The Paleozoic era or "The Explosion of Life" was 300 million years long. It started in the year 542 MYA and ended 251 MYA. It is also refer to as "Ancient Life". The climate was still very different from the one we all know and have come to live in. It was unstable and often shift from moderate to extreme quickly. The continents were also different. There was only 6 major land masses instead of 7. The continents were formed into a supercontinent called Pannotia. Pannotia fell apart eventually. The continents were also in different places Africa used to at the South Pole. At the middle part of the era Pangea a supercontinent formed when the continents coiled and morphed together. The physical features of the Paleozoic era were also very different from modern day life. The mountains and oceans were still forming. But even though the continents were still forming it would soon become recognizable.
The Paleozoic era was the time when life evolved further than ever before. Animals appeared here and there. Some animals like trilobites,inarticulate brachiopods, monoplacophora molluscs and archaeocyathids had a hard outer shell. Soft bodied organisms still roamed the oceans and do today as well. Corals grew to create new homes the future fish would adapt to live in. Although they were thriving a mass extinction was waiting to happen. When Pangea formed the climate change was so dramatic that the animals could not live or adapt. A mass extinction wiped out 90% of the life on earth. With only 10% of what used to be the animal life the world would survive from this and so become full of life.