Devonian (Period)

DEVONIAN PERIOD                                                 412 - 355 Million Years Ago
In the Devonian, the first ever forests (not all of them trees) spread across the planet, almost forever blanketing the Earth in a layer of greenery that, without large herbivores – or humans - to deforest them, quickly dominated the land. However, one of the most notable landscapes of the Devonian, was also very important at this time. Vast swamplands stretched from pole to pole, providing amphibious environments for the early Tetrapods. Out at sea, the first sharks hunted for the innumerable species of fish that existed during the Devonian. In turn, they were the prey of, at the time, even more deadly fish – the Placoderms, fish that had protective armour-plates over their heads, mainly, and some had body armour also. A terrifying example, is the largest of them all, Dunkleosteous, a 10 metre long, 4-5 tonne monster, that was the dominant predator for millions of years. Sharks would have definitely ended up in its jaws, though the fish did not have teeth, but horrific jawbone extensions, that were part of the skull itself. They were like shears, slicing straight through even the toughest of armour – so it is reasonable to suggest that they ate each other.

The Hadean Eon The Archaean Eon The Proterozoic Eon The Phanerozoic Eon The Palaeozoic Era The Cambrian Period The Ordovician Period The Silurian Period The Devonian Period The Carboniferous Period The Permian Period The Mesozoic Era The Triassic Period The Jurassic Period The Cretaceous Period The Cenozoic Era The Tertiary Period The Palaeocene Epoch The Eocene Epoch The Oligocene Epoch The Miocene Epoch The Pliocene Epoch The Quaternary Period The Pleistocene Epoch The Holocene Epoch