Long time before man, fascinating creatures ruled the world, that surpassed human beings in size and ability of adaption.

On this image, we see, compared to man, from the left to the right:

The Iguanodon, a dinosaur, the ancestor of hadrosaurs, which lived 150 million years ago, then a giant kangaroo, which still lives today, next to this the huge running bird Diatryma, which lived 60 million years ago, then the Baluchitherium (nowadays called Paraceratherium), an ancestor of the rhinoceros, living 30 million years ago.

An (english) overview about geological periods you can find here

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The first real animals appeared in CAMBRIAN, before 600 to 500 million years, namely the Trilobites, who were relatives to the present spiders and scorpions. Here some images of Trilobites:

On the left, we see a fossile Trilobite, in the middle the reconstruction of a living animal, on the right, one sees, that the Trilobite could roll in like the recent isopoda.

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In ORDOVICIAN, before 500 to 450 million years, the first cephalopodes appeared, like the Ammonites or the Nautiloides, that still exist today:

A living fossile is the Nautilus, a relative to the extincted Ammonites. From the left to the right:

Left we see the living animal, in the middle and on the right shells of Nautilus cut open, so that one can see the spiral structure.

Compared to this, the extincted relatives of the Nautiloides, namely the Ammonites:

From the left to the right:

A rubber modell of an Ammonite, next to this the life image, then two pictures with ammonite-fossilles.

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At the beginning of SILURIAN, that began 450 million yeras ago and ended 400 million years ago, the great Sea Scorpions, relatives to present scorpions and spiders, ruled the earth:

On this image, we see a reconstruction of the sea scorpion Pterygotus

In Silur also the first fish appeared.

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In DEVONIAN, before 400 to 350 million years, the fish entered the dry land for the first time, like we can see at this Eustenophteron:

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Out of the fish developed the first amphibian, the Ichthyostega, like the self-made gif above shows

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In CARBONIFEROUS, before 350 to 280 million years, more and more amphibians developed. During this period, almost 300 million years ago, the Xiphosura appeared, that exist up till now:

The Xiphosura are living fossiles, like the two images on the left show. Such animals already existed million years ago, like one can see on the fossiles on the next two images.

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After the CARBONIFEROUS came the PERMIAN, before 280 to 240 million years. At the beginning of this period, there were giant amphibians, like the 3,5 meter long Eryops, we can see here:

In Perm also the reptiles began to develop, that should rule the world in form of dinosaurs for almost 150 million years.

To become astonished at these fascinating rulers of the world, please click on "NEXT"!