THE PALEOZOIC ERA (542 mya to 251 mya)

The Paleozoic Era is the longest and oldest era within the Phanerozoic Eon. The Paleozoic
definition breaks down the term into its Greek units. Paleo means "primitive" or "ancient",
while zoic means "life".

The Paleozoic Era was named such because the Era is marked with the evolution of many
new organisms, specifically marine animals. This Era occurs between Precambrian time and
the Mesozoic Era. The Paleozoic Era lasted around 289 million years and began 542 million
years ago. The Paleozoic Era is broken into six smaller periods of time:
1. Cambrian
2. Ordovician
3. Silurian
4. Devonian
5. Carboniferous
6. Permian

Major Events of the Paleozoic Era

Since the Paleozoic Era covers such a vast amount of time, many events occurred that altered
the life of the organisms around during the time. These events include the growth and
development of new species, but also include the destruction and disappearance of others.
The climate contributed to major evolutionary changes and events.
The Cambrian Explosion
The Paleozoic era major events began with the Cambrian Explosion, a very short period of
time where animal life evolved tremendously. Prior to the Paleozoic Era, life was only found
in the oceans, not on land. However, during this era, life on land evolved for both plants and
animals. One such group of animals were vertebrates, or animals with backbones. One of the
earliest known vertebrates is a trilobite, a marine arthropod. These organisms were small,
between one and four inches and size. They have been found in abundance in the fossil
record, enabling scientists to learn more about this era and the organisms that lived in it.

A Trilobite fossil
The Permian Extinction
The Paleozoic era ended with an event known as the Permian Extinction, which is the largest
extinction event in Earth's history. After the Permian Extinction, only about 10% of life on
Earth remained. Scientists have many theories as to what caused the Permian Extinction,
including:
● Asteroid impact
● Volcanic eruptions
● Lack of oxygen
● Global warming

Cambrian Period (542–488 Million Years Ago)

The first period in the Paleozoic Era is known as the Cambrian Period. Many of the ancestors
of the species that have evolved into what we know today first came into existence during the
Cambrian Explosion in the early millennia of this period. Even though this “explosion” of
life took millions of years to happen, that is a relatively short amount of time when compared
to the entire history of the Earth.
At this time, there were several continents that were different than the ones we know today,
and all of those landmasses were huddled in the southern hemisphere of the Earth. This left
very large expanses of ocean where sea life could thrive and differentiate at a somewhat rapid
pace. This quick speciation led to a level of genetic diversity of species that had never been
seen before in the history of life on Earth.
Almost all life was found in the oceans during the Cambrian Period: If there was any life on
land at all, it was restricted to unicellular microorganisms. Fossils dated to the Cambrian have
been found all over the world, although there are three large areas called fossil beds where
the majority of these fossils have been found. Those fossil beds are in Canada, Greenland,
and China. Many large carnivorous crustaceans, similar to shrimp and crabs, have been
identified.

Ordovician Period (488–444 Million Years Ago)

After the Cambrian Period came the Ordovician Period. This second period of the Paleozoic
Era lasted about 44 million years and saw more and more diversification of aquatic life.
Large predators similar to mollusks feasted on smaller animals on the bottom of the ocean.
During the Ordovician Period, multiple and fairly rapid environmental changes occurred.
Glaciers began to move out from the poles onto the continents and, as a result the ocean
levels decreased significantly. The combination of the temperature change and loss of ocean
water resulted in a mass extinction that marked the end of the period. About 75% of all living
species at the time went extinct.

Silurian Period (444–416 Million Years Ago)

After the mass extinction at the end of the Ordovician Period, diversity of life on Earth
needed to work its way back up. One major change in Earth’s layout was that the continents
began to merge together, creating even more uninterrupted space in the oceans for marine life
to live and thrive.
Many different types of jawless fish and even the first finned fish with rays were prevalent.
While life on the land was still lacking beyond single-celled bacteria, diversity was beginning
to rebound. Oxygen levels in the atmosphere were also nearly at our modern levels, so the
stage was being set for more types of species and even land species to begin to appear.
Toward the end of the Silurian Period, some types of vascular land plants as well as the first
animals, the arthropods, were seen on the continents.

Devonian Period (416–359 Million Years Ago)

Diversification was rapid and widespread during the Devonian Period. Land plants became
more common. Lots of insects began to be seen during the Devonian Period as well. Towards
the end, amphibians made their way onto land. Since the continents were moving even closer
together, the new land animals could easily spread out and find a niche.
Meanwhile, back in the oceans, jawless fish had adapted and evolved to have jaws and scales
like the modern fish we are familiar with today. Unfortunately, the Devonian Period ended
when large meteorites hit the Earth. It is believed the impact from these meteorites caused a
mass extinction that took out nearly 75% of the aquatic animal species that had evolved.

Carboniferous Period (359–297 Million Years Ago)

The Carboniferous Period was a time in which species diversity yet again had to rebuild from
a previous mass extinction. Since the Devonian Period’s mass extinction was mostly confined
to the oceans, land plants and animals continued to thrive and evolve at a fast pace.
Amphibians adapted even more and split off into the early ancestors of reptiles.

Permian Period (297–251 Million Years Ago)

Finally, in the Permian Period, all of the continents on Earth came together completely to
form the super-continent known as Pangaea. During the early parts of this period, life
continued to evolve and new species came into existence. Reptiles were fully formed and
they even split off into a branch that would eventually give rise to mammals in the Mesozoic
Era. The fish from the saltwater oceans also adapted to be able to live in the freshwater
pockets throughout the continent of Pangaea giving rise to freshwater aquatic animals.
Unfortunately, this time of species diversity came to an end, volcanic explosions that
depleted oxygen and affected the climate by blocking the sunlight and allowing large glaciers
to take over. This all led to the largest mass extinction in the history of the Earth. It is
believed that 96% of all species were completely wiped out and the Paleozoic Era came to an
end