Fish
Starfish
Shark
Amphibian
Moss
Fern
Snail
500,000,000 BC- 300,000,000 BC
Fish (500,000,000 BC)
Some music....
Starfish (450,000,000 BC)
When I was born as a starfish, life was flourishing. It was a very exciting time. I felt like a real star. Little did I know that a mass extinction was about to come. It was to be the second-largest of the five major extinction events in Earth's history in terms of percentage of loss of life. Fish, the world's first true vertebrates, were evolving. Life had yet to diversify on land.
We were among the most familiar of marine animals found on the seabed. We could only live in salt water. Our upper surface was smooth, granular or spiny, and was covered with overlapping plates of calcium carbonate. Many were brightly colored in various shades of reds and oranges, while others were blue, gray, and brown. We were mainly known for our arms; or feet if you prefer to call them that. We were nothing much more than just arms. We typically had 5, but some had 6, a few had 10 – 15, and there were even starfish with up to 50. Our arms operated by a hydraulic system that moved by alternately contracting our muscles that forced water into our arms causing them to extend and push against the ground, then relaxing our muscles to allow them to retract. On the end of each arm was a tiny simple eye which allowed us to perceive the difference between light and darkness. This was useful to detect moving objects. Our arms latched on to surfaces and we move in a wave, with one body section attaching to the surfaces and the other section releasing from the surface. We were very slow, managing just 15 cm in a minute. We griped the surface with a traction system resembling a suction cup in appearance, but they didn't suck. They used adhesive chemicals to stick to the surface and other chemicals to release from the surface.
Most of us had the ability to regenerate lost arms. Some even were able to grow a complete new disc from a single arm. A separated limb lived off stored nutrients until it regrew a disc and mouth and was able to feed again. Regrowth took several months or years. We were able to reproduce this way when our arms were torn off by a predator. We were also able to shed our arms to escape a predator. This extraordinary trick was achieved by the rapid softening of a special type of connective tissue in response to nerve signals.
Our mouth was located in the center of the lower body. It opened into 2 stomachs lined by a series of digestive glands, which secreted digestive enzymes and absorbed nutrients from the food. A short intestine ran from the stomach and opened at an anus near the center of the upper body. We swallowed our prey whole, digested it in our stomachs and excreted the waste through our anus. We were opportunistic feeders and preyed on invertebrates. Some of us had specialized feeding behaviors, like feeding by straining suspended matter and food particles from water like a filter.
Most of us ate any animals too slow to evade our attack. Some who were really slow ate non-moving decomposing animal and plant material. Some were able to grasp shellfish and slowly pry open the prey's shell by wearing out its muscle. Then they inserted their stomach into the opening even if it was just open a fraction of an mm. Then they devoured the soft tissues. While we lacked a centralized brain, our bodies had complex nervous systems which were coordinated by what might be termed a distributed brain. We were sensitive to touch, light, temperature, orientation, and chemicals in the water around us. We used these senses in locating odor sources such as food.
Having so many arms, we were experts at sex. We were capable of both sexual and asexual reproduction. I was born a male, but from looking at me you couldn't really tell. You could only tell I was a male from the sperms I produced once I was sexually mature. Some of us were able to produce both sperms and eggs at the same time. Others who were born males seemed to get tired of being males and changed into females as they grew older. There were also those who were born females who changed into males. With us, everything was possible.
Each of our many arms contained two sex organs that produced either sperm or eggs or both. Despite our claim to be experts in sex, we unfortunately did not copulate. We just released sperm and eggs into the water and let the currents do the work for us in bringing the sperm to the eggs to fertilize them. The resulting embryos and larvae lived as part of the plankton they found themselves in. In others, the eggs were stuck to the undersides of rocks to develop.
To increase the chances of eggs being fertilized, some synchronized their spawning, aggregating in groups or forming pairs. The male climbed onto the female, placing his arms between hers, and released his sperms into the water. This stimulated her to release her eggs. That was the closest we got to copulation. We used environmental signals to coordinate the time of spawning. We used the length of day to indicate the correct time of the year, and we used dawn or dusk to indicate the correct time of day and we used chemical signals to indicate our readiness to each other. In some species, mature females produced chemicals to attract sperms in the sea water without the males sensing anything.
Those adults who practiced asexual techniques to reproduce formed clones by splitting into fragments. Each fragment then developed into mature, fully grown individuals that were clones of the original organism. Some formed clones by shedding their arms. Those that could regenerate whole bodies from their arms could do so even from fragments just 1cm long. Some didn't even need to wait to be torn apart to reproduce! The larvae of several starfish species could reproduce a new organism from an outgrowth or bud that they grew. The new organism remained attached as it grew, separating from the parent organism only when it was mature. Since the reproduction was asexual, the newly created organism was a clone and was genetically identical to the parent organism.
Our lifespans varied considerably. The larger we were, the longer we lived. Some of us reached sexual maturity in 2 years, and lived for about 10 years. Others reached maturity in 5 years and lived for about 30 years.
The land mass called Gondwana gradually moved into the South Polar Region. This led to global cooling, glaciation and the level of the oceans drastically dropped, disrupting and eliminating habitats along the continental shelves. These chain of events caused mass extinction. 70% of all species were killed off. This was the second biggest extinction of the 5 major extinctions in Earth's history.
We were among the most familiar of marine animals found on the seabed. We could only live in salt water. Our upper surface was smooth, granular or spiny, and was covered with overlapping plates of calcium carbonate. Many were brightly colored in various shades of reds and oranges, while others were blue, gray, and brown. We were mainly known for our arms; or feet if you prefer to call them that. We were nothing much more than just arms. We typically had 5, but some had 6, a few had 10 – 15, and there were even starfish with up to 50. Our arms operated by a hydraulic system that moved by alternately contracting our muscles that forced water into our arms causing them to extend and push against the ground, then relaxing our muscles to allow them to retract. On the end of each arm was a tiny simple eye which allowed us to perceive the difference between light and darkness. This was useful to detect moving objects. Our arms latched on to surfaces and we move in a wave, with one body section attaching to the surfaces and the other section releasing from the surface. We were very slow, managing just 15 cm in a minute. We griped the surface with a traction system resembling a suction cup in appearance, but they didn't suck. They used adhesive chemicals to stick to the surface and other chemicals to release from the surface.
Most of us had the ability to regenerate lost arms. Some even were able to grow a complete new disc from a single arm. A separated limb lived off stored nutrients until it regrew a disc and mouth and was able to feed again. Regrowth took several months or years. We were able to reproduce this way when our arms were torn off by a predator. We were also able to shed our arms to escape a predator. This extraordinary trick was achieved by the rapid softening of a special type of connective tissue in response to nerve signals.
Our mouth was located in the center of the lower body. It opened into 2 stomachs lined by a series of digestive glands, which secreted digestive enzymes and absorbed nutrients from the food. A short intestine ran from the stomach and opened at an anus near the center of the upper body. We swallowed our prey whole, digested it in our stomachs and excreted the waste through our anus. We were opportunistic feeders and preyed on invertebrates. Some of us had specialized feeding behaviors, like feeding by straining suspended matter and food particles from water like a filter.
Most of us ate any animals too slow to evade our attack. Some who were really slow ate non-moving decomposing animal and plant material. Some were able to grasp shellfish and slowly pry open the prey's shell by wearing out its muscle. Then they inserted their stomach into the opening even if it was just open a fraction of an mm. Then they devoured the soft tissues. While we lacked a centralized brain, our bodies had complex nervous systems which were coordinated by what might be termed a distributed brain. We were sensitive to touch, light, temperature, orientation, and chemicals in the water around us. We used these senses in locating odor sources such as food.
Having so many arms, we were experts at sex. We were capable of both sexual and asexual reproduction. I was born a male, but from looking at me you couldn't really tell. You could only tell I was a male from the sperms I produced once I was sexually mature. Some of us were able to produce both sperms and eggs at the same time. Others who were born males seemed to get tired of being males and changed into females as they grew older. There were also those who were born females who changed into males. With us, everything was possible.
Each of our many arms contained two sex organs that produced either sperm or eggs or both. Despite our claim to be experts in sex, we unfortunately did not copulate. We just released sperm and eggs into the water and let the currents do the work for us in bringing the sperm to the eggs to fertilize them. The resulting embryos and larvae lived as part of the plankton they found themselves in. In others, the eggs were stuck to the undersides of rocks to develop.
To increase the chances of eggs being fertilized, some synchronized their spawning, aggregating in groups or forming pairs. The male climbed onto the female, placing his arms between hers, and released his sperms into the water. This stimulated her to release her eggs. That was the closest we got to copulation. We used environmental signals to coordinate the time of spawning. We used the length of day to indicate the correct time of the year, and we used dawn or dusk to indicate the correct time of day and we used chemical signals to indicate our readiness to each other. In some species, mature females produced chemicals to attract sperms in the sea water without the males sensing anything.
Those adults who practiced asexual techniques to reproduce formed clones by splitting into fragments. Each fragment then developed into mature, fully grown individuals that were clones of the original organism. Some formed clones by shedding their arms. Those that could regenerate whole bodies from their arms could do so even from fragments just 1cm long. Some didn't even need to wait to be torn apart to reproduce! The larvae of several starfish species could reproduce a new organism from an outgrowth or bud that they grew. The new organism remained attached as it grew, separating from the parent organism only when it was mature. Since the reproduction was asexual, the newly created organism was a clone and was genetically identical to the parent organism.
Our lifespans varied considerably. The larger we were, the longer we lived. Some of us reached sexual maturity in 2 years, and lived for about 10 years. Others reached maturity in 5 years and lived for about 30 years.
The land mass called Gondwana gradually moved into the South Polar Region. This led to global cooling, glaciation and the level of the oceans drastically dropped, disrupting and eliminating habitats along the continental shelves. These chain of events caused mass extinction. 70% of all species were killed off. This was the second biggest extinction of the 5 major extinctions in Earth's history.
Shark (420,000,000 BC)
I had a very keen sense of smell. I could detect as little as one part per million of blood in seawater. That is one drop of blood in 50 liters of water. I could also determine the direction of a given scent based on the timing of scent detection in each nostril. Later when mammals came on the scene, they used this trick to determine direction of sound. My eyes had lenses, corneas and retinas and they were well adapted to the dark marine environment. I had a sharp sense of hearing and was able to hear prey 1km away. I was like a living antenna being able to detect electric fields to use for orientation and navigation. Like most fish, I was able to detect motion and vibrations in water.
I was a male and had more than one penis. When I was 13 years old, I was ready to have sex. Whenever I found a suitable female, I swam parallel to her and gave her a few nibbles to turn her on and to show her that I was turned on. I then bit her hard to grasp and hang on to her, especially if she was trying to get away. Then I penetrated her with my penis, using my biggest and hardest of course. Then I ejaculated my sperm in her to fertilize her eggs and waited a year or so before celebrating the birth of my little baby sharks.
I was a hunter, and as a hunter I migrated thousands of kilometers each year with the hunters in my pack. Sometimes there were more than 100 of us. We swam about 8 km/h. When chasing prey, we could swim nearly 3 times faster than that, with short speed bursts reaching 50km/h. We had big brains, as big as the mammals and birds that evolved hundreds of millions of years later. Our big brains not only made us intelligent, but they made us curious and playful as well.
We had a relatively long life span. Most of us lived 20-30 years. There were some who lived to be more than 100 years old.
Amphibian (400,000,000 BC)
30 million years after I was born and died, a comet hit the Earth. It caused a prolonged series of extinctions lasting 20 million years and killed 70% of all species.
Our life-cycle started with a spore. A spore was a fertilized egg turned into a seed that germinated to produce a mat of thread-like filaments. It looked like a thin green felt. The mat grew on damp soil, tree bark, rocks, concrete, or almost any other reasonably stable surface. This mat was differentiated into stems and leaves and developed shoots. From the tips of the stems, sex organs developed. The female sex organs containing eggs were protected by a group of modified leaves and had an open neck like a vagina which the male sperm swam into. The male sex organs were enclosed by modified leaves and formed a splash cup, allowing the sperms contained in the cup to be splashed to neighboring stalks by falling water droplets.
Some of us had a distinctive sex, either male or female. Others were both male and female with both sex organs. The sperms from the male sex organ had two flagella that aided in propulsion. Sperms had to have water to swim to the eggs in order to fertilize them. We took about 3-6 months to mature and be able to have spore-producing cells to form spores to repeat the life-cycle. We used compressed air, like an air-gun, to ejaculate the spores out into the wind. We relied on the wind to disperse our spores.
Not all of us had a sex life. Some of us produced green vegetative structures on leaves or branches which broke off and formed new plants without the need to go through the cycle of fertilization. This was a means of asexual reproduction and the genetically identical babies led to formation of clonal populations.
Fern (340,000,000 BC)
We lived in a wide variety of habitats, from remote mountain elevations, to dry desert rock faces, to bodies of water or in open fields. We were pioneers and specialists in marginal habitats. There were four particular types of habitats that I liked the most: moist, shady forests; crevices in rock faces, especially when sheltered from the full sun; acid wetlands including bogs and swamps; and tropical trees that we lived on without damaging them.
Fungi formed a mutualistic relationship with our roots that provided the fungus with carbohydrates from our leaves. In return, we gained minerals and water from the fungi`s vast mycelium network. Many of us only grew within specific pH ranges, either acidic for some or basic for others.
Our life-cycle was simple and sexual. We produced spores which grew and produced both sperms and eggs. A few of us were born either male or female and could produce either only sperms or only eggs, just like the humans who evolved 380 million years after us. Sperms swam to the eggs to fertilize them so they would grow into a fern to repeat the life-cycle.
Snail (320,000,000 BC)
We had thousands of microscopic tooth-like structures located on a ribbon-like tongue. It worked like a file, ripping food into small pieces. We didn't require large amounts of food. As we moved, we left behind a trail of slime. This allowed us to easily move across any type of terrain without injuring our body. We couldn't see very well and we couldn't hear at all so we had to rely on our sense of touch to interact with each other. We used our sense of smell to help find food.
We survived because we could hibernate and sleep thru tough times deadly to other animals. When it was very cold, very hot or very dry, we hibernated. We covered our bodies with a thin layer of mucus to prevent drying out and lived off stored fat. Some of us lived only for about 5 years while others lived up to 25 years.
We were sexually mature one year after we were born. We had our reproductive organs on the side of our body allowing us to mate easily. We had both a penis and a vagina and could produce both sperm and up to 100 eggs at a time. But fortunately we had to have a mate because our penis was too short and so we were unable to fertilize our own eggs. When we found our mate, the mating ritual lasted up to 12 hour because we were so slow. Mates fertilized each other`s eggs with their sperm. Once the eggs were fertilized, they went through a process of growth inside the snail before the eggs were placed in their nest and buried in a cool moist place underneath the dirt. The eggs develop and hatched after 2-4 weeks. The tiny baby snails ate their own egg shells in order to get calcium to strengthen their shells. They stayed in their nest for about 3 months until they were completely formed. We grew rings around our shells and the shells we were born with end up in the middle of our shells once fully grown. Like with trees, our age could be determined by counting our rings.
Only a fraction of snails made it to maturity. Many of the eggs were washed away by rain and young snails were often consumed by predators because they were slow and plentiful. Our predators were leeches, beetles, caterpillars, frogs, toads, snakes, and a variety of different birds. We died whenever we ate salt or sugar. I lived to a ripe old age of 20 years when I stumbled and fell into a stream. I was eaten by a salmon, not something I expected.
NEXT:
Octopus, Insect, Cockroach, Frog, Turtle, Dinosaur, Crab, Spider, Salamander, Grass, Praying Mantis, Bumblebee Bat, Blue whale, Desert Mole rats, Snake
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