Tag Archives: Biodiversity

An artist's illustration showcases the impressive size and diversity of dinosaurs, with 13-foot-tall (4 meters) Diplodocus grazing in shallow waters beneath flying Pterosaurs, dominant land vertebrates for over 135 million years
c. 200-65 Million BCE: Dinosaurs – The Reign of Ancient Giants

Exploring the rise of dinosaurs post-Permian and Triassic extinctions, this article highlights their evolution from small bipedal predators to diverse, dominant species, culminating in their extinction 65 million years ago, with birds as their living [...]

A fossil of tabulate coral from just before the end of the Permian period, when it, along with 96 percent of marine species, went extinct.
c. 252 Million BCE: The Great Dying – Earth’s Largest Mass Extinction

Discusses The Great Dying, the largest mass extinction event around 252 million years ago, which wiped out approximately 96% of ocean species and 70% of land vertebrates, with various hypotheses about its causes and its [...]

Based on fossil evidence, early reptiles like Hylonomus likely resembled modern lizards, as shown here
c. 320 Million BCE: The Evolutionary Journey of Reptiles

Traces the evolution of reptiles, starting 375 million years ago from amphibious tetrapods, highlighting their adaptation to lay eggs on land and the emergence of species like Hylonomus, leading to a diverse lineage including dinosaurs [...]

Volcanic eruptions, continental glaciations, asteroid impacts, and ocean chemistry shifts potentially caused the End Ordovician and late Devonian mass extinctions, each eliminating 70-85% of species 450 and 360 million years ago
c. 450 Million BCE: nderstanding Mass Extinctions in Earth’s History

Delves into the history of mass extinctions, highlighting the catastrophic End Ordovician event 450 million years ago that wiped out up to 85% of species, mainly shallow water and planktonic marine organisms, likely due to [...]