Fossil vertebrates 1300-TKRK
General structure of vertebrate skeleton. Basic information on vertebrate systematics. Cladistics. Animals related to vertebrates. Extinct and modern agnathans. Characteristics of gnathostomes. Fossil fishes. Conquest of the land. Amphibians. Earliest amniotes. Aquatic reptiles. Early archosaurs; pterosaurs. Dinosaurs. Birds: relationships; flight and its applications. Therapsids and Mesozoic mammals. K-T extinction. Palaeocene explosive radiation of mammals, Cenozoic mammals. The descent and evolution of man.
Type of course
Prerequisites (description)
Course coordinators
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
Activity during the meetings, recognising the fossils observed in the laboratory, theoretical knowledge from the lectures and recommended literature. The student will present a summarising talk on a joint session of all the tutees and their tutors at the end of the academic year (June). The content and form of the presentation are evaluated.
Practical placement
none
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: