Fossils Across Geologic Time Fossil Mall www fossilmall

Fossils Across Geologic Time Fossil Mall www. fossilmall. com

Archaean • Strelly Pool Stromatolites • Paleoarchaen, 3. 43 Billion Years Old) ago • Strelley Pool Formation, Pilbara, Western Australia • Layered rocks produced by mats of either Bacterial or Archaeans Prokaryotic cells, among the earliest primitive life on Earth Fossil Mall www. fossilmall. com

Proterozoic • Banded Iron • Lower Proterozoic, 2. 2 Billion Years Ago • Upper Michigan • Oxygen from photosynthetic bacteria had largely rusted the oceans by 2. 4 billion years ago, after which atmospheric oxygen increased steadily Fossil Mall www. fossilmall. com

Ediacaran • Dickinsonia • Ediacaran, (600 - 550 Million Years Ago • White Sea Summer Coast, Archangelsk, Russia • Macroscopic life was first emerging during the Ediacaran (or Vendian) Period (635 to 541 million years ago) prior to the Cambrian Explosion. Fossil Mall www. fossilmall. com

Early Cambrian • Haikouella lanceolata • Early Cambrian, 525 million years ago • Chengjiang Maotianshan Shales, China • 15 mm long • Primitive Chordate, from when ALL life was still in the seas – an ancestor of all animals with back bones & thus closely related to fishes soon to evolve Fossil Mall www. fossilmall. com

Middle Cambrian • Olenellus gilberti • Middle Cambrian, ~ 500 million years ago • Pioche Shale Formation, Nevada • 41 mm long • An elegant member of trilobites Order Redlichiida, Family Olenellidae Fossil Mall www. fossilmall. com

Upper Cambrian “First footprints on land” • Protichnites eremita Arthropod track way • Upper Cambrian (about 510 million years ago) • Blackberry Hill, , near Mosinee, Wisconsin Fossil Mall www. fossilmall. com Reference: Hagadorn, J. W. , and Seilacher, A. , Hermits 500 million years ago? : Geology 37(4), 295 -298 (2009).

Ordovician • Asteroidea Starfish • Ordovician, ~ 480 million years ago • El Kaid Errami, Morocco Fossil Mall www. fossilmall. com

Late Ordovician • Triarthrus eatoni Ptychopariid Trilobite • Ordovician, ~ 460 million years ago • Lorraine Shale, Lewis County, New York • With rare soft tissue preservation of legs and antennae Fossil Mall www. fossilmall. com

Silurian • Arctinurus boltoni Lichid Trilobite Silurian, ~ 425 million years ago • Rochester Shale Formation, Middleport, New York • The species is referred to by some as the “Emperor of North American trilobites” Fossil Mall www. fossilmall. com

Devonian • Bothriolepis Canadensis Armored Fish • Upper Devonian, ~ 410 million years ago • Escumiac Bay, Miguasha, Quebec, Canada Fossil Mall www. fossilmall. com

Carboniferous • Caridosuctor populosum Coelacanth Fish Fossil • Mississippian , ~ 310 million years ago • Bear Gulch Limestone, Heath Shale Formation, Montana • A living fossil, as Coelacanths are still extant Fossil Mall www. fossilmall. com

Carboniferous Fossil Mall www. fossilmall. com • Stigmaria Fossil Root of Lycopsid Tree • Middle Pennsylvanian, ~ 310 million years ago • Pocahontas Formation, West Virginia • Stigmaria is the name given to fossil roots of the various tree species of the Carboniferous. Stigmaria are often impregnated with coal, or have coal sticking to their surface.

Permian Fossil Mall www. fossilmall. com • Trimerorhachis insignis Permian Amphibian Fossil • Lower Permian, ~ 300 million years ago • Hennessy Formation, Tillman County, Oklahoma • Described by Cope in 1878, it had scales and a bony integument of osteoderms much like modern-day crocodylians.

Triassic • Neocalamites Plant Fossil • Triassic, ~ 245 million years ago • Tasmania, Australia Fossil Mall www. fossilmall. com

Jurassic • Acanthochirana Dragonfly Fossil • Jurassic, ~ 175 million years ago • Solnhofen Limestone, Germany Fossil Mall www. fossilmall. com

Cretaceous • Repenomamus robustus mammal • Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous, ~ 145 million years ago • Yixian Formation, Liaoning Province, China • An early mammal that dined on dinosaurs Fossil Mall www. fossilmall. com Reference Prehistoric badger had dinosaurs for breakfast". Michael Hopkin. Nature. com. January 12, 2005.

Paleogene Fossil Mall www. fossilmall. com • Cynodicuis gregarius • Oligocene – 30 million years ago • Brule Formation, South Dakota • Animals appear more modern, particularly the mammals • This primitive dog-like animal was a speedy and fierce little carnivore that could chase down rabbits and probably could climb trees

Paleogene • Palaeochiropteryx tupaiodon Bat Fossil • Eocene, ~ 50 million years ago • Messel Pit, Darmstadt, Germany Fossil Mall www. fossilmall. com

Neogene • Libellula (dragonfly “skimmer”) • Upper Miocene, ~ 6 million years ago • Piedmont Area, Italy Fossil Mall www. fossilmall. com

Neogene • Neptunus granulatus Crab Fossil • Bosa Beds, Sardinia, Italy Fossil Mall www. fossilmall. com

Quaternary • Ursus speleaus Cave Bear • Pleistocene – 250 to 25 thousand years ago • Ural Mountains, Russia • Up to 500 pounds • The Neanderthals probably knew they didn’t have to outrun Ursus, so long as they could outrun other members of their tribe Fossil Mall www. fossilmall. com

Fossils for Kids Starter Collection from Virtual Fossil Museum, National Fossil Day 2015 This is online at: http: //www. fossilmuseum. net/education/national-fossil-day. htm

Fossils for Kids Starter Collection from Virtual Fossil Museum, National Fossil Day 2015 This is online at: http: //www. fossilmuseum. net/education/national-fossil-day. htm