The Carboniferous: Coal Forests and Giant Insects

What happened

Lush, swampy forests spread across the land during the Carboniferous; when they died and were buried, they eventually became coal. High atmospheric oxygen allowed arthropods to grow to enormous size — dragonfly-like griffinflies with wingspans up to 71 centimetres and metre-scale millipedes.

Why it matters

The Carboniferous forests locked away vast amounts of carbon (the coal that powered the Industrial Revolution) and hosted the largest land invertebrates that have ever lived.

Sources

• Natural History Museum. Griffinflies: The earliest flying insects · Reputable source