Storiascopio · Era 1 of 12 · primary year 3
The first fish with jaws
about 440 million years ago · Silurian seas
In short
In the Silurian seas, fish spread with jaws that could open and close. Jaws probably developed from the arches that supported the gills. Biting and grabbing food opened up new possibilities compared with simply filtering water. In China, complete jawed fish about 436 million years old have been found.
Why it matters This new invention changed food chains in the sea and is found in almost all of today's vertebrates.
Source: Nature, 2022, “The oldest complete jawed vertebrates from the early Silurian of China”
Where we are in the era “The Earth before us”
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about 13.8 billion years agoEvent 17 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-first-fish-with-jaws/ · free worksheet, you may photocopy it for your class