Imagine If You Lived in the Devonian Period
Human beings have
existed for 300,000 years and have managed to live in many unstable
environments. We've survived ice ages, devastating pandemics and World Wars. But
how would we fare even further back in time? What about 400 million years ago, when
deadly marine life dominated our oceans and creatures on land were practically
non-existent. Let's imagine your What If time machine happened to break down right at this moment, trapping you in the Devonian Period.
This is Science Fiction
and here's what would happen Stroke of luck, our time machine stops you on
land. At this point in time, 85% of the Earth was comprised of ocean. Only two
supercontinents existed 600 million years ago, Gondwana had a massive mountain
range similar to the Himalayas, which slowly eroded, washing sediments into the
ocean. These sediments provided nutrients that allowed marine life to flourish,
giving rise to the Devonian Period.
Okay, enough background.
Our first step for survival is to seek shelter. In the early Devonian Period, trees
and plants had not yet evolved. But there was lots of moss! The land was
barren, Mars-like and surrounded by water. You might need to get a little
creative to build shelter. If humans actually evolved in this period, they
would likely be naked with little material to make clothes. Or maybe we would
develop a new fashion line made of moss, seashells and fish bones! Ooh la la,
how Devonian chic! Speaking of fish bones, you'd want to be very careful about
fishing. Many scary sea creatures would be happy to eat you. Like Placoderms, a
species of armored fish with huge sharp jaws that could easily make you
bite-sized.
In the early Devonian
Period, Placoderms were the apex predator and would grow up to 10 meters (33
feet). Let's say you got lucky and actually caught a fish, without being eaten
yourself in the process. How would you cook it? With no trees for fuel, you'd
have to find some very dry moss and start rubbing some rocks together. Luckily,
the climate was pretty warm, meaning you wouldn't freeze at night. But with
very little kindling available, you might be better off sticking to a raw diet
of mollusks and other early arthropods. You'd also have to move around a lot to
keep finding these critters, so be prepared to do a lot of walking. Hmmm, I can
see you're getting a little tired and bored existing out there.
Let's fast forward
another 40 million years toward the Late Devonian Period. This period is also
known as But don't worry! It could actually be a really good time for you, fearless
traveller. Since by this point, almost 79% to 87% of all existing species were
wiped out. What could cause such a catastrophe? Scientists believe it was the
evolution of plants. Vascular plants began dominating the environment, including
trees, ferns and flowering plants.
Their roots broke up the
rocky ground and released nutrients and minerals in the water. These nutrients
fed algae, which multiplied rapidly and produced greedy bacteria that fed on
oxygen. Many regions of the ocean became
and much of the marine
life died off due to the lack of oxygen With more air in the atmosphere, some
sea creatures slowly adapted and made their way to shore. So, you can breathe
easier knowing there are less predators in the water, but look out for your new
neighbors on land! These land dwellers, known as were the early ancestors of
amphibians and all four-legged land vertebrates. In fact, the Devonian Period
got its name from the fossils of lobefins found in Devon,
England. In 2004, a
lobefin fossil was found in the Canadian Arctic known as which is considered to
be the species between fish and land-dwelling tetrapod. It had a crocodile-like
head, bony fins, sharp teeth and a flat body almost 3 meters (9 feet) long. Its
fins had partial wrists allowing it to crawl on land. So, if I were you, I
would quickly hide if I saw a Tiktaalik coming my way. The other dominant
species were Cartilaginous fish with skeletons covered in, you guessed it,
cartilage. These are the ancestors of sharks and rays. But you don't have to
worry about sharks. Oh no, there's something far bigger, and scarier! I'd keep
my distance if you happen to see a swimming around! These were the deadliest predators
of the Devonian age, with thick, bony plates covering their skulls and razor sharp
jaws.
Some would grow up to 10
meters (32 feet) in length. Their jaws were strong enough to chomp right
through another Dunkleosteus. With few fish left because of plants hogging the
oxygen, these placoderms were starving and desperate enough to eat each other. So,
be very careful where you bathe! With more trees and plants emerging in your
environment, you could finally create some helpful tools, like spears, fishing
hooks, and rope! You could improve your diet and maybe become a vegetarian! And
you could fashion some new clothes that aren't so irritatingly itchy.
By the late Devonian
Period, you might even be able to build yourself a treehouse in the the first
tree on Earth which grew up to 30 meters (90 feet) tall with a trunk 3 meters
(9 feet) wide. This may be nice for a while, but if you think the Devonian
Period is easy, you might want to plan a hasty exit before the Cretaceous
Period rolls around.
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