on this page you will learn about how the paleozoic era affected life forever and howthe paleozoic was unique
THE PALEOZOIC ERA IS KNOWN AS “ANCIENT LIFE” OR “THE AGE OF THE INVERTEBRATES.” IT WAS FROM 543-251 MYA.
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE ERA THE CLIMATE WAS MODERATE SO IT WASN’T TOO HOT OR TOO COLD. THE CLIMATE WAS WELL-BALANCED THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD. AT TIMES IT BECAME UNSTABLE BUT THEN AFTER THAT IT BECAME STABLE AGAIN. WHEN IT STABILIZED THE CLIMATE SUPPORTED LIFE LETTING ANIMALS ROAM ON THE LAND. AT THE END OF THE ERA OXYGEN LEVELS ROSE ONCE MORE AND THE CARBON DIOXIDE LEVELS HIT AN ALL TIME LOW CAUSING ICE AGES (DUN DUN DUUUUUUN).
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE ERA THE CONTINENTS COVERED THE PERIMETER OF THE EARTH. THERE WERE TWO LONG STRIPS OF LAND GOING ON THE EAST AND WEST SIDES OF THE EARTH COMPLETELY COVERING THE THE PERIMETER OF THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE AND PART OF THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE. IN THE CENTER OF THE EARTH THERE WERE THE PIECES OF LAND COMPLETELY SEPARATED FROM THE OUT PIECES OF LAND. THESE PIECES IN THE MIDDLE LOOKED LIKE THREE HUGE CHEERIOS IN A BOWL. THESE SMALL CONTINENTS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN WERE ONCE PART OF PANNOTIA (PAN-O-TEE-A) WHICH WAS THE SUPER CONTINENT IN PRECAMBRIAN, BUT DON’T MISTAKE IT FOR PANGEA WHICH YOU CAN LEARN ABOUT IN THE MESOZOIC LINK AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE. DURING THIS TIME THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS FORMED IN THE PERIMETER LAND PIECES WHICH SOON BECAME THE EAST COAST OF THE U.S.A.. DURING THIS PERIOD THE SA LEVELS CONTINUED TO RISE AND THEN LOWER THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD. AT THE END OF THIS PERIOD PANGEA FORMED. PANGEA IS A CONTINENT THAT HAS ALL OF THE LAND ON EARTH CONNECTED TO MAKE SORT OF A SUPERCONTINENT.
DURING THIS TIME THE ANIMALS WERE INVERTEBRATES EXPLODED. THIS MEANS THAT INVERTEBRATE LIFE EXPLODED. INVERTEBRATES ARE ANIMALS THE HAVE SPINES. THE VERY FIRST VERTEBRATE WAS THE JAWED FISH. DURING THIS PERIOD MARINE LIFE AND FISH BECAME BIG ALSO. THESE FISH AT FIRST WERE JAWLESS SO THEIR MOUTHS STAYED IN THE SAME PLACE BECAUSE THEY HAD NO JAWS THEY COULD NOT MOVE THEIR MOUTHS. THE MARINE THE LIFE THAT EXPLODED IN THIS PERIOD WAS A LOT OF FISH AND THERE WAS THE FIRST SHARK. THIS SHARK WASN’T LIKE THE SHARKS WE HAVE NOW IT WAS MORE BONY AND A LOT BIGGER BUT NOT AS BIG AS THE BIGGEST SHARK EVER...THE MEGALODON.
AT THE END OF THIS PERIOD THERE WAS A GIGANTIC MASS EXTINCTION. 96% OF ALL MARINE LIFE DIED AND 70% OF ALL LAND LIFE DIED. BUT THE MARINE LIFE SOON GREW BACK BECOMING DINOSAURS. THIS WAS THE BIGGEST MASS EXTINCTION EVER RECORDED.
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE ERA THE CLIMATE WAS MODERATE SO IT WASN’T TOO HOT OR TOO COLD. THE CLIMATE WAS WELL-BALANCED THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD. AT TIMES IT BECAME UNSTABLE BUT THEN AFTER THAT IT BECAME STABLE AGAIN. WHEN IT STABILIZED THE CLIMATE SUPPORTED LIFE LETTING ANIMALS ROAM ON THE LAND. AT THE END OF THE ERA OXYGEN LEVELS ROSE ONCE MORE AND THE CARBON DIOXIDE LEVELS HIT AN ALL TIME LOW CAUSING ICE AGES (DUN DUN DUUUUUUN).
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE ERA THE CONTINENTS COVERED THE PERIMETER OF THE EARTH. THERE WERE TWO LONG STRIPS OF LAND GOING ON THE EAST AND WEST SIDES OF THE EARTH COMPLETELY COVERING THE THE PERIMETER OF THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE AND PART OF THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE. IN THE CENTER OF THE EARTH THERE WERE THE PIECES OF LAND COMPLETELY SEPARATED FROM THE OUT PIECES OF LAND. THESE PIECES IN THE MIDDLE LOOKED LIKE THREE HUGE CHEERIOS IN A BOWL. THESE SMALL CONTINENTS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN WERE ONCE PART OF PANNOTIA (PAN-O-TEE-A) WHICH WAS THE SUPER CONTINENT IN PRECAMBRIAN, BUT DON’T MISTAKE IT FOR PANGEA WHICH YOU CAN LEARN ABOUT IN THE MESOZOIC LINK AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE. DURING THIS TIME THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS FORMED IN THE PERIMETER LAND PIECES WHICH SOON BECAME THE EAST COAST OF THE U.S.A.. DURING THIS PERIOD THE SA LEVELS CONTINUED TO RISE AND THEN LOWER THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD. AT THE END OF THIS PERIOD PANGEA FORMED. PANGEA IS A CONTINENT THAT HAS ALL OF THE LAND ON EARTH CONNECTED TO MAKE SORT OF A SUPERCONTINENT.
DURING THIS TIME THE ANIMALS WERE INVERTEBRATES EXPLODED. THIS MEANS THAT INVERTEBRATE LIFE EXPLODED. INVERTEBRATES ARE ANIMALS THE HAVE SPINES. THE VERY FIRST VERTEBRATE WAS THE JAWED FISH. DURING THIS PERIOD MARINE LIFE AND FISH BECAME BIG ALSO. THESE FISH AT FIRST WERE JAWLESS SO THEIR MOUTHS STAYED IN THE SAME PLACE BECAUSE THEY HAD NO JAWS THEY COULD NOT MOVE THEIR MOUTHS. THE MARINE THE LIFE THAT EXPLODED IN THIS PERIOD WAS A LOT OF FISH AND THERE WAS THE FIRST SHARK. THIS SHARK WASN’T LIKE THE SHARKS WE HAVE NOW IT WAS MORE BONY AND A LOT BIGGER BUT NOT AS BIG AS THE BIGGEST SHARK EVER...THE MEGALODON.
AT THE END OF THIS PERIOD THERE WAS A GIGANTIC MASS EXTINCTION. 96% OF ALL MARINE LIFE DIED AND 70% OF ALL LAND LIFE DIED. BUT THE MARINE LIFE SOON GREW BACK BECOMING DINOSAURS. THIS WAS THE BIGGEST MASS EXTINCTION EVER RECORDED.