The Carboniferous Period
Life During the Pennsylvanian Period:
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There were many diverse plants, such as tree ferns as tall as 15 meters, calamites (horsetail plants), lycopods, seed ferns, and Cordaites (conifer-like plants), growing up to 50 meters in height
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Abundant flying insects which were huge, like the Meganeura
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Tetrapods were in abundance
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Earliest reptiles evolved
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Giant terrestrial arthropods
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Many diverse amniotes
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Extinction of graptolites
Meganeura dragonfly-dragonflies during this time were MUCH BIGGER than the dragonflies now
Calamites-similar to the horsetail plants today
Conditions during the Pennsylvanian Period:
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Continental glaciation expanded over Gondwana
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Surplus of oxygen! 35% of oxygen in the atmosphere
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Cooling and drying caused the Carboniferous Rainforest Collapse-plants dying meant coal