreme cases, mammoths.In fact, it is much more varied and fantastic.Our planet was inhabited by millions of creatures, most of which disappeared forever from the face of the earth, leaving us only the memory of their fossils, fossilized footprints, paintings of ancient people or nothing left.But each of them served as the building block of the great kingdom, calling the flora and fauna.
Fantastic Beasts
Ancient animals began its existence in the form of spineless organisms long before the emergence of Homo sapiens.So says the official science.Informal, based on hundreds of artefacts that were found in different parts of the Earth believes that until our civilization were other, less developed than we are.Of course, then we lived not only people but also animals.What they were almost impossible to identify.The only thing that is left of them - a mention in ancient manuscripts and all sorts of myths about dragons, elves, fabulous monsters, unicorns.However, there is the world's only museum where the exhibits are real, according to its employees, the remains of unicorns, mermaids and other strange creatures.Among them are fragments of dragons, mermaids, mythical two-headed snakes and other monsters learned archaeologists enthusiasts from the bowels of the Earth.
How it all began
official science paleontology holds the theory that life originated in the Precambrian period.This is the most impressive period of time, which accounts for 90% of the length of the existence of all living things.It lasted almost 5 billion years, from the beginning of the formation of the earth before the Cambrian.First on our planet had no atmosphere, no water, nothing, not even volcanoes.
dark and lifeless, she sped silently along its orbit.This period is called the Hadean.4 billion years ago was replaced by Archaea, which was marked by the appearance of the atmosphere, however, with little or no oxygen.Then arose the first and the sea, is an acidic salt solutions.In these terrible conditions and life began.The earliest land animals - cyanobacteria.They live in colonies, forming a film or laminated mats on the substrate.The memory of them - calcareous stromatolites.
Continued development of life
Archean lasted for 1.5 billion years.Cyanobacteria have filled the atmosphere with oxygen and ensure the emergence of hundreds of new species of microorganisms, thanks to which we have the ability to live mineral deposits.
about 540 million years ago began Cambrian lasted 55-56 million years.The first of its era - Paleozoic.It is a Greek word meaning "ancient life" ("paleo Zoe").The Paleozoic formed first and a single continent Gondwana
.The climate was warm, close to subtropical, which is ideal for the development of life.Then it exists mainly in water.Its representatives were not only single-celled, but the whole system of algae, polyps, corals, hydras, ancient sponges and other things.These ancient animals are gradually eaten all those who formed the stromatolites.At the same time they began developing the land.
ancient plants
believed that to land the first "out" of the plant.At first it was dry seaweed from time to time shallows.Blue-green algae are the first plants on the planet.They were replaced by psilophytes.The roots have not yet, but already existed tissue cells for conducting water and nutrients.Then there were horsetails, club mosses and ferns.The size of these plants were real giants as tall as a 10-storey building.These forests were gloomy and very humid.The first gymnosperms originated not from ferns and fern from that already have roots, bark, core and Crown.During glaciation gymnosperms extinct ancestors.Angiosperms appeared in the Cretaceous period.They pushed much of their ancestors - gymnosperms, changing the face of the planet and became the ruling class.
first sunrise and sunset
first appearance on land plants contributed to the emergence and development of insects.The oldest land animal - arachnids, bright representative is armored spider.Later, there were winged insects, and then and amphibians.By the end of Paleozoic reptiles dominated on land that had a very impressive size.Among them are three-meter pareiasaur, pelycosaur, grows up to 6.5 meters, therapsids.The latter were the most numerous class, which had in its ranks, and representatives of small and giants.Approximately 252 million years ago there was a worldwide natural catastrophe, which resulted in the complete disappearance of 70% of all land animals, 96% of marine life and 83% insects.It happened in the Permian period.They ended the Paleozoic and Mesozoic began.It lasted for 185-186 million years.The Mesozoic includes Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.Ancient animals and plants that survived the disaster, continued to develop.Since the second half of the Triassic to the end of the Mesozoic dinosaurs occupied the dominant position.
Lord dinosaurs
These reptiles had more than a thousand species, set up and learn to help the remains of ancient animals.The very first dinosaur is considered staurikosaurus, length of which was less than a meter and a weight of about 30 kg.Later came errorazavr, eoraptor, plesiosaur, Tyrannosaurus and others.They have completely mastered the land, oceans, rose into the air.The most famous of the flying lizards - the pterodactyl.They exist many kinds, from toddlers up to the size of a sparrow giants with a wingspan of 12-13 meters.They eat fish, insects, and their brethren.In 1964, during excavations found the remains of a creature called deynonihom.It was the first warm-blooded dinosaur.Presumably he was forefather of birds, as had feathers.
Dinosaurs - amazing ancient animals.Many consider them stupid and primitive, but they were able not only to lay eggs, and hatch them, anxious to take care of the offspring, protecting and educating their children.A pelycosaur were the progenitors of the first mammals.
kingdom
mammals about 65 million years ago, at the end of the Mesozoic, there was another terrible accident, which resulted in all the dinosaurs died out.Also disappeared most species of mollusks, aquatic reptiles and plants.Again, one death has spawned the emergence and development of others.Warm-blooded mammals underwent a long evolution, and gradually settled all natural niche.It happened in the Cenozoic, succeeding Mesozoic.Its Quaternary period, continues today, a man appeared.Ancient animals of Earth, have experienced natural disasters, were exterminated by primitive people at the dawn of mankind and Homo sapiens in the recent past.So, by 1500, they killed all the birds Moa.In the late 17th century, ceased to exist dodo, dodo, tours, passenger pigeon.In the 18th century killed last sea cow.In the 19th died last quagga, which resembles a zebra, and the 20th - the Tasmanian wolf.And this is only a small part of the impressive list.
unusual finds
All of these animals are killed human greed.However, in the world there are many wonderful people who care about the preservation of species on Earth and to undertake an expedition to open up new ones.Enthusiasts believe that not all of ancient animals became extinct.There's even a science - cryptozoology dealing with unusual relic species.The most famous of them - plesiosaur of Loch Ness and the Puerto Rican Chupacabra.Skeptics do not believe in their existence, but relatively recently, no one believed in the existence of the okapi, pygmy hippos, Crossopterygii, dwarf deer and other animals discovered in the 18-20 centuries.As if to confirm that new discoveries are still to come, people find unusual skeletons or fragments of bodies of creatures unknown to science, awaiting description and classification.
