Storiascopio · Era 1 of 12 · primary year 3
The Cambrian explosion
about 539 million years ago · Seas all over the world
In short
At the start of the Cambrian, the fossils suddenly show many more animals with shells, limbs and all kinds of different bodies. The word ‘explosion’ does not mean a single day: the change took millions of years. Trilobites and other groups filled seas where hunting and self-defence became more important.
Why it matters During this time many of the main body plans of the animals we know today appear.
Source: Natural History Museum (London), “The Cambrian Period: How animals exploded onto the scene”
Where we are in the era “The Earth before us”
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about 13.8 billion years agoEvent 15 of 25about 66 million years ago
Your turn
Name ______________________ Class ______ Date __________
When did it happen? Find the date at the top and write it here:
Tell it in your own words: what happened?
Draw the scene below.
storiascopio.com/en/event/the-cambrian-explosion/ · free worksheet, you may photocopy it for your class