It significantly shaped the two periods of time that made up the end of the Paleozoic era. First, it led to the creation of iconic "coal forests" full of giant insects in the Carboniferous period ...

3 min read During the Ordovician period, part of the Paleozoic era, a rich variety of marine ... the second largest mass extinction of all time ended the period. Most of the world's landmasses ...

The Paleozoic era's Silurian period saw animals and plants ... Waiting at the other end of the food chain were the fearsome eurypterids, or sea scorpions. Some species grew to more than six ...