THE EVOLUTIONARY

HISTORY OF THE
ANIMAL
Pre-Cambrian Animal Life
 The time before the Cambrian period is known as the
Ediacaran period (from about 635 million years ago to
543 million years ago),
 the final period of the late Proterozoic Neoproterozoic
Era
 It is believed that early animal life, termed Ediacaran
biota, evolved from protists at this time.
 Some protist species called choanoflagellates closely
resemble the choanocyte cells in the simplest
animals, sponges.
Evolutionary History of Animal
 Evolutionary History of Animal

 Fossils believed to represent the oldest animals

with hard body parts were recently discovered
in South Australia.
 These sponge-like fossils, named Coronacollina
acula, date back as far as 560 million years,
and are believed to show the existence of hard
body parts and spicules that extended 20–40
cm from the main body (estimated about 5 cm
long).
 Evolutionary History of Animal

Fossils of (a) Cyclomedusa and (b) Dickinsonia date to 650 million

years ago, during the Ediacaran period.
The Cambrian Explosion of Animal Life
 occurring between approximately 542–488 million
years ago
 marks the most rapid evolution of new animal
phyla and animal diversity in Earth’s history.
 Echinoderms, mollusks, worms, arthropods, and
chordates arose during this period.
 One of the most dominant species during the
Cambrian period was the trilobite, an arthropod
that was among the first animals to exhibit a
sense of vision
 Evolutionary History of Animal

some organisms from the Cambrian period.

 Evolutionary History of Animal

These fossils (a–d) belong to trilobites, extinct arthropods

that appeared in the early Cambrian period, 525 million years
ago, and disappeared from the fossil record during a mass
extinction at the end of the Permian period, about 250 million
years ago.
Post-Cambrian Evolution and Mass Extinctions
 The periods that followed the Cambrian during the
Paleozoic Era are marked by further animal evolution
and the emergence of many new orders, families, and
species
 During the Ordovician period, which followed the
Cambrian period, plant life first appeared on land.
 This change allowed formerly aquatic animal species
to invade land, feeding directly on plants or decaying
vegetation.
 The Ordovician Period
 lasted almost 45 million years, beginning 488.3
million years ago and ending 443.7 million years ago.
 The Ordovician is best known for its diverse marine
invertebrates, including graptolites, trilobites,
brachiopods, and the conodonts (early vertebrates).
 A typical marine community consisted of these
animals, plus red and green algae, primitive fish,
cephalopods, corals, crinoids, and gastropods.
 tetrahedral spores that are similar to those of
primitive land plants have been found,
 From the Lower to Middle Ordovician, the Earth
experienced a milder climate — the weather was warm
and the atmosphere contained a lot of moisture.
Life of Ordovician
 Ordovician strata are characterized by numerous and
diverse trilobites and conodonts (phosphatic fossils
with a tooth-like appearance) found in sequences of
shale, limestone, dolostone, and sandstone.
 In addition, blastoids, bryozoans, corals, crinoids, as
well as many kinds of brachiopods, snails, clams, and
cephalopods appeared for the first time in the
geologic record in tropical Ordovician environments.
 Remains of ostracoderms (jawless, armored
fish) from Ordovician rocks comprise some of
the oldest vertebrate fossils.
reef ecosystems continued to be dominated by
algae and sponges, and in some cases by
bryozoans.
Features of Animals
 All animals are eukaryotic, multicellular organisms
 Almost all animals have a complex tissue structure
with differentiated and specialized tissues
 Most animals are motile, at least during certain life
stages.
 All animals require a source of food and are therefore
heterotrophic, ingesting other living or dead
organisms; this feature distinguishes them from
autotrophic organisms, such as most plants, which
synthesize their own nutrients through photosynthesis.
As heterotrophs, animals may be carnivores,
herbivores, omnivores, or parasites.
 Most animals reproduce sexually
 Offspring pass through a series of
developmental stages that establish a
determined and fixed body plan. The body
plan refers to the morphology of an animal,
determined by developmental cues.
All animals are heterotrophs that derive
energy from food.
Complex Tissue Structure
 As multicellular organisms, animals differ from plants
and fungi because their cells do not have cell walls
 their cells may be embedded in an extracellular matrix
(such as bone, skin, or connective tissue)
 their cells have unique structures for intercellular
communication (such as gap junctions)
 animals possess unique tissues, absent in fungi and
plants, which allow coordination (nerve tissue) of
motility (muscle tissue)
 Animals are also characterized by specialized
connective tissues that provide structural support for
cells and organs.
Animal Reproduction and Development
 Most animals are diploid organisms, meaning that
their body (somatic) cells are diploid and haploid
reproductive (gamete) cells are produced through
meiosis.
 Most animals undergo sexual reproduction: This fact
distinguishes animals from fungi, protists, and
bacteria, where asexual reproduction is common or
exclusive.
 a few groups, such as cnidarians, flatworm, and
roundworms, undergo asexual reproduction
Processes of Animal Reproduction and Embryonic
Development
 During sexual reproduction, the haploid gametes of
the male and female individuals of a species combine
in a process called fertilization.
 the small, motile male sperm fertilizes the much
larger, sessile female egg. This process produces a
diploid fertilized egg called a zygote.
 Some animal species, including sea stars and sea
anemones, as well as some insects, reptiles, and fish,
are capable of asexual reproduction.
 a form of asexual reproduction found in certain
insects and vertebrates is called parthenogenesis (or
‘virgin beginning’), where unfertilized eggs can
develop into new male offspring.
 This type of parthenogenesis is called haplodiploidy.
 Some animals, such as grasshoppers, undergo
incomplete metamorphosis, in which the young
resemble the adult.
 some insects, undergo complete metamorphosis
where individuals enter one or more larval stages that
may in differ in structure and function from the adult.
a) The grasshopper undergoes incomplete
metamorphosis. (b) The butterfly undergoes
complete metamorphosis
During embryonic development, the zygote undergoes a
series of mitotic cell divisions, or cleavages, to form an
eight-cell stage, then a hollow blastula. During a process
called gastrulation, the blastula folds inward to form a
cavity in the gastrula.
The phylogenetic tree of animals is based on
morphological, fossil, and genetic evidence.
Animal Characterization Based on Body
Symmetry
 true animals can be largely divided into three groups
based on the type of symmetry of their body plan:
radially symmetrical, bilaterally symmetrical, and
asymmetrical.
 Asymmetry is a unique feature of Parazoa.
 Radial symmetry is the arrangement of body parts
around a central axis, as is seen in a drinking glass or
pie.
The (a) sponge is asymmetrical. The (b) jellyfish and
(c) anemone are radially symmetrical, and the (d)
butterfly is bilaterally symmetrical
The Evolutionary
History of Human
Stages of Evolution
 The evolution of man began about 15 million years
ago when the first known man walked this earth.
 Humans today developed through many stages of
evolution from primates that are now extinct.
 This evolutionary process from the primates who
walked on all four limbs to the humans today who
walk on two hind limbs has been a very long one.
 Stages of Evolution of Man

The genus of the human being today is called Homo and the
man today is called as Homo sapiens. From simple life forms that
were unicellular to the development of multicellular organisms
gave rise to the vertebrates.
 Stages of Evolution of Man

 The family to which human beings belong is called

Hominidae.
 It was in the Miocene age that the family Hominidae
split from the Pongidae(apes) family.
 Dryopethicus was the first in the evolution of man in
the stages of evolution and some believe him to be
the common ancestor of man and apes.
Dryopethicus
 He was the earliest known
ancestor of man.
 Stages of evolution of humans
began from him. After Dryopethicus
and Ramapethicus came to the
genus Australopethicus which
preceded the genus Homo.

 Ramapethicus existed who was

more human-like than
Dryopethicus..
 Australopithecus

1. Australopithecus ramidus:
 Was 1.2 meters tall and the fossils
show the foramen magnum that
was large to indicate upright
walking.
 The forelimbs were different from
those of the earlier ape-like
ancestors.
 They had teeth like humans.
 Australopithecus

2. Australopithecus afarensis–
 ‘Lucy’ the famous fossil belonged to this
species.
 They are said to have inhabited the
African mainland.
 And they were shorter than
the Australopithecus ramidus and had a
small skull with flat noses and no chin.
 They were able to walk on two legs but
the legs were slightly bowed which made
their walk slightly ape-like.
 The bowed legs, fingers, and toes
enabled them to climb trees and live
there.
 They had large teeth and jaws.
 Australopithecus

3. Australopithecus africanus
 These also inhabited the African
mainland.
 They were bipedal and had a
small skull with small brains than
Homo erectus but larger than
their predecessors.
 Also, they had large teeth
compared to current day humans
and were herbivorous.
 They had large jaws.
 Australopithecus

4. Australopithecus robustus
 He was taller than his
predecessors but still ape-like.
 They also weighed more than
their ancestors.
 After the Australopithecus
genus came the Homo genus.
The first man in the genus was
Homo habilis.
 Homo
1. Homo habilis–
 He had a face similar to his
ancestors.
 The skull and brain size indicate
that he may have been able to
speak.
 The earliest tools made were
from this era.
 Homo habilis is known as the
‘handy man’ because he was
the first to make and use tools.
 He was around 5 feet tall and
erect.
 Homo
2. Homo erectus–
He had a smaller but longer face, less
prominent or absent chin, larger brain size
and prominent speech.
 He knew how to make and use tools, he
made a fire and knew how to control it.
Homo erectus was carnivorous.
the Homo erectus who was also upright.
 He knew the existence of groups and
they began spreading from Africa to Asia
and Europe.
The Java Man and Peking Man had brain
capacities similar to modern man at
1300cc.
They were cave dwellers.
 Homo

3. Homo sapiens– After

Homo erectus came,
the Homo sapiens who
separated into two
types:
 Homo
4. Homo sapiens neanderthelensis
 They had a brain size larger than
modern man and were gigantic in
size.
 Also, they had a large head and jaw
and were very powerful and
muscular.
 They were carnivores and the tools
from the era indicate they were
hunters.
 They were also cave dwellers but
their caves were more comfortable
and they lived in groups and hunted
for food gathering.
 Homo

Homo sapiens sapiens

5.

 Also known as ‘modern-day man’ is

what we are today.
 Compared to the Homo sapiens
neanderthelensis, they became
smaller in size and the brain size
reduced to 1300cc.
 There was also a reduction in the
size of the jaw, rounding of the skull
and chin.
 Cro- Magnon was the earliest of the
Homo sapiens.
 They spread wider from to Europe,
Australia, and the Americas.
 They were omnivores, had skilful
hands, developed the power of
thinking, producing art, more
sophisticated tools and sentiments.
Two area of the brain have become highly developed in
modern humans.
 Increased brain size was helpful for
the hominin evolution.
 Increase of intelligence
 Increase of behavioral flexibility

 Increase of manual dexterity

 Increase of social complexity

 Language development
The language function all occur on the left hemisphere of the
brain in most humans.
 Broca's Area:-

 Functions to process the generating of speech .

 Located at the base of the motor cortex, which handles the

tongue, vocalization, and lip movements.
 Wernick's area-

 Functions to process the reception of speech.

 Located at the temporal lobe, which process hearing

 Human anatomy differs from that of an ape largely
because humans are bipedal while apes are quadrupedal.
Bipedalism led to the better locomotion and freeing of
hands
 During the transition from
Australopethicians to Homo
sapiens,
 Location of foramen magnum
became more forward,

 The shortening and narrowing

if pelvis,
 Evolution of femur into a slightly more angular position to
make the center of gravity towards the geometric center of
the body,
 The knee and the ankle joint became increasingly robust,
 Vertebral column became s-shaped,

Shortening of arms relative to the body size,

Reduction of the sloping of forehead
were observed. These helped in efficient locomotion, easy
running, and to maintain erect posture.
Some trends in general morphology of the skull are:
 Dental arcade- became more arch like/parabolic.

Tooth size of hominoids decreased from Astralopithecines

to Homo sapien and there was a marked decrease of tooth
size within Homo sapiens.
Advantages of Bipedalism and associated skeletal
changes
 Allowed fast running which is necessary for active
hunting on the open savannah
 Allowed tool making and use

 Played a major role in care and provisioning of

offsprings, tracking migrating herds and predator
avoidance.
Reference:
 http://bio1520.biology.gatech.edu/biodiversity
/animal-diversity/
 http://pressbooks-
dev.oer.hawaii.edu/biology/chapter/the-
evolutionary-history-of-the-animal-kingdom/
 https://www.toppr.com/guides/biology/evoluti
on/stages-of-evolution/
 http://zl3012ass.blogspot.com/2013/01/biolo
gical-trends-in-human-evolution.html
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Prepared by: Evalyn D. Sual