(Carboniferous period) Life found in Carboniferous period and its fossil record

1. ID: MC170201553 (ZOO503) Zoogeography and paleontology
Era: Carboniferous period is basically related to Paleozoic Era.
Duration: This period has age duration of 60 Myrs. It’s after Devonian period (358 Myrs ago) to starting
of the Permian period.
General features:
 Word Carboniferous is actually derived from Latin, (carbo) means coal and (fero) means Carry or
Bear. So collectively it means coal bearing.
 In this period the temperature goes toward mild as Lycopods and large insects decrease and fern
trees introduced.
 Having greatest climate fluctuation. Some regions shows moist and warm climate suitable for tropical
rainforest.
 The latter half of Carboniferous shows glaciations. The sea level fall down and building of
mountains occur.
 This period is well known for its large coal deposits, limestone, shale, sandstone etc.
 The great evolutionary event related to this period is Amniotic Egg. It made possible
for the ancestor of mammals, reptiles and reptiles birds to reproduce on the land.
Subdivisions:
This period is mainly broken down in two subdivisions:
 Upper Carboniferous: Mississippians (early)
 Lower Carboniferous: Pennsylvanian (late)
LIFE FOUND IN CARBONIFEROUS
Terrestrial Invertebrate:
Fossil record shows that Terrestrial invertebrate evolved in the late Carboniferous are arthropods,
myriapods and arachnids.

2.  1st
true priapulids was evolved during this period.
 Arthropleura:
Much higher Oxygen concentration in atmosphere allowed some
arthropods to grow in size up to 2.6m long.
 Meganeurs:
Huge predatory insect (griffinflies) which was a giant Dragon fly.
 Dictyoptera:
Often known as ancestors of cockroach.
 Pulmonoscorpius:
Early Carboniferous, length up to 70cm.
Marin invertebrate
 Foraminifera:
1st
time dominate in the marine environment.
 Sponges:
Many spicules and anchor ropes including Demosponge,
Girtycoelia eyc.
 Bryozoa:
Found abundantly in some region. Like Archimedes,
polypore and fenestella etc.

3.  Annelids:
Fossils found in some horizons. Like Serpulites,
Aviculopecten, Nucula etc.
 Crustaceans:
These are abundantly found as meiobenthose.
Freshwater and Lagoonal invertebrate
.
 Molluscs:
Bivalv, Anthraconaia, Naiadites.
 Carbonicola:
Candona, Carbonita, Estheria.
 Eurypterids:
Adelophthalmus, Megarachne,
Hebbertopterus.
Fish
Carboniferous seas contain many fish like,
 Elasmobranches:
Sharks: (Symmoriida, Falcatus) and relatives
(psammodus)
 Bony fishes:
Palaeonisciformes, Sarcopterygian

4.  Fresh water fish:
Ctenodus, Acanthodes, Guracanthus.
Tetrapods
In the middle of divers Carboniferous Amphibians and reptiles found.
 Aquatic:
live in river like Proterogyrinus, Loxomma,
Eogyrinus.
 Partially Aquatic:
Ophider.peton, Amphibamus, Hyloplesion.
 Land animal/Terrestrial:
Dendrerpeton, Arthracosaurus ,
Tuditanus.
Fungi
Land fungi diversified into
Marin fungi that is still found in Oceans.
Plants
Fossils evidence shows that following plants were found in carboniferous period.
 Eqisetales
 Sphenopylalles
 Lycopodiales
 Lepidodendrales
 Medullosales
 Cordaitales

5. FOSSIL RECORD
Extinction Events
Carboniferous period consists of two major mass extinctions.
1. Romer´s Gap:
An American paleontologist Alfred Romer introduced this Gap. It contain almost first 15 years of
this period. Due to drop in the atmospheric Oxygen level certain ecological collapse occur which
leads to extinction of Devonian fish such as ichthyostegalian and rise of typical terrestrial vertebrate
fauna like reptiliomorphan amphibians and temnospondyl.
2. Carboniferous Rainforest collapse:
At the last of this period a sudden change in climate occur from humid and hot to arid and cool.
It leads to glaciations and drop in sea level. Such type of climate was not suitable for rainforest so
isolated land and dry habitat comes into being that was favorable for fern trees. Certain Amphibians
goes on extinction and Reptiles promote in this dry habitat due to key adaptations like scales and
hard shelled eggs.