'Invertebrate paleontology' (also spelled 'Invertebrate palaeontology') is sometimes described as 'Invertebrate paleozoology' and/or 'Invertebrate paleobiology'.
Whether it is considered to be a subfield of
paleontology,
paleozoology, and/or
paleobiology, this discipline is the
scientific study of '
prehistoric invertebrates' by analyzing '
invertebrate fossils' in the
geologic record.
By ''invertebrates'' are meant the ''non-vertebrate'' creatures of the
kingdom Animalia (or
Metazoa) in the
biotic domain of
Eukaryota. By
phyletic definition, these
many-celled, ''sub-vertebrate'' animals lack a
vertebral column,
spinal column,
vertebrae,
backbone, or long, full-length
notochord -- in contrast, of course, to the
vertebrates in the one phylum of
Chordata.
Relatedly, invertebrates have never had a
cartilaginous and/or
boney internal
skeleton, with its
skeletal supports,
gill slits,
ribs and
jaws. Finally, throughout
geologic time, invertebrates have remained non-
craniate creatures; that is, they never developed a
cranium,
nerve-
chord brain,
skull, or hard protective
braincase.
Invertebrate terminology in science
In the many decades since
Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck, a pioneering
biologist and
evolutionist, first conceptualized and coined the category "
Invertebrata" (between
1793 and
1801) and the term "
Biology" (in 1802),
zoology has come to recognize that the ''non-vertebrate'' category is not a
scientifically-valid,
monophyletic taxon.
Evolutionary biology and
developmental biology (a.k.a. "
evo-devo") now consider the term "Invertebrata" to be both
polyphyletic and
paraphyletic. Nevertheless, most
earth science departments continue to employ this term; and
paleontologists find it both useful and practical in evaluating 'fossil invertebrates' and -- consequently -- 'invertebrate evolution'.
However, there is one contemporary caveat:
Paleobiologists and
microbiologists in the 21st century no longer
classify one-celled "animal-like"
microbes ''either'' as
invertebrates ''or'' as
animals.
For example, the commonly-
fossilized foraminifera ("forams") and
radiolarians --
zooplankton both formerly grouped under either an animal phylum or animal sub-kingdom called
Protozoa ("first animals") -- are now placed in the kingdom or super-kingdom
Protista or
Protoctista (and thus called
protists or
protoctists), or -- still more recently -- are placed within the multiple non-animal kingdoms of the domain Eukaryota (the
organic domain which comprises the mostly-
unicellular,
nuclei-bearing
eukaryotes).
[1]
This radical rearrangement of the
branches of the
phylogenetic tree of
life has resulted from the ''latest'' findings in
genetics,
cladistics, and
molecular biology.
[2]
Origins of invertebrate paleontology
{This section has been moved to the new article
History of invertebrate paleozoology due to size constraints}
Modern evolution of invertebrate paleontology
{This section has ''also'' been moved to the new article
History of invertebrate paleozoology due to limitations on size}
Invertebrate fossilization
When it comes to the fossil record, ''soft-''bodied and ''minuscule'' invertebrates -- such as
hydras,
jellies,
flatworms,
hairworms,
nematodes,
ribbon worms,
rotifers and
earthworms -- are infrequently
fossilized. As a result,
paleontologists and other
fossil hunters must often rely on
trace fossils,
microfossils, or
chemofossil residue when scouting for these prehistoric creatures.
''Hard-''bodied and ''large'' invertebrates are much-more commonly preserved; typically as sizeable
macrofossils. These invertebrates are more frequently preserved because their hard parts -- for example,
shell,
armor, plates,
tests,
exoskeleton,
jaws or
teeth -- are composed of
silica (
silicon dioxide),
calcite or
aragonite (both forms of
calcium carbonate),
chitin (a
proteinaceous
tricalcium phosphate), and/or
keratin (an even-more complex
protein), rather than the vertebrate
bone (tricalcium phosphate) or
cartilage of
fishes and land-dwelling
tetrapods.
The
chitinous jaws of
annelids (such as the marine
scolecodonts) are sometimes preserved as fossils; while many
arthropods and
inarticulate brachiopods have easily-fossilized hard parts of
chitin and/or
keratin. The most common and often-found macrofossils are the very hard
calcareous shells of
articulate lampshells (that is, the everyday "
brachs") and of
mollusks (such as the omnipresent
clams,
snails,
mussels and
oysters). On the other hand,
demosponges (for instance, horny sponges) and
hyalosponges (for instance,
glass sponges) have occasionally been preserved due to their
siliceous or
glassy composition.
Taxonomy of commonly-fossilized invertebrates
Although the
phylogenetic classification of sub-vertebrate animals (both
extinct and
extant) remains a work-in-progress, the following
taxonomy attempts to be useful by combining ''both'' traditional (old) ''and'' new (21st-century)
paleozoological termonology.
So the
paleobiologic systematics which follows is ''not'' intended to be all-inclusive or completely comprehensive. For practial reasons and relevancy, the below classification and annotations ''emphasize invertebrates'' that (a) are popularly collected as fossils and/or (b) no longer continue alive on this planet. Therefore, as a result, some
phyla,
classes, and
orders of invertebrates are not listed.
[3]
If a non-vertebrate animal is mentioned below using its common, vernacular, ''everyday'' name, the creature is usually a living,
present-day invertebrate. But if, on the other hand, a non-vertebrate is cited below by its scientific,
taxonomic ''genus'' (in ''
italics''), then it is typically an
extinct invertebrate, known only from the
fossil record.
[4]
Invertebrate
clades that are (a) ''very important'' as fossils (for example,
ostracods frequently used as
index fossils), and/or (b) ''very abundant'' as fossils (for example,
crinoids easily found in crinoidal
limestone),
[5] are highlighted with a bracketed exclamation mark '[ ! ]'.
Invertebrate groups that (a) are now ''substantially'' extinct, and/or (b) contain a ''large proportion'' of extinct species, are followed by a dashed notation [ '--' such as this ]. But invertebrate
clades which are now ''totally'' -- that is, 100 percent -- ''extinct'' are designated with a bracketed dagger/cross '[ † ]':
=='Domain of
EUKARYOTA /
EUKARYA'==
(
eukaryotes / eukaryans / all
cellular organisms bearing a central,
organized nucleus with
DNA)
★ comprises ''most'' of the
species of
life which have been documented by
biologists and
paleontologists as either living or deceased
★ includes a wide variety of
single-celled protists, all
algae, most
plankton, most
molds, the
green plants, and ''all'' animal-related
kingdoms
★
★ but does ''not'' include the
primal, sub-
nuclear,
prokaryotic domains of
Archaea and
Bacteria -- nor the enigmatic domain of
Viruses
===Sub-domain of
OPISTHOKONTA===
(
opisthokonts / the animal-related kingdoms / the proto-spongal
choanoflagellates, proto-fungal
microsporidians, true
fungi, and true animals
★ comprises most life forms documented as either living or deceased
★
★ excludes many molds, all one-celled protists, all algae, and all green plants
=='Kingdom of
ANIMALIA /
METAZOA'==
(
metazoans /
many-celled true
animals / all invertebrates and vertebrates /
multi-cellular creatures that grab and
ingest their
organic food)
★ comprises most living and deceased species which have ever been recorded by
paleontological and
life scientists
★
★ excludes all
unicellular and
fungal opisthokonts
==Sub-kingdom of
PARAZOA==
(parazoans / typically-
sessile,
basal non-
eumetazoans / the most-
primitive invertebrates)
===Phylum
Archaeocyatha /
Archeocyathida /
Archeocyatha [†]===
(extinct
archaeocyathans /
archaeocyathids /
archeocyathids /
archeocyathans /
calcareous "ancient-cups" / cone-shaped
pleosponges)
(includes fossil
genera such ''Archaeocyathus'',
''Cambrocyathus'', ''Atikonia'', ''Metaldetes'', and ''Ajacicyathus'')
(phylum might be reclassified as a
class of
Porifera below)
===Phylum
Porifera /
Nuda===
(the
true sponges, today mostly
silicareous) -- ''half'' of all documented species of Porifera are fossils ''and'' extinct
[6]
★ Class
Demospongea (most living sponges; e.g., the
silicareous horny sponges,
bath sponges, fossil Lithistids)
★ Class
Hexactinellida /
Hyalospongiae (
silicareous, deep-sea
glass sponges and fossil ''Dictyonina'')
★ Class
Calcarea / Calcisongiae (
calcareous sponges such as extinct Pharetronids)
★ Class
Stromatoporata [†] (
calcareous stromatoporates)
==Sub-kingdom of
EUMETAZOA
(eumetazoans / typically-mobile, multicellular animals]]
Super-phylum of '
RADIATA'==
(radiates / non-
bilaterian
eumetazoans)
===Phylum
Cnidaria /
Coelenterata===
(
cnidarians /
coelenterates)
★ Class
Hydrozoa (
hydra or
hydroid group)
★
★ Subclass
Stromatoporoidea [†] (lime-layered
stromatoporoids)
★
★ Subclass
Conulata [†] (four-sided, pyramidal
conularians)
★ Class
Anthozoa (
corals /
polyps)
★
★ Subclass
Receptaculidea [†] (receptaculites, a.k.a.
sunflower corals)
★
★ Subclass
Octocorallia /
Alcyonaria (
soft corals and
sea pens)
★
★ Subclass
Zoantharia [!] (
sea anemones and most
extant corals)
★
★
★ Order
Rugosa /
Tetracoralla [†] [!] (wrinkled,
horn-shaped tetracorals such as
Petoskey coral, ''Caninia'' and ''Heliophyllum'')
★
★
★ Order
Tabulata / Schizocoralla [†] [!] (
tabulate corals, for instance, ''Favosites'')
★
★
★ Order
Scleractinia / Hexacoralla [!] (
stony corals such as
brain coral, ''Favia'', ''Meandrina'', and most
living corals)
==Super-phylum of '
LOPHOTROCHOZOA' / '
PROTOSTOMIA' # 1==
(
lophotrochozoan
bilaterians, such as
flatworms,
ribbon worms,
lophophorates, and
molluscs)
===Phylum
Bryozoa / Ectoprocta / Polyzoa===
(bryozoans /
moss animals) -- ''half'' of all documented species of Bryozoa are fossils ''and'' extinct
[7]
★ Class
Stenolaemata /
Gymnolaemata [!] (mostly
marine,
calcareous bryozoans)
★
★ Order
Cheilostomata [!] (living, rimmed-mouthed moss animals)
★
★ Order
Cyclostomata (uncontracted, round-mouthed bryozoans including fossil ''Stomatopora'')
★
★ Order Cystoporata [†] (extinct, minor group of moss animals)
★
★ Order Trepostomata [†] [!] (changed-mouthed bryozoans such as extinct ''Constellaria'' and ''Monticulipora'')
★
★ Order
Cryptostomata [†] [!] (round hidden-mouthed bryozoans such as ''Archimedes'', ''Fenestrellina'' and ''Rhombopora'')
★
★ Order Ctenostomata [†] (uncommon, comb-mouthed bryozoans)
★
★ Order Phylactolaemata (living, fresh-water bryozoans)
===Phylum
Brachiopoda===
(
lampshells, brachiopods or "
brachs," not to be confused with the
hard-shelled
marine mollusks below) -- ''99 percent'' of all documented species of Brachiopoda are now extinct
★ Subphylum
Linguliformea (
inarticulate atremates, such as "
living fossil" ''
Lingula'') -- but mostly extinct
★ Subphylum
Craniiformea (
inarticulate neotremates, such as extant ''
Crania'') -- but mostly extinct
★ Subphylum
Rhynchonelliformea [!] (
articulate brachiopods with hinged valves; includes most extinct ''and'' living brachs)
★
★ Class
Rhynchonellata [!]
★
★
★ Order
Orthida [†] [!] (
orthid brachs such as fossil ''Orthis'')
★
★
★ Order
Pentamerida [†] (pentamerid brachs such as ''Conchidium'')
★
★
★ Order
Rhynchonellida [!] (
rhynchonellid brachs such as fossils ''Rhynchotrema'' and ''Rhynchonella'')
★
★
★ Order
Spiriferida [†] [!] (
spiriferid brachs)
★
★
★
★ Suborder
Spiriferinida [†] [!] (spiriferid brachs such as ''Spirifer'' and ''Eospirifer'')
★
★
★
★ Suborder
Atrypida [†] [!] (atrypid brachs such as ''Atrypa'')
★
★
★ Order
Terebratulida [!] (most living brachiopods; includes fossil ''Dielasma'')
★
★ Class
Strophomenata [†] [!] (so-called petrified butterflies)
★
★
★ Order
Strophomenida [†] [!] (strophomenid brachs)
★
★
★ Order
Productida [†] [!] (spiny or productid brachs)
★
★
★
★ Suborder
Chonetidina [†] [!]
★
★
★
★ Suborder
Productidina [†] [!]
===Phylum
Annelida===
(
segmented worms such as
earthworms and
leeches)
★ Class
Polychaeta (
marine annelids /
polychaetes)
★
★ Order
Scolecodonta [!] (mostly
chitinous jaws of
scolecodonts)
===Phylum
Mollusca===
(molluscs or
mollusks, not to be confused with the
hard-shelled marine brachiopods above)
★ Class
Monoplacophora (
extinct, except for "
living fossil"
Neopilina)
★ Class
Bivalvia /
Pelecypoda (bivalves / pelecypods) -- ''half'' of all documented species of Bivalvia are fossils ''and'' extinct
[8]
★
★ Subclass
Lamellibranchia [!] (
clams,
oysters,
mussels and
scallops)
★ Class
Gastropoda (gastropods /
snail group)
★
★ Subclass
Prosobranchia (
marine snails and
conches)
★
★ Subclass
Opisthobranchia (
sea slugs)
★
★ Subclass
Pulmonata (land
snails)
★ Class
Cephalopoda (cephalopods) -- ''97 percent'' of all documented species of Cephalopoda are now extinct
★
★ Subclass
Nautiloidea (mostly extinct, but includes "
living fossil" ''
Nautilus'')
★
★
★ Order
Orthocerida [†] [!] (
long, straight-shelled nautiloids)
★
★ Subclass
Ammonoidea [†] [!] (generally coiled-shelled
ammonoids)
★
★
★
Agoniatitic (agoniatites) [†]
★
★
★
Goniatitic (
goniatites) [†] [!] (ammonoids with simple
sutures)
★
★
★
Ceratitic (ceratites) [†]
★
★
★
Ammonitic [†] [!] (the true
ammonites, bearing complex
sutures)
★
★ Subclass
Coleoidea (includes the living
squid,
cuttlefish, and
octopus)
★
★
★ Order
Belemnoidea [†] (extinct
orthoconic belemnoids)
==Super-phylum of '
ECDYSOZOA' / '
PROTOSTOMIA' # 2==
(
ecdysozoans, such as
nematodes,
horsehair worms, and
molting bilaterians /
panarthropods))
===Phylum
Tardigrada===
(panarthropodic
water bears)
===Phylum
Onychophora===
(panarthropodic
velvet worms, including proto-arthropodic fossils of ''Arthropleura'' and ''Aysheaia'')
===Phylum
Arthropoda===
(arthropods;
jointed legged creatures with an
exoskeleton)
★ Subphylum
Crustacea (crustaceans)
★
★ Class
Ostracoda (ostracods)
★
★ Class
Malacostraca (true
crabs,
lobster and most
shrimp)
★
★ Class
Branchiopoda (
brine shrimp)
★
★
★ Order
Norostraca
★
★ Class
Cirripedia(
barnacles)
★
★ Class Arachnoidea
★ Subphylum
Trilobitomorpha [†] (extinct
trilobite group)
★
★ Class
Trilobita [†] (the armored trilobites)
★ Subphylum
Hexapoda
★
★ Class
Insecta (insects, best preserved in
amber)
★ Subphylum
Chelicerata
★
★ Class
Arachnida (
spiders, best preserved in
amber)
★
★ Class
Merostomata ("
living fossil"
horseshoe crab and extinct
eurypterid)
★ Subphylum
Myriapoda
★
★ Class
Diplopoda
★
★ Class
Chilopoda
==Super-phylum of '
DEUTEROSTOMIA / ENTEROCOELOMATA==
(second-mouthed
bilaterians called
deuterostomians, such as
chordates and
echinoderms)
===Phylum
Echinodermata===
(echinoderms) -- ''72 percent'' of all documented species of Echinodermata are fossils ''and'' extinct
[9]
★ Subphylum
Crinozoa (
sessile echinoderms) -- ''91 percent'' of all documented species of Crinozoa are now extinct
★
★ Class
Crinoidea (crinoids /
sea lilies) -- See Crinozoa above
★ Subphylum
Blastozoa [†] (extinct
blastoids)
★
★ Class
Diploporita
★
★ Class
Rhombifera
★ Subphylum
Echinozoa (
mobile echinoderms) -- ''89 percent'' of all documented species of Echinozoa are now extinct
★
★ Class
Echinoidea (echinoids or
sea urchins) -- See Echinozoa above
★ Subphylum
Asterozoa
★
★ Class
Asteroidea (
sea stars /
starfish)
★
★ Class
Ophiuroidea
===Phylum
Hemichordata===
(hemichordates such as extant
acorn worms) -- ''Less than half'' of the documented species of Hemichordata are fossils ''and'' extinct
★ Class
Graptoloidea [†] (extinct
graptolites)
★
★ Order
Dendroidea [†]
★
★ Order
Graptoloidea [†]
★
★
★ Suborder
Didymograptina [†]
★
★
★ Suborder
Diplograptina [†]
★
★
★ Suborder
Monograptina [†]
===Phylum
Chordata===
(''both'' invertebrate ''and'' vertebrate chordates; animals possessing a
notochord)
Invertebrate subphyla
★ Subphylum
Urochordata (invertebrate
tunicate such as
sea squirts)
★ Subphylum
Cephalochordata (invertebrate
lancelets)
Subphylum
Vertebrata
★ (vertebrates such as
hagfishes,
lampreys,
conodonts [†],
ostracoderms [†],
placoderms [†],
sharks,
ray-finned fishes,
lobe-finned fishes,
amphibians,
reptiles,
dinosaurs [†],
birds and
mammals)
Footnotes
1. Correspondingly, the one-celled "plant-like" organisms -- a group of mostly simple algae once known as Protophyta ("first plants") -- are now ''also'' placed among the protists and/or the non-plant eukaryotes. So too are the "plant-like" fungi, which have been discovered to be far-more "animal-like" (genetically speaking) than the early naturalists would have ever suspected.
2. For the new locus of the multi-celled animals in the "tree of life", see especially the tree diagrams on pp. 45, 78 and 555 of Joel Cracraft and Michael J. Donaghue, editors (2004) of ''Assembling the Tree of Life'' (Oxford, England: Oxford University Press ), 592 pages. ISBN 0195172345. And for even ''less technical'' and ''superbly-illustrated'' evolutionary trees, see ''The Variety of Life: A Survey and a Celebration of All the Creatures That Have Ever Lived'' by Colin Tudge (20002), an easy-to-read 704-page book also published by the Oxford University Press. ISBN 0198604262.
3. For superb anatomical illustrations and much-more comprehensive information, the aspiring paleozoologist should scan ''Volume E'' (''Archaeocyatha'' / ''Porifera'') through ''Volume V'' (''Graptolithina''), published 1953 to 2006 (and continuing), of ''the Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology'', long-edited by Raymond C. Moore and Roger L. Kaesler (Boulder, Colorado: Geological Society of America; and Lawrence, Kansas: University of Kansas Press). But be warned that some terms therein employed -- such as supersubphylum -- can be unnecessarily wordy or obstruse. Incidentally, ''revised'' volumes have been recently published regarding the sponges/archaeocyatha (2004, ISBN 08137 31313) and the brachiopods (2006, ISBN 0813731356).
4. The names of genera, orders, classes and phyla have been culled from dozens of sources, both current and decades-old. See the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN), as well as ''Volume 1'' and ''Volume 2'' of ''Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia'' (Farmington Hills, Michigan: Gale Group), edited by zoologists Michael Hutchin, Dennis A. Thorney and Sean F. Craig (2003).
5. For correspondingly-ancient ecosystems, see the ''Treatise on Ecology and Paleoecology'', ''Volume 2: Paleoecology'', edited for years by Harry S. Ladd (1957 / 1971), and published by both the Geological Society of America (Boulder, Colorado) and the Waverly Press (Washington, D.C.).
6. The rates of extinction for sponges and other phyla are derived from W. H. Easton, 1960, ''Invertebrate Paleontology'' (New York: Harper and Brothers) and various modern sources.
7. For bryozoans and brachiopods, the same footnote as above.
8. For bivalves and cephalopods (both mollusks), see the above notation.
9. For the echinoderms, see the above footnote regarding W. E. Easton, 1960, ''Invertebrate Paleontology'', and other sources.
Further reading
Although these books are ''not'' footnoted in this article, the following are well-illustrated, well-organized -- and often well-worn -- guides to invertebrate (and sometimes other) fossils:
★ Paolo Arduini (1987), ''Simon and Schuster's Guide to Fossils'' (Old Tappan, New Jersey:
Fireside), 320 pages. ISBN 0671631322.
★
James R. Beerbower (1968). ''Search for the Past: An Introduction to Paleontology'' (Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey:
Prentice-Hall), 512 pages.
★
British Museum of Natural History (1969). ''British Palaeozoic Fossils'' (London, England: British Museum of Natural History).
★ Euan N. K. Clarkson (1998). ''Invertebrate Palaeontology and Evolution'' (London, England:
Allen and Unwin), 468 pages. ISBN 9780632052387.
★
Peter Doyle (1996), ''Understanding Fossils: An Introduction to Invertebrate Paleontology'' (Hoboken, New Jersey:
John Wiley & Sons), 426 pages. ISBN 0471963518.
★
Carroll Lane Fenton and
Mildred Adams Fenton (1958); updated by Patricia Vickers Rich and Thomas Hewitt Rich (1997). ''The Fossil Book: A Record of Prehistoric Life'' (Garden City, New York:
Doubleday and
Courier Dover Publishing), from 482 to 760 pages. ISBN 0486293718.
★ W. R. Hamilton and others (1974). ''A Guide to Minerals, Rocks and Fossils'' (London, England:
Hamlyn Publishing Group Ltd.), 320 pages.
★
W. B. Harland (1967). ''The Fossil Record'' (London, England:
Geological Society of London), 827 pages.
★ V. Lehmann and G. Hillmer (1983). ''Fossil Invertebrates'' (Cambridge, England:
Cambridge University Press).
★ Harold L. Levin (1998), ''Ancient Invertebrates and Their Living Relatives'' (Boston:
Prentice-Hall), 358 pages. ISBN 9780137489558.
★ William H. Matthews III (1962). ''Fossils: An Introduction to Prehistoric Life'' (New York:
Barnes and Noble), 337 pages.
★ Helmut Mayr (1992). ''A Guide to Fossils'' (New York:
Longman, Harlow).
★
Raymond C. Moore and others (1952). ''Invertebrate Fossils'' (New York:
McGraw-Hill), 776 pages. ISBN 00704302.
★ J. W. Murray, editor (1985). ''Atlas of Invertebrate Macrofossils'' (Princeton:
Princeton University Press), 256 pages.
★
Douglas Palmer (2004), ''Fossils'' (London, England:
Dorling Kindersley).
★ Frank H. T. Rhodes and others (1962). ''Fossils: A Guide to Prehistoric Life'' (New York:
Golden Nature Guide), 242 pages.
★
Henry Woodburn Shimer and
Robert Rakes Shrock (1944/1983). ''Index Fossils of North America'' (Cambridge, Massachusetts:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press), 837 pages.
★ Robert Rakes Shrock and W. H. Twenhofel (1953). ''Invertebrate Paleontology'' (New York: McGraw-Hill).
★ Ronald Singer (2000), ''
Encyclopedia of Paleontology'' (London, England:
Routledge), 1,467 pages. ISBN 1884964966.
★
Ida Thompson (1982/2004). ''
National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Fossils'' (New York:
Alfred A. Knopf), 846 pages.
★ Cyril Walker and David Ward (2002). ''Smithsonian Handbook of Fossils'' (London, England: Dorling Kindersley), 320 pages.
See also
{|align-left
Prehistoric periods & events
''(in geochronological order)''
=Pre-Cambrian time (a.k.a. Cryptozoic)=
'Proterozoic eon'
★ Paleoproterozoic era
★ ★ Oxygen catastrophe extinctions
★ Mesoproterozoic era
★ Neoproterozoic era
★ ★ Tonian period
★ ★ Cryogenian period
★ ★ ★ Snowball earth extinctions
★ ★ Ediacaran period
★ ★ ★ Ediacaran invertebrates
=Phanerozoic eon=
'Paleozoic era'
★ Cambrian period
★ ★ Cambrian explosion of fossil invertebrates
★ ★ Burgess shale invertebrates
★ ★ Cambrian-Ordovician extinction events
★ Ordovician period
★ ★ Ordovician-Silurian extinction events
★ Silurian period
★ Devonian period
★ ★ Late Devonian extinction event
★ Carboniferous period
★ ★ Mississippian period or epoch
★ ★ Pennsylvanian period or epoch
★ Permian period
★ ★ Permian-Triassic extinction event
'Mesozoic era'
★ Triassic period
★ ★ Triassic-Jurassic extinction event
★ Jurassic period
★ Cretaceous period
★ ★ Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event
'Cenozoic era'
★ Paleogene period, a.k.a. early Tertiary
★ Neogene period, a.k.a. late Tertiary & Quarternary
★ ★ Holocene extinction event
Prehistoric oceans, continents & seas
★ Angara continent
★ Baltica continent
★ Fennoscandia continent
★ Gondwana supercontinent
★ Laurasia continent
★ Laurentia continent
★ Laurussia continent
★ Mirovia Ocean
★ Paleo-Tethys Ocean
★ Pangea supercontinent
★ Pannotia supercontinent
★ Panthalassa or Panthalassic Ocean
★ Rodinia supercontinent
★ Tethys Sea
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Fossils & evolution of invertebrates
★ Evolution of invertebrates, etc.
★ Evolutionary history of life
★ Extinction events
★ Fossils of invertebrates, etc.
★ Fossil collecting
★ Fossil parks open to visitors
★ Geologic timescale -- has eras/periods of ancient life
★ Glaciations
★ History of earth
★ Ice ages
★ Index fossils or guide fossils
★ List of fossil sites
★ List of notable fossils -- includes invertebrate fossil beds
★ List of transitional fossils
★ Living fossil
★ Macrofossils -- includes megafossils
★ Mass extinctions
★ Microfossils -- including microscopic invertebrates
★ Phylogenetic tree of life's evolution
★ Prehistoric animals
★ Prehistoric life -- very brief article
★ Pseudofossils -- fossil-like stones and rocks
★ Radiations of invertebrates, etc.
★ Timeline of evolution -- has era/periods of past life
★ Trace fossils -- indirect evidence of past life
Areas of scientific inquiry
★ Biochemistry, a.k.a. Organic chemistry
★ Biometrics -- Biology and Statistics
★ Developmental biology and Embryology
★ Earth sciences and Geology
★ Evolutionary biology
★ Evolution, the science of
★ Evolutionary developmental biology ("Evo-devo")
★ Geochemistry or earth chemistry
★ Geochronology and Historical geology
★ History of biology
★ History of evolutionary thought
★ History of geology
★ History of invertebrate paleozoology -- espec. marine invertebrates
★ History of paleontology -- espec. dinosaurs and mammals
★ Malacology -- mollusk shells, lampshells, etc.
★ Marine biology and Oceanography
★ Micropaleontology -- incl. microscopic invertebrates
★ Natural history and Museums
★ Paleobiology, a subfield of biology
★ Paleoclimatology -- ancient climates
★ Paleoecology -- ancient ecosystems
★ Paleogeography -- ancient lands and seas
★ Paleontologists -- includes paleobiologists
★ Paleontology, a subfield of geology
★ Paleozoology -- the study of all ancient animals
★ Paleozoology: Vertebrates
★ Petrology -- science of rocks & stones
★ Phylogenetics regarding invertebrates
★ Scientific methodology or methods of inquiry
★ Sedimentology and Sedimentary rock
★ Stratigraphy and Rock strata
★ Zoology and its I.C.Z.N. regarding taxa
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External links
★
A colorful, illustrated taxonomy of extinct ''and'' living invertebrate Metazoa by the
University of California Museum of Paleontology.
★
The invertebrate fossil record illustrated colorfully for Metazoa provided by the U.C. Museum of Paleontology.
★
Educational and colorful introduction to the three domains of the Tree of Life -- as well as to the topic of "Understanding Evolution" -- sponsored by the U.C. Museum of Paleontology.
★
An introduction to fossils by
The Paleontology Portal, a project of four American institutions funded by the
National Science Foundation.
★
The introduction to ''invertebrate'' fossils provided by The Paleontology Portal.
★
Thousands of online pictures of invertebrate fossils. sponsored by the
Peabody Museum at
Yale University.
★
The taxonomy of the Metazoa Kingdom of animals provided by
The Tree of Life Project.
★
Home site of the many volumes of the ''Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology'', a site sponsored by both
The Paleontological Institute at the
University of Kansas and the
Geological Society of America.