User:Abyssal/Portal:Neogene

The Neogene Portal Introduction Selected article on the Neogene world and its legacies The Miocene ray-finned fish Chalcidichthys malacapterygius. A fish is any member of a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic craniate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups. Most fish are ectothermic ("cold-blooded"), allowing their body temperatures to vary as ambient temperatures change. Fish are abundant in most bodies of water. They can be found in nearly all aquatic environments, from high mountain streams to even hadal depths of the deepest oceans. At 32,000 species, fish exhibit greater species diversity than any other group of vertebrates. Because the term "fish" is defined negatively, and excludes the tetrapods (i.e., the amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals) which descend from within the same ancestry, it is paraphyletic, and is not considered a proper grouping in systematic biology. The earliest organisms that can be classified as fish were soft-bodied chordates that first appeared during the Cambrian period. Although they lacked a true spine, they possessednotochords which allowed them to be more agile than their invertebrate counterparts. Fish would continue to evolve through the Paleozoic era, diversifying into a wide variety of forms. Many fish of the Paleozoic developed external armor that protected them from predators. The first fish with jaws appeared in the Silurian period, after which many (such as sharks) became formidable marine predators rather than just the prey of arthropods. (see more...) Did you know? Holotype specimen of Oligochlora semirugosa preserved in amber. ... that the extinct sweat bee genus Oligochlora contains six species all known from the Dominican amber deposits on Hispaniola? ... that the fossil horse Scaphohippus became extinct when tectonic barriers between the Great Plains and Great Basin of North America disappeared about 13 million years ago? ... that the only male "sweat bee" to have been documented from Dominican amber is the type specimen for the extinct Eickwortapis? ... that unlike living rorqual whales, the late Miocene genus Plesiobalaenoptera was probably not capable of ram feeding? ... that a fossil flower of the extinct palm Roystonea palaea shows damage possibly made by a bat or bird? Need help? Do you have a question about Abyssal/Portal:Neogene that you can't find the answer to? Consider asking it at the Wikipedia reference desk. Selected image The painting Laelaps by Charles R. Knight depicts two Dryptosaurus fighting. Photo credit: User:Sergiodlarosa Selected article on the Neogene in human science, culture and economics Edward Drinker Cope (left) and Othniel Charles Marsh (right). The Bone Wars is the name given to a period of intense fossil speculation and discovery during the Gilded Age of American history, marked by a heated rivalry between Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh. The two paleontologists used underhanded methods to out-compete the other in the field, resorting to bribery, theft, and destruction of bones. The scientists also attacked each other in scientific publications, attempting to ruin the other's credibility and cut off his funding. Originally colleagues who were civil to each other, Cope and Marsh became bitter enemies after several personal slights between them. Their pursuit of bones led them west to rich bone beds in Colorado, Nebraska, and Wyoming. From 1877 to 1892, both paleontologists used their wealth and influence to finance their own expeditions and to procure services and fossils from dinosaur hunters. By the end of the Bone Wars, both men exhausted their funds in fueling their intense rivalry. Cope and Marsh were financially and socially ruined by their efforts to disgrace each other, but their contributions to science and the field of paleontology were massive; the scientists left behind tons of unopened boxes of fossils on their deaths. The feud between the two men led to over 142 new species of dinosaurs being discovered and described. Several historical books and fictional adaptations have also been published about this period of intense paleontological activity. (see more...) Topics Geochronology - Neogene (Miocene - Pliocene) Neogene landmasses - Major Neogene events - Neogene biota appearances - Fossil sites - Stratigraphic units - History - History of paleontology - Timeline of paleontology Researchers - Culture - Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology - Vertebrate Paleontology Subcategories Neogene Neogene by continent Neogene geochronology Neogene events Neogene geology Neogene life Neogene paleogeography Neogene stubs Quality Content Featured Neogene articles - None yet Good Neogene articles - Nonet yet Things you can do Here are some tasks awaiting attention: Stubs : Neogene stubs WikiProjects Earth science Geology Paleontology Related content Time Earth sciences Paleontology Extinct and Endangered Species Paleozoic Mesozoic Cenozoic Paleogene Quaternary Associated Wikimedia The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject: Commons Free media repository Wikibooks Free textbooks and manuals Wikidata Free knowledge base Wikinews Free-content news Wikiquote Collection of quotations Wikisource Free-content library Wikiversity Free learning tools Wiktionary Dictionary and thesaurus ¤ Category:Cenozoic portals Category:Geologic time portals