Sharks

mya - The Jurassic Explosion

100

This marked the emergence of thousands of sharks that slowly evolved into the species that we see today, including the great white.

mya - Dramatic Change

251

As many as 95% of species were killed, perhaps due to either a comet impact or volcanic activity. Five major mass extinction events occurred during the past 439 million years.

mya - The First Sharks

400

Over 400 million years ago, innumerable species of bony fish and marine organisms inhabited the Earth's seas.

mya - Silurian

443

During this time the earliest sharks appeared, as well as the first coral reefs.

mya - Ordovician Period

445

The oldest fossilized evidence of prehistoric sharks comes from shark-like scales.

mya - Cambrian

542

The Cambrian saw the rise of nearly all modern Phyla. Early invertebrates appeared, including the Trilobites, as well as the first primitive vertebrates.

mya - Megalodon

Jan 1, 1960

The greatest of all sharks inhabited the Earth. The immense beast could reach 65 feet in length and could weigh 30 tons, comparable to an average-sized sperm whale.

Selling of shark fins banned

Jun 1, 2013

A federal court in San Francisco issued a ruling upholding landmark legislation prohibiting the sale of shark fins in California.

mya - Orodvician

Mar 2, 2022

First jawed fish made their appearance. They are the ancestors of both bony fish and sharks.

mya - More Complete Fossil

Mar 2, 2022

This includes a fossilized shark braincase, possibly a Xenacanth, found in Australia. Other remains of this or similar species have been found in Antartica and Saudi Arabia.

mya - Proterozoic

Jan 1, 2500

The first advanced single-celled life appeared, as well as early multi-cellular life forms.

mya - Archean

Jan 1, 3800

Earliest life forms appear, which included basic bacteria and cynobacteria.

mya - Hadean

Jan 1, 4600

The formation of the Earth occured and silver shark fossils were found.