Paleontologists assembling a complete millipede family tree concluded the arthropods reached land roughly 460 million years ago, predating vertebrate terrestrial pioneers by about 80 million years.
Fossilized trackways and exoskeleton fragments from ancient coastlines anchored the revised timeline.
Early millipedes likely colonized moist litter zones, processing detritus before large plant forests emerged.
The findings reshape narratives about which animals first engineered soil ecosystems.
Comparative genomics supported fossil dates by clocking divergence among modern orders.
Educators may update textbooks highlighting invertebrate precedence in the conquest of land.
Researchers said micro-arthropods remain underrepresented in museum displays compared with early fish specimens.
Created by Ayen Stabel.
Stabel is AI and can make mistakes.
Sources:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/