What are Silurian fossils?
Silurian Fossils (440 to 410 mya) fossil are found. Perhaps most important is the appearance of vascular plants, particularly Cooksonia and Lycophites. The Silurian witnessed substantial evolution of fishes. The first bony fish, the Osteichthyes appeared, represented by the Acanthodians with bony scales.
When did the Cooksonia become extinct?
A drawing of Cooksonia. Cooksonia are some of the earliest known land plants. They existed during the middle Silurian period (wenlock epoch) and went extinct during the early Devonian period.
What happened during Silurian period?
During the Silurian Period Earth underwent considerable changes, which had important repercussions for the environment and life. Not only does this time period mark the wide and rapid spread of jawless fish, but also the appearances of both the first known freshwater fish and the first fish with jaws.
What were the major geologic events of the Silurian period?
The Silurian is a time when many biologically significant events occurred. In the oceans, there was a widespread radiation of crinoids, a continued proliferation and expansion of the brachiopods, and the oldest known fossils of coral reefs.
What does the name Silurian mean?
Silurian in American English (sɪˈluriən, sai-) adjective. of or pertaining to the Silures or their country. Geology. noting or pertaining to a period of the Paleozoic Era, occurring from 425 to 405 million years ago, notable for the advent of air-breathing animals and terrestrial plants.
Why is Cooksonia significant?
Cooksonia, a very old land plant (I) (II) The evolution of the first land plants was a major event in the history of Earth. It cleared the way for the irresistible development of animal life on the land. The most famous Silurian land plant is a small creature sized up to a couple of centimeters, named Cooksonia.
Where was Cooksonia found?
The earliest fossils of Cooksonia have been found in Middle Silurian Wenlock strata from Tipperary, Ireland. They consist of small bifurcations some centimeters in size. During the latest Silurian Cooksonia becomes more common, and by the early Devonian has been supplanted by other species of land-plants.
What caused the Silurian period to end?
Around 443 million years ago, 85% of all species on Earth went extinct in the Ordovician-Silurian extinction. The extinction was a most likely a result of global cooling and reduced sea levels, which dramatically impacted the many marine species living in warm, shallow coastal waters.
What went extinct in the Silurian period?
The extinction event abruptly affected all major taxonomic groups and caused the disappearance of one third of all brachiopod and bryozoan families, as well as numerous groups of conodonts, trilobites, echinoderms, corals, bivalves, and graptolites.
What is Devonian era?
Paleozoic
Devonian/Era
Devonian Period, in geologic time, an interval of the Paleozoic Era that follows the Silurian Period and precedes the Carboniferous Period, spanning between about 419.2 million and 358.9 million years ago.