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