Propalaeotherium

The Propalaeotherium (Propalaeotherium parvulum) is a small mammal that lived in the Eocene period along with the Gastornis, Ambulocetus, Leptictidium, and more. They were ancestors of horses. They were very small, compared to horses. They were only around 40 cm tall.

Propalaeotherium were herbivores; they ate fruits and leaves. They lived 49 million years ago. Big creatures like the Gastornis and the Ambulocetus preyed on them. Even though they were related to modern horses, they had claws instead of hooves. They belong to the Order perissodactyla. Propalaeotherium could be called "tiny horses".

Ambulocetus

Ambulocetus (Ambulocetus natans) was a huge predator. They lived in the Eocene period. They had flippers and looked a bit like a crocodile, but they weren't related to them. They are actually relatives of whales. Ambulocetus is the earliest form of whale. Ambulocetus means "walking whale". They are 3 metres long. They were carnivores that ate anything-as long as it was meat. When they catch something, they bite it until it drowns. They lived 49-50 million years ago. So, they are not related to crocodiles. They swim like whales; their bodies move up and down, not side to side. When they want to catch something, they put their jaws on the ground to sense vibrations on the ground. They have no ears. Ambulocetus are from the order: Cetacea. They are cetaceans. Ambulocetus are one of the coolest whales ever.

Godinotia

The Godinotia (Godinotia neglecta) was a primate that also lived in the Eocene period. They were very small; only 30 cm tall. They were very light, too. They were prey to the Gastornis, the Ambulocetus, and many other big predators. They ate insects that lived inside trees with their nimble fingers and they ate fruit. The Godinotia were very independent, but at night, they join in groups.

They live in trees and are great at leaping. They lived 44-49 million years ago, with the Gastornis. They were nocturnal vegetarians. Most of the fossils were found in Europe. They had long tails and little bodies. They are related to living primates, and belong to the Adapidae family. I think Godinotia are very like modern primates.

Gastornis

The Gastornis (Gastornis geiselensis) was a flightless bird that lived in a period called the Eocene. The Eocene period is the earliest period we will inform you about. The Gastornis lived about 44-49 million years ago. They are known to be as tall as a fully grown man. They like to eat Propalaeotherium, Leptictidium, and other mammals, but it depends on their size. Because they are so big, they have to lay their eggs on the ground. They can't get up to trees, since they are flightless. When they catch something to eat, they shake the animal vigorously until every bone breaks. They look a bit like ostriches and they run quite fast. Gastornis are quite cool.

Prehistoric Unit

Now we will start a new unit with facts about prehistoric animals, not including dinosaurs and before the dinosaurs. After completing this unit, we will return to writing about modern creatures. We will mostly deal with ancient mammals and birds such as:

• Leptictidium
• Propalaeotherium
• Gastornis
• Ambulocetus
• Godinotia
• Andrewsarchus
• Basilosaurus
• Dorudon
• Brontothere (Embolotherium)
• Moeritherium
• Apidium
• Indricothere
• Hyaenodon
• Chalicothere
• Entelodont
• Bear-Dog (Amphicyonid)
• Australopithecus
• Dinofelis
• Dinotherium
• Ancylotherium
• Smilodon
• Doedicurus
• Macrauchenia
• Phorusrhacos
• Megatherium
• Woolly Mammoth
• Woolly Rhino
• Megaloceros
• European Lion

We think that it would be interesting to learn about animals that had lived before us.

Kelp Crabs

Kelp crabs (Pugettia producta) are 12 centimetres wide and are found in the mid-tide zone. It has very powerful claws. The Kelp crab lives around seaweed. The Kelp crab is actually a type of spider crab that lives in the Pacific. They are nocturnal, like most crabs. Kelp crabs really seem to like kelp. They eat it, live with kelp, and use it for many other things. Kelp crabs are vegetarians; they eat bull kelp, sea cabbage, and rockweed. They can be found in dense kelp beds, and tide pools.