00:00Now, we as human beings have faced all sorts of challenges, ice ages, tough diseases, squabbles
00:06over real estate, and so on.
00:09But let's try to go way, way back to 400 million years ago, to the times when our oceans
00:15were ruled by sea creatures and the lands barely had any animals on them.
00:19Do you think you'd be able to survive there?
00:22We're talking about the Devonian period.
00:26It started around 400 million years ago and lasted really long, about 60 million years.
00:32It's named after Devon, England, where scientists first studied rocks from this time.
00:37The world was quite different then.
00:39Our planet featured three continents, a gigantic supercontinent, Gondwana, down south, a smaller
00:45one called Siberia up north, and another medium-sized one called La Russia to the east.
00:52These landmasses were moving around and crashing into each other, making big mountains.
00:57Now, imagine if your time machine broke down and you ended up in this ancient world.
01:03You're now in a world where the land is pretty much a barren wasteland.
01:07You are surrounded by basic plants like mosses and ferns.
01:11This is the early Devonian period.
01:13There were no trees yet, but moss was everywhere.
01:17And wow, that's a lot of water!
01:19About 85% of the Earth was covered by oceans during the Devonian.
01:23So you see many warm, shallow, oxygen-depleted lakes around you.
01:29The first thing you notice is that breathing seems a little harder.
01:32Well, don't panic.
01:33It's all because of lower oxygen levels, around 19%.
01:37It's still enough to ignite fire, and trust me, you'll need one.
01:41But prepare to feel a bit dizzy.
01:44Luckily, there are no huge predators to run away from, but you'll probably have to do
01:48a lot of swimming.
01:50Alright, at least the weather seems pretty nice, warm and steady.
01:55If you keep traveling, you'll notice that the land seems almost limitless.
01:58That's because we're on Gondwana, the biggest supercontinent of them all.
02:04Since the tectonic plates don't move around much, there are barely any mountains around,
02:09and the Earth actually feels flat.
02:11Well, not totally flat.
02:14Gondwana boasted a gigantic mountain range, akin to the Himalayas.
02:18This range was gradually breaking down, sending sediments into the ocean.
02:23Those sediments would provide nutrients that help marine life thrive.
02:27In any case, it really feels like a whole different planet.
02:31The landscape around you looks like something out of Mars, if it had water.
02:35The only question is, where is all the life?
02:40Underwater, of course.
02:41There's a reason why Devonian is called the Age of Fishes.
02:46To be fair, it wasn't all fish.
02:48The conditions were perfect for certain early marine life to develop important things, like
02:53lungs.
02:54Some even gained the ability to crawl out of the water and onto land for short periods.
02:59So if you spot a tiny lizard-like creature around the coast, don't step on it.
03:04It's your great-great-great-great-great-grandparent.
03:05Well, it's not like you'd be able to really step on it.
03:11Remember the guy from the evolution meme with the funny crocodile-like head?
03:16His name is Tiktaalik.
03:17As you can guess, it was one of the first creatures linking fish to land.
03:22And although it might look friendly, it actually has a 9-foot-long body and very sharp teeth.
03:29And yes, it can crawl.
03:30So if you notice a huge lizard, better find a hiding spot.
03:35You'll start seeing more of those Tiktaaliks and four-legged animals in general by the
03:40Middle Devonian.
03:43But let's risk our lives for a moment and dive underwater.
03:48What do we have here?
03:49Welcome to Subnautica, Earth Virgin.
03:53While the land looks very primitive, marine life is incredibly diverse.
03:57We have corals, sponge-like creatures, sea lilies, shellfish that resemble clams, and
04:02more.
04:03The oceans are filled with various critters that look fascinating and potentially dangerous.
04:09Here are some tough armored placoderms.
04:12And yes, all of them are bigger than you.
04:15These formidable fish had powerful jaws with blade-like plates as teeth.
04:20They started as tiny guys who munched on mollusks, but as time went on, some turned into massive
04:25fish-slicing monsters, reaching up to 33 feet in length.
04:30The biggest of them was Heterosteus with her scary-looking eyes.
04:34This other guy, whose name, Titanichthys, with its mouth always ready to swallow you.
04:40And the largest one, Dunkleosteus.
04:43Those are $5 names, huh?
04:46And here are some smaller guys.
04:48These are the shark ancestors, the cartilaginous fish.
04:52They had small rough scales, fixed fins, and sharp, replaceable teeth.
04:57And finally, there are tiny ancestors of our normal modern sea creatures, bony fish.
05:03They're nice and pretty harmless.
05:05They were covered in scales and equipped with maneuverable fins.
05:09You know what?
05:10I think you can cook this one.
05:12So the question is, how do you cook it?
05:15There are no trees for fuel around.
05:17Not until the middle Devonian, at least.
05:19So you'd have to scrounge up some super-dry moss and get to work rubbing rocks together.
05:25Fortunately, the warmth of the climate would save you from freezing at night.
05:29But since there's not much stuff to burn, you might be better off sticking to a raw
05:33diet of mollusks and other early arthropods.
05:38In this world of basic plant life on land and a huge ocean around, getting food and
05:43resources would be quite tough for you.
05:46Perhaps you could stick to fishing or collecting stuff from the sea.
05:49Overall, you'd have to be really clever to live off the small amount of plant life
05:54and maybe learn a thing or two from the sea creatures about navigating the oceans.
05:59In any case, you'd have to start from scratch.
06:03Surviving in the Devonian would be quite a challenge.
06:06Our bodies aren't built for living underwater or thriving in an environment dominated by
06:11early marine life.
06:12You need some shelter.
06:14Maybe you could try to build a basic house along the shores using… dirt and moss, probably.
06:20You just need to create tools and shelters using whatever resources you can find.
06:25So, get creative.
06:26Also, get used to living without clothes.
06:29Unless you make up a way to create a dress out of moss, seashells, and fish bones, all
06:35Little Mermaid style.
06:37Alright, alright, to make it more fair for you, let's say you ended up closer to the
06:42late Devonian period.
06:44Hey, now things are looking up!
06:47At the end of that era, the first forests started covering our Earth.
06:51Now we had plants with spores, leaves and roots, and even the first plants with seeds.
06:57The land is slowly getting some life.
06:59Hooray to normal breathing again!
07:01We've got some little bugs, four- and six-legged critters.
07:05The first land vertebrates, early tetrapods, started showing up.
07:09They're pretty cool.
07:10Very early ancestors of mammals, and eventually, us humans.
07:15But hold on, Houston, we've got a problem.
07:18As plants started taking over the land and breaking the rocks with roots, they released
07:22tons of nutrients in the water and caused a chain reaction.
07:26The sea got filled with algae, greedy bacteria thrived, and since there was almost no oxygen
07:32in the waters, around 70-80% of the species vanished.
07:37Whoops!
07:38But hey, good news for you!
07:40Less oxygen-hungry predators in the water.
07:43However, now you have to watch out for your new land neighbors.
07:47Most of them aren't harmful, but it's better to watch out.
07:51But still, with more trees and plants around, you could make useful tools like spears, fishing
07:56hooks and rope.
07:58During the end of the Devonian, you might even build yourself a treehouse.
08:02Picture that, in a world with the first tree ever, reaching 90 feet tall with a super-wide
08:08trunk.
08:09So, it seems like you'd be able to survive without much trouble.
08:13You might even turn into a vegetarian with all these plant options.
08:17And hey, no more itchy clothes!
08:19You could fashion something much more comfortable.
08:22And remember that dinosaurs are on their way!
08:25Until then, enjoy your time!
08:28That's it for today, so hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like
08:34and share it with your friends!
08:36Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side!
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