Cambrian to Permian life-forms

[Morose]

Name: Charnia
Pronunciation: Char-ne-ah
Meaning of name: Named after the Charnwood Forest, central England, where its fossils were discovered.
Species: C. masoni
Size: Largest specimens reached 2 metres in length.
Family: Uncertain
Diet: Uncertain. Possible filter-feeder or absorbed nutrients directly from the water.
First fossils found: Known from several specimens, many of which are complete. First discovered in the Charnwood Forest of central England in 1957. Named by Trevor D. Ford in 1958. Despite its fern-like appearance, Charnia isn't a plant, but is thought to have been a Sea pen, a type of colonial marine cnidarian.
Lived: 570 to 550 million years ago during the Precambrian period in the deep oceans that once covered what is now Australia, Canada, England and Russia.

[Morose]

Name: Dimetrodon
Pronunciation: Di-met-ro-don
Meaning of name: "Two measures of teeth", in reference to its different tooth lengths.
Species: D. angelensis, D. borealis, D. booneorum, D. dollovianus, D. gigahomogenes, D. grandis, D. limbatus, D. loomisi, D. macrospondylus, D. milleri, D. natalis, D. occidentalis, D. teutonis
Size: Depending on species, measured between 60cm and 4.6 metres long.
Family: Sphenacodontidae.
Diet: Carnivore.
First fossils found: Known from many specimens, the first of which was discovered in the Red Beds of Texas sometime during the 19th century. D. borealis named in 1854. D. limbatus named in 1877. D. dollovianus, D. macrospondylus and D. gigahomogenes named in 1907. D. natalis named in 1936. D. booneorum, D. loomisi and D. milleri named in 1937. D. grandis named in 1940. D. angelensis named in 1962. D. occidentalis named in 1977. D. teutonis named in 2001.
Lived: Depending on species, lived between 295 and 272 million years ago from the Asselian stage of the Early Permian through to the Roadian stage of the Middle Permian in what is now the South Central United States.

[Morose]

Name: Helicoprion
Pronunciation: Hel-e-co-pree-on
Meaning of name: "Spiral saw".
Species: H. bessonowi, H. davisii H. ergasaminon
Size: Uncertain. Size probably varied between species.
Family: Agassizodontidae.
Diet: Carnivore/piscivore.
First fossils found: Known mostly from "tooth whorls" discovered in Russia, Australia, the United States, China, Mexico, Kazakhstan, Norway, Canada, Japan and Laos. H. bessonowi and H. davisii named in 1899. H. ergasaminon named in 1966.
Lived: 290.1 to 268.8 million years ago from the Asselian stage of the Early Permian to the Roadian stage of the Middle Permian in warm oceans worldwide.

[Morose]

Name: Arthropleura
Pronunciation: Ar-thro-plur-ah
Meaning of name: "Rib joint".
Species: A. armata, A. britannica, A. cristata, A. enodis, A. maillieuxi, A. mammata, A. punctata
Size: The largest species, A. armata, measured around 2.5 metres long.
Family: Arthropleuridae.
Diet: Uncertain since none of the known fossils have the mouth preserved. Most likely herbivorous.
First fossils found: Known from several specimens and fossilised track ways discovered in Scotland and the northeastern United States. A. armata named in 1854. A. mammata named in 1863. A. punctata named in 1873. A. britannica named in 1913. A. maillieuxi named in 1930. A. enodis named in 1934. A. cristata named in 1959.
Lived: 345 to 295 million years ago from the Viséan stage of the Early Carboniferous through to the Asselian stage of the Early Permian in what is now Scotland and the northeastern United States. Extinction is thought to have been caused when the moist climate began drying out, reducing the rainforests of the Carboniferous.

[Morose]

Name: Ichthyostega
Pronunciation: Ik-thee-o-stay-gah
Meaning of name: "Fish roof".
Species: I. stensioei, I.watsoni, I.egili
Size: 1.5 metres long and weighed around 22kgs.
Family: Uncertain
Diet: Carnivore
First fossils found: Known from several specimens discovered in eastern Greenland. Unfortunately, the forelimbs are yet to be found. Named by Swedish palaeontologist, Gunnar Säve-Söderbergh, in 1932.
Lived: 372.2 to 358.9 million years ago during the Famennian stage of the Late Devonian in what is now eastern Greenland.

[Morose]

Name: Pulmonoscorpius
Pronunciation: Pul-mon-oh-skor-pee-us.
Meaning of name: "Breathing scorpion".
Species: P. kirktonensis
Size: 70cm long, three times the length of today's largest-living scorpion.
Family: Centromachidae.
Diet: Carnivore
First fossils found: Known from several specimens discovered in the East Kirkton Limestone at East Kirkton Quarry, West Lothian, eastern Scotland. Named by Andrew J. Jeram in 1994.
Lived: 336 to 326.4 million years ago during the Viséan and Serpukhovian stages of the Early Carboniferous in what is now eastern Scotland.

[Morose]

Name: Crassigyrinus
Pronunciation: Crass-i-ji-ri-nus
Meaning of name: "Thick tadpole".
Species: C. scoticus
Size: 2 metres long and weighing around 104kgs.
Family: Crassigyrinidae
Diet: Carnivore.
First fossils found: Known from three skulls and several partial skeletons, the first of which were discovered in the Limestone Coal Group of Scotland in 1929. Named in the same year by David Meredith Seares Watson.
Lived: 346.7 to 330.9 million years ago during the Viséan stage of the Early Carboniferous in what is now Scotland.

[Morose]

Name: Orthacanthus
Pronunciation: Or-tha-can-thus
Meaning of name: "Vertical spike".
Species: O. buxieri, O. compressus, O. donnelljohnsi, O. gibbosus, O. gracilis, O. milleri, O. minor, O. platypternus, O. pustulosus, O. texensis
Size: 3 metres long and weighing around 45kgs.
Family: Orthacanthidae
Diet: Carnivore/piscivore
First fossils found: Known from several specimens discovered in Europe and the United States. O. gibbosus, O. milleri, O. minor and O. pustulosus named in 1843. O. compressus named in 1856. O. gracilis named in 1875. O. platypternus named in 1884. O. texensis named in 1888. O. buxieri named in 1989. O. donnelljohnsi named in 2009. The spike on the back of the head is thought to have been a defensive feature to stop other predators from biting this area of the body.
Lived: Depending on species, lived between 315.2 and 290.1 million years ago from the Moscovian stage of the Late Carboniferous to the Sakmarian stage of the Early Permian in freshwater swamps in what is now Europe and the United States.

[Morose]

Name: Pterygotus
Pronunciation: Teh-ry-go-tus
Meaning of name: "Winged fish".
Species: P. anglicus, P. arcuatus, P. barrandei, P. bolivianus, P. carmani, P. cobbi, P. denticulatus, P. floridanus, P. gaspesiensis, P. grandidentatus, P. impacatus, P. kopaninensis, P. lanarkensis, P. lightbodyi, P. ludensis, P. marylandicus, P. monroensis
Size: The largest species, P. grandidentatus, measured around 1.75 metres long.
Family: Pterygotidae.
Diet: Carnivore.
First fossils found: Known from several specimens, the first of which were discovered by quarrymen in Scotland and western England. P. anglicus named in 1849. P. arcuatus, P. cobbi and P. ludensis named in 1859. P. kopaninensis named in 1872. P. barrandei named in 1898. P. monroensis named in 1902. P. floridanus named in 1950. P. gaspesiensis named in 1953. P. carmani, P. denticulatus, P. grandidentatus and P. lightbodyi named in 1961. P. bolivianus, P. impacatus, P. lanarkensis and P. marylandicus named in 1964. Fossils have also been discovered in the United States, Australia and South America.
Lived: Depending on species, lived between 439 and 370.6 million years ago from the Aeronian stage of the Early Silurian to the Famennian stage of the Late Devonian in the oceans that surrounded what is now Europe, Australia, South America and the United States.

[Morose]

Name: Opabinia
Pronunciation: O-pa-bin-ee-ah
Meaning of name: Named after Opabin pass, near Lake O'Hara, British Columbia, Canada, where its fossils were discovered.
Species: O. regalis
Size: Between 4 and 7cm long.
Family: Opabiniidae.
Diet: Carnivore/detritivore.
First fossils found: Known from several specimens discovered by American palaeontologist, Charles Doolittle Walcott, in the Burgess Shale of British Columbia, Canada, in 1909. Named by Mr. Walcott in 1912. Opabinia was a rather bizarre-looking animal. It was soft-bodied with a forward facing proboscis a third of the body's full length, a backward-facing mouth on the underside of the body and five eyes on stalks.
Lived: 505 to 487 million years ago during the Cambrian period in what is now British Columbia, Canada.

[Morose]

Name: Anomalocaris
Pronunciation: A-nom-ah-lo-ca-ris
Meaning of name: "Abnormal shrimp".
Species: A. briggsi, A. canadensis, A. kunmingensis, A. magnabasis, A. saron, A. pennsylvanica
Size: Between 60 and 100cm long.
Family: Anomalocarididae
Diet: Carnivore
First fossils found: Known from hundreds of specimens discovered in various locations including China, Australia, the United States and Canada. First discovered in 1886. A. canadensis named by British palaeontologist, Joseph Frederick Whiteaves, in 1892. A. pennsylvanica named in 1929. A. saron and A. briggsi named in 1995. A. kunmingensis named in 2013. A. magnabasis named in 2019.
Lived: Depending on species, lived between 516 and 505 million years ago during the Cambrian period in the oceans surrounding what is now Canada, Australia, China and the United States.

[Morose]

Name: Aegirocassis
Pronunciation: Ae-ge-r-o-cas-sis
Meaning of name: "Aegir's helmet", after Aegir, a personification of the sea in Norse mythology.
Species: A. benmoulae
Size: 2 metres long.
Family: Hurdiidae
Diet: Filter-feeder.
First fossils found: Known from several specimens discovered in Morocco, North Africa, some of which are three-dimensionally preserved. Named by Peter Van Roy, Allison C. Daley and Derek E. G. Briggs in 2015. It was originally thought that Anomalocaridids only had one pair of swimming flaps, however, the three-dimensional preservation has shown that Aegirocassis had two pairs of swimming flaps. The "helmet" part of the name is a reference to the size and structure of the head carapace. Aegirocassis also has frontal spines with a very fine mesh of further spine-like appendages that may have been used to filter planktonic organisms from the water. This may explain how Aegirocassis was able to grow to such a large size.
Lived: 480 million years ago during the Tremadocian stage of the Early Ordovician in the oceans that once covered what is now Morocco, North Africa.

[Morose]

Name: Lystrosaurus
Pronunciation: Liss-tro-sore-us
Meaning of name: "Shovel lizard".
Species: L. curvatus, L. georgi, L. maccaigi, L. murrayi, L. declivis
Size: Largest species, L. maccaigi, measured around 2.5 metres long and weighing up to 90kgs.
Family: Lystrosauridae
Diet: Herbivore. Fed on low-growing vegetation.
First fossils found: Known from specimens discovered in South Africa, Russia, Antarctica, Mongolia, China and India. L. murrayi named in 1859. L. declivis named in 1860. L. curvatus named in 1876. L. maccaigi named in 1898. L. georgi named in 1975.
Lived: Depending on species, lived between 254.14 to 247.2 million years ago from the Changhsingian stage of the Late Permian through to the Olenekian stage of the Early Triassic in what is now Russia, Antarctica, China, South Africa, India and Mongolia.

[Morose]

Name: Diictodon
Pronunciation: Die-ick-toe-don
Meaning of name: "Two weasel teeth".
Species: D. feliceps, however, it's possible there may be other species.
Size: 45cm long and weighing around 3.6kgs
Family: Pylaecephalidae
Diet: Herbivore. Fed on low-growing vegetation.
First fossils found: Known from several specimens discovered in South Africa, many of which have been found inside elaborate spiral-shaped burrows. Named by English palaeontologist, Sir Richard Owen, in 1876.
Lived: 255 million years ago during the Wuchiapingian stage of the Late Permian in what is now South Africa.

[Morose]

Name: Edaphosaurus
Pronunciation: E-daff-oh-sore-us
Meaning of name: "Pavement lizard", in reference to its dense clusters of teeth.
Species: E. pogonias, E. boanerges, E. colohistion, E. cruciger, E. novomexicanus.
Size: Depending on species, measured between 1 and 3.5 metres. Largest species weighed around 300kgs.
Family: Edaphosauridae.
Diet: Herbivore. Fed on low-growing vegetation.
First fossils found: Known from several specimens discovered in Germany, the Czech Republic and the United States. E. cruciger named by American palaeontologist, Edward Drinker Cope, in 1878. E. pogonias named in 1882. E. novomexicanus named in 1913. E. boanerges named in 1940. E. colohistion named in 1979.
Lived: Depending on species, lived between 303.7 and 283.5 million years ago from the Gzhelian stage of the Late Carboniferous through to the Artinskian stage of the Early Permian in what is now Germany, the Czech Republic and the southwestern, south central and midwestern United States.

[Morose]

Name: Edaphosaurus
Pronunciation: E-daff-oh-sore-us
Meaning of name: "Pavement lizard", in reference to its dense clusters of teeth.
Species: E. pogonias, E. boanerges, E. colohistion, E. cruciger, E. novomexicanus.
Size: Depending on species, measured between 1 and 3.5 metres. Largest species weighed around 300kgs.
Family: Edaphosauridae.
Diet: Herbivore. Fed on low-growing vegetation.
First fossils found: Known from several specimens discovered in Germany, the Czech Republic and the United States. E. cruciger named by American palaeontologist, Edward Drinker Cope, in 1878. E. pogonias named in 1882. E. novomexicanus named in 1913. E. boanerges named in 1940. E. colohistion named in 1979.
Lived: Depending on species, lived between 303.7 and 283.5 million years ago from the Gzhelian stage of the Late Carboniferous through to the Artinskian stage of the Early Permian in what is now Germany, the Czech Republic and the southwestern, south central and midwestern United States.

[Morose]

Name: Moschops
Pronunciation: Moss-cops
Meaning of name: "Calf face".
Species: M. capensis, M. koupensis
Size: 2.7 metres long, 1.5 metres tall and weighing around 450kgs.
Family: Tapinocephalidae.
Diet: Herbivore
First fossils found: Known from several specimens discovered in South Africa. M. capensis named by Robert Broom in 1911. M. koupensis named in 1957.
Lived: 265 to 260 million years ago during the Wordian and Capitanian stages of the Middle Permian in what is now South Africa.

[Morose]

Name: Anconastes
Pronunciation: An-co-nas-teez
Meaning of name: "Mountain dweller".
Species: A. vesperus
Size: Measured around 50cm long.
Family: Trematopidae.
Diet: Insectivore/carnivore/piscivore
First fossils found: Known only from two partial skeletons discovered in the Cutler Formation of New Mexico (date of discovery uncertain). Named by David S Berman, Robert R. Reisz and David A. Eberth in 1987.
Lived: 305.9 to 298.9 million years ago during the Gzhelian stage of the Late Carboniferous in what is now the southwestern United States.

[Morose]

Name: Diplocaulus
Pronunciation: Dip-low-caw-lus
Meaning of name: "Double stalk".
Species: D. salamandroides, D. magnicornis, D. brevirostris, D. recurvatus, D. minimus
Size: Measured around 1 metre long and weighing between 2 and 5kgs.
Family: Keraterpetontidae
Diet: Carnivore/piscivore
First fossils found: Known from several specimens, including at least one almost-complete skeleton, discovered in North Africa as well as the midwestern and the south-central United States. D. salamandroides named by American palaeontologist, Edward Drinker Cope, in 1877. D. magnicornis named in 1882. D. brevirostris named in 1951. D. recurvatus named in 1952. D. minimus named in 1988. The most unusual feature of this small amphibian is its boomerang-shaped head. Some palaeontologists have suggested the tabular horns acted as a hydrofoil, allowing the animal to swim through strong currents. The unusual shape of the head may also have stopped predators from swallowing the animal head-first.
Lived: Depending on species, lived from 303.7 to 290.1 million years ago from the Gzhelian stage of the Late Carboniferous through to the Sakmarian stage of the Early Permian in what is now North Africa and the midwestern and south-central United States.

[Morose]

Name: Hylonomus
Pronunciation: Hy-lo-no-mus
Meaning of name: "Forest dweller".
Species: H. lyelli
Size: Measured between 20 and 30cm long. Weight uncertain.
Family: Protorothyrididae.
Diet: Carnivore/insectivore
First fossils found: Known from several specimens, some of which were found inside fossilized tree stumps. Named by Canadian geologist, John William Dawson, in 1860. Hylonomus is the earliest-known reptile.
Lived: 323.2 to 315.2 million years ago during the Bashkirian stage of the Late Carboniferous in what is now Nova Scotia, Canada.

[Morose]

Name: Varanops
Pronunciation: Va-ran-nops
Meaning of name: "Varan face".
Species: V. brevirostris
Size: 1.2 metres long. Weight uncertain.
Family: Varanopidae
Diet: Carnivore
First fossils found: Known from several specimens discovered in the Garber Formation of Oklahoma and the Arroyo Formation of Texas. Named by American palaeontologist, Samuel Wendell Williston, in 1914. Was originally thought to be a species of Varanosaurus.
Lived: 283.5 to 272.95 million years ago during the Kungurian stage of the Early Permian in what is now the south central United States.

[Morose]

Name: Hallucigenia
Pronunciation: Hal-lu-see-gen-ee-a
Meaning of name: "Wandering of the mind", after its bizarre appearance.
Species: H. sparsa, H. fortis, H. hongmeia
Size: Depending on species, measured between 0.5 and 5.5cm
Family: Hallucigeniidae
Diet: Detritivore (fed on dead organic material)
First fossils found: Known from more than 100 specimens discovered in the Burgess Shale of British Columbia, Canada, and the Maotianshan Shale of Yunnan Province, southwest China. H. sparsa named by Simon Conway Morris in 1977. H. fortis named in 1995. H. hongmeia named in 2012. Hallucigenia is recognized as a Lobopodian worm and is believed to be a possible ancestor of today's Velvet worm. Depending on species, it had either seven or eight pairs of clawed legs and seven pairs of spines on its back.
Lived: Depending on species, lived between 520 and 505 million years ago from the Early Cambrian through to the Wuliuan stage of the Middle Cambrian in the oceans that once covered what is now southwest China and western Canada.

[Morose]

Name: Titanichthys
Pronunciation: Tie-tan-ick-thiss
Meaning of name: "Titan fish".
Species: T. agassizi, though it's possible there may be other species.
Size: Estimated to have measured between 8 and 10 metres long. Weight uncertain.
Family: Titanichthyidae.
Diet: Filter-feeder
First fossils found: Known mostly from fragmentary specimens discovered in Poland and North Africa. Named by John Strong Newberry in 1885.
Lived: 372.2 to 358.9 million years ago during the Famennian stage of the Late Devonian in the oceans that once covered what is now Poland and North Africa.

[Morose]

Name: Dunkleosteus
Pronunciation: Dun-kel-os-tee-us
Meaning of name: "Dunkle's bone", after American palaeontologist, David Dunkle.
Species: D. terrelli, D. belgicus, D. denisoni, D. marsaisi, D. magnificus, D. missouriensis, D. newberryi, D. amblyodoratus, D. raveri
Size: The largest species, D. terrelli, measured around 8.7 metres and weighed 4 metric tonnes.
Family: Dunkleosteidae
Diet: Carnivore/piscivore
First fossils found: Known from several specimens of the armoured skull and jaws discovered in Morocco, Poland, Belgium, eastern Canada and various parts of the United States. D. terrelli and D. belgicus named by American palaeontologist, John Strong Newberry, in 1873. D. newberryi named in 1885. D. missouriensis named in 1914. D. magnificus named in 1919. D. marsaisi named in 1956. D. denisoni named in 1957. D. amblyodoratus and D. raveri named in 2010.
Lived: Depending on species, lived between 382 and 358 million years ago during the Frasnian and Famennian stages of the Late Devonian in the oceans that once covered what is now eastern Canada, Poland, Morocco, Belgium and the western, midwestern, northeastern, south-central and southeastern United States.

[Morose]

Name: Meganeura
Pronunciation: Meg-ah-neur-ah
Meaning of name: "Large nerved", in reference to the network of veins on its wings.
Species: M. brongniarti, M. monyi, M. vischerae
Wingspan: 75cm
Family: Meganeuridae
Diet: Carnivore/insectivore
First fossils found: Known from several well-preserved specimens. First discovered in the Stephanian Coal Measures of Commentry, central France, in 1880. Named by French palaeontologist, Charles Brongniart, in 1885. Despite looking like a dragonfly, Meganeura and its relatives are generally referred to as griffinflies due to morphological differences between them and dragonflies.
Lived: 300 million years ago during the Gzhelian stage of the Late Carboniferous in what is now France and England.

[Morose]

Name: Wiwaxia
Pronunciation: Wee-wax-ee-ah
Meaning of name: Named after Wiwaxy Peak in Yoho National Park, British Colombia, Canada.
Species: W. corrugata, W. foliosa, W. taijiangensis, W. papilio
Size: Depending on species, measured between 0.34cm and 5.08cm long
Family: Wiwaxiidae
Diet: Bottom-feeder.
First fossils found: Known from hundreds of specimens discovered in Canada, China, Australia and the Czech Republic. W. corrugata named in 1899. W. taijiangensis named in 1994. W. foliosa named in 2014. W. papilio named in 2015.
Lived: Depending on species, lived between 520 and 505 million years ago from the still unnamed third stage of the Early Cambrian though to the Wuliuan stage of the Middle Cambrian in the oceans that once covered what is now China, Australia, Canada and the Czech Republic.

[Morose]

Name: Wiwaxia
Pronunciation: Wee-wax-ee-ah
Meaning of name: Named after Wiwaxy Peak in Yoho National Park, British Colombia, Canada.
Species: W. corrugata, W. foliosa, W. taijiangensis, W. papilio
Size: Depending on species, measured between 0.34cm and 5.08cm long
Family: Wiwaxiidae
Diet: Bottom-feeder.
First fossils found: Known from hundreds of specimens discovered in Canada, China, Australia and the Czech Republic. W. corrugata named in 1899. W. taijiangensis named in 1994. W. foliosa named in 2014. W. papilio named in 2015.
Lived: Depending on species, lived between 520 and 505 million years ago from the still unnamed third stage of the Early Cambrian though to the Wuliuan stage of the Middle Cambrian in the oceans that once covered what is now China, Australia, Canada and the Czech Republic.

[Morose]

Name: Ichthyostega
Pronunciation: Ik-thee-o-stay-gah
Meaning of name: "Fish roof".
Species: I. stensioei, I.watsoni, I.egili
Size: 1.5 metres long and weighed around 22kgs.
Family: Uncertain
Diet: Carnivore
First fossils found: Known from several specimens discovered in eastern Greenland. Unfortunately, the forelimbs are yet to be found. Named by Swedish palaeontologist, Gunnar Säve-Söderbergh, in 1932.
Lived: 372.2 to 358.9 million years ago during the Famennian stage of the Late Devonian in what is now eastern Greenland.

[Morose]

Name: Eastmanosteus
Pronunciation: East-man-oh-stee-us
Meaning of name: "Eastman's bone".
Species: E. pustulosus, E. calliaspis, E. licharevi, E. lundarensis, E. magnificus, E. yunnanensis
Size: Depending on species, measured between 1.5 and 3 metres long.
Family: Dinichthyidae
Diet: Carnivore/piscivore
First fossils found: Known from traces of soft tissue and several specimens of the bony exoskeleton. E. magnificus named in 1918. E. licharevi named in 1956. E. pustulosus originally named as a species of Dinichthys in 1897 before being re-named by D. V. Obruchev in 1964. E. yunnanensis named in 1982. E. calliaspis named in 1987. E. lundarensis named in 1996. Discovery sites include Australia, Canada, China, Iran, Poland, Russia and the United States.
Lived: Depending on species, lived between 387.7 and 358.9 million years ago from the Givetian stage of the Middle Devonian through to the Famennian stage of the Late Devonian in oceans worldwide.

[Morose]

Name: Acanthostega
Pronunciation: A-can-tho-stay-gah
Meaning of name: "Spiny roof"
Species: A. gunneri
Size: 60cm long and weighing around 4.5kgs
Family: Acanthostegidae
Diet: Carnivore
First fossils found: Known from specimens discovered in East Greenland. Named by Swedish palaeontologist, Anders Erik Vilhelm Jarvik, in 1952.
Lived: 365 million years ago during the Famennian stage of the Late Devonian in what is now East Greenland.