24.2 The Cambrian Explosion (pages 469-473)
Perhaps the best-studied event in the history of life is the Cambrian explosion: the diversification of animals over a 20-40 million-year period, starting about 540 million years ago. The animals that lived in marine environments just before and after the radiation are documented in the Doushantuo, Ediacaran, and Burgess Shale faunas. During this interval the first heads, tails, appendages, shells, exoskeletons, and segmented bodies evolved.
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Summary Review
Biological Science, Chapter 24, The History of Life
