Geology: Rocks of this time were mostly sedimentary and many of them consisted of limestone. Today, a lot of coal comes from the rocks of the Carboniferous. It came from the lush landscape of this period. Animal Life: Trilobites began to die out. Coral, crinoids, brachiopods, and all kinds of mollusks were plentiful. Amphibians flourished and some evolved into reptiles, which were the first vertebrates to live entirely on land. Winged insects such as the dragonfly appeared.   Plant Life: Warm, humid climates fostered lush forests in swamplands. These swamplands would later become the major coral reefs of today. Dominant plants included lycopods, horsetails, ferns, and pteridosperms.

Synapsids were mammal-like reptiles that lived during the Carboniferous.

Paleozoic Era: Carboniferous Period