570 vanished lives

39Paleozoic

A barrel-bodied herbivore carried bony armor beneath its skin.

104Paleozoic

This tiny insect hunter belonged to an early generation of vertebrates freed from laying eggs in water.

220Paleozoic

Nine pairs of broad, flattened ribs record an early stage in the evolution of the turtle shell.

493Paleozoic

Needle teeth and a flattened tail mark one of the earliest amniotes to return to water.

530Paleozoic

A long neck, tail and webbed feet show an early diapsid frequently entering water.

532Paleozoic

Long independent bony rods supported one of the earliest vertebrate gliding membranes.