Storiascopio · Era 1 of 12 · primary year 3
The first insects
about 400 million years ago · Dry land
In short
The oldest fossils thought to be insects are about 400 million years old and come from Rhynie, in Scotland. Insects are related to spiders, crabs and millipedes: they all have jointed legs and a hard outer shell. An insect's body is divided into head, thorax and abdomen, with six legs. When wings appeared, insects could quickly reach new places to live.
Why it matters Insects would become the animal group with the largest number of known species.
Source: Nature, 2004, “New light shed on the oldest insect”
Where we are in the era “The Earth before us”
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about 13.8 billion years agoEvent 18 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-insects/ · free worksheet, you may photocopy it for your class