Paleozoic Era
Devonian Period
419–359 Million Years Ago
Known as the 'Age of Fishes,' the Devonian witnessed an extraordinary radiation of fish, including the first sharks, ray-finned fish, and lobe-finned fish — the ancestors of all terrestrial vertebrates. The first forests appeared, transforming the atmosphere and creating new ecological niches. The iconic transition from water to land occurred when lobe-finned fish evolved into the first tetrapods.
Environment
Climate & Environment
Generally warm with periods of glaciation late in the period. The spread of forests began drawing down atmospheric CO₂.
Fauna & Flora
Signature Life Forms
Dunkleosteus — armored apex predator
Tiktaalik — transitional fish-tetrapod
First forests (Archaeopteris)
First insects and spiders on land
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