Since its formation some 4.6 billion years ago, the Earth has witnessed the genesis of continents and oceans and the appearance of animals and vegetation.
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Carboniferous
Geological period marked by the appearance of reptiles and winged insects. Plants (ferns, cereals) continued evolving.
falcatus
Shark fossil with sharp teeth. The male had a dentate dorsal fin pointing forward.
arthropleura
Invertebrate fossil with a multi-segmented body. Found in damp forests, it measured almost 2 meters in length.
meganeura
Winged insect fossil. No other insect has ever reached the size of this giant dragonfly (70 cm long).
Devonian
Geological period marked by the appearance of amphibians, insects and the first land animals. This period saw the proliferation of fish and plants.
ichthyostega
Four-limbed vertebrate fossil descended from fish; the ancestor of today’s amphibians and one of the first vertebrates to adapt to land.
ferns
These plants developed by the water’s edge. Consisting of roots, a stem and leaves, they could reach the height of present-day trees.
archaeognatha
The oldest known insect fossil; it was wingless and had long antennae.
Silurian
Geological period marked by the appearance of fish with jaws and the first land plants.
acanthodian
First fish with a jaw; most of its fins were supported by a spine. It disappeared in the Permian period.
cooksonia
One of the first land plants, having a stem but no leaves or roots; it developed in coastal and marshy zones.
