Once were giants

It’s incredible to think that giant insects once ruled the skies, 300 million years ago during the Carboniferous period. The very first flying insects evolved even further back – about 400 million years ago. Insects had the skies to themselves – there were no flying reptiles, let alone birds or flying mammals.

There is a lively debate going on as to why the Carboniferous insects were so large. I cover a couple of the theories in this video.

I hope you enjoy the video.
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LINKS to some resources:
Science Daily
UCSC
PNAS

IMAGE credits:
Meganeura monyi:
Muséum de Toulouse, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Meganeuropsis permiana:
Zyoute, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Paleodyctioptera:
Jakub Prokop, Ewa Krzemińska, Wiesław Krzemiński, Kateřina Rosová, Martina Pecharová, André Nel and Michael S. Engel,
CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Paleodyctioptera: See page for author, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

2 Replies to “Once were giants”

  1. Thanks Denis. Its really mind boggling thinking millions of years. We have been on this planet for such a very short time!

  2. A great story, as always. Thanks Denis.
    There were so few insects flying around my outside lights this summer, and even inside where it used to be hard to read a book in the evening without being harassed. Will there be an instalment on why this is happening or have I just missed it?