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THE EVOLUTION OF EXTINCT ANIMALS THE EVOLUTION OF EXTINCT ANIMALS Introduction Have you ever wondered what other extinct animals have lived on earth in addition to dinosaurs? Have you ever wondered how and when such enormously successful animals went extinct? This lab will introduce you to many other extinct animals and help you understand why extinctions are important historical events to study. This lab was developed by Phil Novack-Gottshall at Benedictine University. Part I. Pick your group of extinct animals Most animal species that have ever lived are now extinct! Use the last page of this activity to choose one of the extinct (or mostly extinct) groups of animals to focus on for this activity. What group of extinct animals are you studying for this activity? Pterosauria 1. Use the internet to find reputable sources that describe the biology of your chosen group. Briefly describe how the animals lived . (For example, did they live underwater or on land? Could they crawl or walk or swim or fly, or where they immobile? Did they eat plants, other animals, microscopic algae, or microscopic organisms in mud?) Make sure to write down what sources you used for this information. (8 points) Pterosauria were a group of flying reptiles. They were as small as a sparrow, to as big as an airplane. Due to their many different beaks, they probably took advantage of a whole bunch of different food sources. It definitely ate a large amount of fish due to it being able to fly and glide in. They were the biggest flying reptiles to like. https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/diapsids/pterosauria.html 2. Draw (or print and attach) a picture of a typical animal in your group. Remember to include a scale bar, and label key features or body parts. Also label the symmetry (5 points)

Part II. Introduction to the geological timescale Since the 1700s, geologists (scientists who study the earth, including rocks, earthquakes, volcanoes, streams, and fossils) have used fossils to develop the geological timescale. It wasn't until the 20 th century, however, that they were able to add specific dates. Figure 1 shows a recent geological timescale, with the last 542-million years of history divided into three eras (Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic Eras), each further subdivided into a series of periods. 3. According to the timescale, what Era and Period are you living in today? (In other words, what intervals are the most recent?) (2 points) The Cenozoic and the Neogene and further in the Quaternary. Paleontologists (biologists and geologists who study the fossil record of life) have discovered that there have been five major mass extinctions in the history, which have had enormous impact on life by quickly killing enormous numbers of animals and plants around the world. We now recognize that all of these mass extinctions were caused by major environmental catastrophes. The most famous example was the Late Cretaceous mass extinction , caused by a meteorite that crashed to Earth 66 million years ago. It threw so much ash into the atmosphere that the earth felt like nighttime for many years, preventing algae, plants, and animals from being able to get enough food to survive. The Late Permian mass extinction was the most devastating of all extinctions. It was caused by enormous volcanic eruptions that released so much carbon dioxide that earth's atmosphere heated up dramatically by global warming. These two mass extinctions so dramatically affected life on earth that they are used to define the boundaries surrounding the Paleozoic (etymologically, "ancient life"), Mesozoic ("middle life"), and Cenozoic ("recent life") Eras. 4. Which occurred first, the Late Permian or the Late Cretaceous mass extinction? How many mass extinctions have occurred in the last 542 million years? (1 point) Figure 1. Geological timescale. Numbers on the left note when each era started and ended (in millions of years ago, m.y.a.). The Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic Eras correspond to the three eras of animal life, and they are subdivided into various periods, listed on the right. The Carboniferous Period sometimes is divided into the Mississippian and Pennsylvanian Periods, and the most recent two periods are similarly treated variably, sometimes with the Quaternary Period falling after the Neogene Period. The five mass extinctions are noted with arrows on the right of the timescale.

Diversity curves graph the history of life Diversity curves allow paleontologists to graph how many different kinds of fossil animals (or plants or protists) existed on earth during different geological time intervals. They are especially important for telling us (a) when a group of animals first evolved on earth, (b) when that group diversified (increased in diversity) and became common on earth, and (c) when that group went extinct . Let's make a diversity curve for the group of extinct animals you chose in Part I above. 6. Type the name of your animal group in the search box on the top-right corner of the PBDB Navigator window. (Make sure to spell it exactly correctly!) When you see the name in the drop-down box, select it. You will now see the dots change on the map, showing you where fossils of these animals have been discovered. Each color corresponds to a unique color on the geological timescale on the bottom of the page. (The pictures on the right will show you a cartoon drawing of major subgroups of your chosen group.) 7. Make a diversity curve for your group by clicking the tool on the left side. You will see a new window show up. (The default settings are fine to use.) Save this image (using the tools on the right side of the diversity window). Print the diversity curve and attach it to this activity. Make sure to write the name of the group of animals on your diversity curve!

8. The y-axis plots diversity , the number of different kinds of animals that occur in the fossil record during each time interval. (Technically, the graph is plotting genus diversity, or the number of groups of closely related species in different genera.) 9. What is the largest diversity observed at any one time in the history of your animal group? (In other words, what is the largest value on the y-axis?) (2 points) About 40 animal groups 10. The first time you see a value on the diversity curve is generally when your animal group first evolved. During what geologic time period did your extinct animal group first appear in the fossil record? (2 points) During the Mid-Triassic 11. Did this period occur during the Paleozoic, Mesozoic, or Cenozoic Era? (2 points) This occurred during the Mesozoic 12. During what time period did your animal group go extinct? (If your group is not extinct yet, then write that it is not yet extinct.) (2 points) They went extinct during the late Cretaceous mass extinctions. 13. During what period(s) was your animal group most diverse? During what era(s) was it most diverse? (2 points) It was most diverse in the Cretaceous, Mesozoic. 14. Some people think extinct animals were evolutionary failures because they are extinct today, or nearly so. Some also claim they were never successful or common animals on earth. Based on the diversity curve, is it fair to claim that your extinct group was a failure? Why or why not? (For comparison, primates have existed for just 16 million years and our species for only 250,000 years.) (8 points) I think it was widely successful for its time as it lasted almost 200 million years and had good diversity. It was the extinction that really put them away. You may notice that diversity curves sometimes rise quickly. These are intervals when the animal group was common and successful on earth, usually because the environmental conditions needed for these animals to survive (such as food, climate, and other conditions) were widely available on earth. Other times you may see diversity drop quickly. These may have been intervals when the group suffered extinctions because the necessary conditions were not present. 15. Let's analyze how your group was affected by the five major mass extinction in earth history. For each mass extinction, explain whether it (a) had not yet originated, (b) was not affected by the extinction (meaning it did not have a major drop in diversity at this time), (c) was

LIST OF EXTINCT GROUPS OF ANIMALS Below is a list of major groups of extinct (or nearly so) animals. Also provided is a guide to pronunciation, the basic kind of animal, and sometimes with a famous genus. Rugosa ( Rue-go'-suh , a group of Paleozoic corals) Tabulata ( Tab'-ewe-la-tuh , a group of Paleozoic corals) Lingulata ( Ling'-ewe-lah'-tuh , a group of primarily Paleozoic brachiopods) Strophomenata ( Strow'-foe-men'-ah-tuh , a group of Paleozoic brachiopods) Hyolithida ( Hi-oh-lith'-ih-duh , a group of Paleozoic mollusk-like animals) Rostroconchia ( Ro'-strow-conch'-ee-uh , a group of Paleozoic mollusks) Orthocerida ( Ore'-tho-sehr'-ih-duh , a group of Paleozoic cephalopod mollusks) Goniatitida ( Gohn'-ee-uh-tid'-uh-duh , a group of Paleozoic cephalopod mollusks) Ammonitida ( Amm'-oh-nid'-uh-duh , a group of Mesozoic cephalopod mollusks) Belemnitida ( Beh-lem'-nid'-uh-duh , a group of Mesozoic cephalopod mollusks) Trilobita ( Try-low-buy'-tuh , a group of Paleozoic arthropods) Eurypterida ( You-rip'-tuhr-uh-duh , a group of Paleozoic arthropods) Crinoidea ( Cry-noi'-dee-uh , a group of primarily Paleozoic echinoderms) Blastoidea ( Blass-toi'-dee-uh , a group of Paleozoic echinoderms) Edrioasteroidea ( Ee-dree'-oh-ass'-tuhr-oy'-dee-uh , a group of Paleozoic echinoderms) Eocrinoidea ( Ee'-oh-cry-noi'-dee-uh , a group of Paleozoic echinoderms) Rhombifera ( Rohm-bih'-fur-uh , a group of Paleozoic echinoderms) Eupelycosauria ( You-pell'-ih-co-sar'-ee-uh , a suborder of Paleozoic vertebrates, including Dimetrodon ) Dicynodontia ( Die-sigh'-no-don'-tee-uh , a subgroup of Paleozoic and Mesozoic vertebrates) Dinosauria ( Dye'-no-sar'-ee-uh , a group of Mesozoic reptiles) o Note that biologists consider birds descendants (living members) of the dinosaurs, and so if you choose this group, you will also have to study the "true bird" group

Aves ( Aye'-vees ) and then subtract out the birds from the larger group Dinosauria to focus just on the "extinct" dinosaurs that were not birds. Plesiosauria ( Please'-ee-oh-sar'-ee-uh , a group of Mesozoic reptiles) Pterosauria ( Terr'-ah-sar'-ee-uh , a group of Mesozoic reptiles) Mosasauria ( Moh'-suh-sar'-ee-uh , a group of Mesozoic reptiles) Ichthyosauria ( Ick'-thee-oh-sar'-ee-uh , a group of Mesozoic reptiles)