Approximately how many million years older are sharks compared to the first true trees?

Approximately how many million years older are sharks compared to the first true trees?

A) 10 million years
B) 25 million years
C) 50 million years
D) 100 million years

Answer: C) 50 million years

 

Sharks Are Older Than Trees 🌳

Fact: Sharks have existed for about 400 million years, while trees evolved around 350 million years ago.
✅ That means sharks are at least 50 million years older than trees!

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🕰️ Timeline Comparison:

• Sharks:

  • First appeared in the Devonian Period (~400 million years ago).

  • Known as the "Age of Fishes."

  • Early sharks were primitive, but they already had many of the same features modern sharks have today—like cartilage skeletons and sharp teeth.

  • Sharks survived five mass extinction events, including the one that wiped out the dinosaurs.

• Trees:

  • Evolved in the Carboniferous Period (~350 million years ago).

  • The earliest true trees were primitive plants like Archaeopteris.

  • These early trees helped change Earth’s atmosphere by increasing oxygen and helping form soil.

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🧠 Why This Is Surprising:

• Most people think of trees as ancient, grounding life forms, but sharks had already been patrolling ancient oceans long before the first tree rooted into the ground.

• Sharks evolved before flowering plants, dinosaurs, and even insects with wings!

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🔍 Fun Perspective:

Imagine swimming in the ocean 100 million years before the first forest—and encountering a shark! That's how long these apex predators have ruled the seas.