Cambrian period
Period of geological time roughly 570–510 million years ago; the first period of the Palaeozoic Era. All invertebrate animal life appeared, and marine algae were widespread. The Cambrian Explosion 530–520 million years ago saw the first appearance in the fossil record of modern animal phyla; the earliest fossils with hard shells, such as trilobites, date from this period.
The name comes from Cambria, the medieval Latin name for Wales, where Cambrian rocks are typically exposed and were first described.
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