Palaeozoology of vertebrates - exercises 1300-WZKRC501
General structure of vertebrate skeleton. Basic information on vertebrate systematics. Cladistics. Animals related to vertebrates: tunicates, cephalochordates, conodonts, hagfishes. Extinct and modern agnathans. Characteristics of gnathostomes. Placoderms and acanthodians. Chondrichthyans: general structure and dentition types in elasmobranchs; holocephalians and incertae sedis groups. Osteichthyans: homology of cranial bones; actinopterygians; sarcopterygians. Conquest of the land. Amphibians. Earliest amniotes. Permo-Mesozoic reptiles. Synapsida. Anapsida. Aquatic reptiles. Diapsida: early archosaurs; pterosaurs. Late Triassic replacement of the continental fauna. Dinosaurs. Birds: relationships; flight and its applications. Modification of mandible and jaw hinge in the cynodont-mammal lineage. Mesozoic mammals. K-T extinction. Palaeocene explosive radiation of mammals, Cenozoic mammals. Primates. Hominids. The descent and evolution of man.
Type of course
Prerequisites (description)
Learning outcomes
Student recognises main vertebrate fossils and their systematic position. Knows the placement of vertebrates in the animal world and the evolution of vertebrates from agnathans to Homo sapiens. Can list and describe the major events in the history of vertebrates, such as the development of jaws and paired fins, conquest of the land and adaptation to flight. Knows the structure of vertebrate skeleton and recognises skeletal tissues.
Assessment criteria
Acceptable absence: twice.
The evaluation concerns: The ability to recognise fossils observed during the laboratories and the knowledge of the material from the lecture and accessory materials.
Additional information
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