Well, hello, there! I’m Fernando, Fern for short, and today’s
my birthday! Woo-hoo! To celebrate this event, I'd like to take
you on a journey through my life…. All 360 million years of it! The history of the planet where I (and you,
for that matter) come from started about 4.6 billion years ago. Before I came around, a lot of cool stuff
had already happened. Oh, how interesting would it have been to
see the first liquid water appearing on Earth 4.4 billion years ago. After all, water is one of my favorite things
in this world! I always “root” for water! ha ha! 3 billion years ago was when the first photosynthesizing
bacteria appeared. Hey, I know all about photosynthesis! I spend all day converting sunlight into energy! The earliest land fungi that started growing
1.3 billion years ago are also worth mentioning. But I feel pretty bad for them when the land
got completely covered with a thick layer of ice 850 to 630 million years ago! Phew, glad I wasn’t around yet! After that deep freeze, about 600 million
years ago, enough oxygen built up in the atmosphere to create an ozone layer. What a life booster that was! It’s the very thing that protects this planet
from the sun’s harmful radiation! Thanks to this new protective blanket, a whole
new world of living creatures started to colonize the oceans 535 million years ago. And 485 million years ago, jawless fish appeared. They were the first animals with real bones…you
know, minus a jaw, of course! About 390 million years ago, plants already
had leaves and roots. Tick tock! 370 million years back in the past, some plants
developed special tissue that started to produce wood. That's how forests of tall massive trees appeared
on Earth. But hey, it's 360 million years back, and
I'm finally born! Aww, look how cute I am! By the way, I haven’t really changed much
since then. Still just as cute, am I right? Ok, I might’ve gotten a little bigger, but
we all do with age! And in general, the planet at the moment of
my birth already starts to look like its modern-day version. Almost, but not quite… Just look at these insects! They’re scurrying across the land and are
about to take to the skies! Be glad you didn’t live back in my early
days because these bugs were way bigger than the ones you’re used to seeing now! For example, that dragonfly right there has
a hair-raising wingspan of more than 2 feet! I guess I'm lucky to have hung out with the
largest known insect that ever lived on Earth! Even luckier he didn’t gobble me up! Some time after I was born, about 355 million
years ago, I finally decide to sneak a peek at my surroundings. In the ocean not far from my place, sharks
have already entered their "golden age." While before this time sharks looked more
like huge eels rather than deadly torpedo-shaped predators, they now have well-developed teeth
and a whole variety of forms and shapes. It's 350 million years in the past when I
see a creature I've never met before. It bears a slight resemblance to the modern-day
lizard, but its skull and wrists give away its amphibian nature. Look! The thing has just laid a cute leathery egg! Well, I guess, that makes this so-called Westlothiana
an important link between amphibians and reptiles. A real reptile as you know them today doesn't
appear until 305 million years ago. I remember that day when a tiny skittery lizard
starts to tickle my roots. He didn’t even warn me – the nerve! At around that same time, other kinds of reptiles
started showing up: the ancestors of modern-day crocodiles, snakes, turtles, and tuataras. Whatever the heck they are. Roughly 280 million years ago, I begin to
rack my brain over another problem: the first beetles are bothering me, and... hey! You! Are you gnawing on my stem? Shoo! Then I start hearing rumors that more and
more different species, including new kinds of fish, are appearing in the oceans. That was about 251 million years back. And 5 million years later, the first ichthyosaurs,
with their small elongated bodies, start swimming through the oceans with their eel-like manner. I remember seeing the first land dinosaur
ever about 225 million years ago. It has a small head sitting on a long neck,
and you have no idea how flexible this neck is! The 20-foot-tall creature is also pretty big,
especially in comparison with my lush, but not-so-sizeable, form! But the most threatening thing is its teeth
– they’re ideal for crushing plants! Gulp… 220 million years ago is when I start feeling
dwarfed by huge seed-producing forests that grow around in abundance. But that's not all! The animals that feed on these trees also
become..how they say… ginormous. And it makes sense! After all, their bodies have to accommodate
massive guts necessary to digest loads of nutrient-poor plants. Poor plants. But then, something wonderful – I mean,
terrible happens! About 201 million years ago, I witness one
of the most ---biggest events ever, and that's the Triassic-Jurassic Extinction. It wipes out countless animal species both
on land and in the oceans. On the other hand, after this catastrophe,
I Fernando, am not so munchable, you follow me? Ah, but the path is paved for many dinosaurs,
such as the T-Rex and Stegosaurus, to enter their golden age… Oh! Can you feel that? The ground is shaking! Ow, my roots don't like that at all! Ah, I see, that's the first Diplodocus stomping
around its new playground. This giant is around 85 feet long and weighs
about 13 tons! Luckily, this creature prefers to feed on
tree tops and branches, otherwise... hey! You almost stepped on me, mister! You’re walkin’ here, you’re walkin’
here! Be more careful, please! It's 155 million years ago, and I hear some
annoying buzz. Can it be... a mosquito? Oh no, not yet. But it is the first blood-sucking insect,
also known as no-see-ums. And I don’t. Oh, I remember this day all too well. My first love… She moved in next to me approximately 130
million years ago, and she was gorgeous. As the first flowering plant, she can be pollinated
by insects and even the wind! The breathtaking and aromatic flowers of my
new neighbor attract the first bees about 100 million years ago. It’s now 80 million years in the past, and
something starts bothering my roots and stem again. Soon, the tickling sensation becomes unbearable! I see tiny dark creatures – ah, the first
ants! But not long after that came…that fateful
day…I'll never forget it. I lost so many friends, neighbors, family. It was the mass extinction that occurred 65
million years ago. It wiped out all the dinosaurs and half of
other animal species. I remember feeling awful about these poor
critters. Well, at least birds have survived, and they
cheer me up with their melodic songs every day. Also, a million years after the extinction,
with the giant reptiles out of the way, mammals become the dominant species. This is when the first rodents appear. I'm NOT happy about that last part… One day, approximately 60 to 55 million years
ago, I see a bizarre creature. It has a long tail, climbs the nearby trees,
uses its thumbs, and has a family! Later, I find out that it's the first primate. 52 million years ago, I spot another creature
which almost gives me a heart attack…if I had a heart, that is. It’s got these two sharp fangs, it wraps
itself up in cloak-like wings. Yes, this is when the bats showed up… It's 40 million years ago, and I'm in for
a pleasant surprise: a magnificent, fragile thing rests on my leaves. It’s mesmerizing! I don't want the first modern-type butterfly
to ever leave me! 35 million years ago I have to start fighting
for my home – grasslands begin to expand and diversify, and I do my best to fend off
the invaders. Then, 30 million years ago, I see one of the
most beautiful creatures ever. It's graceful and dangerous, with a slim muscular
body and powerful teeth. Well, I'm lucky that the very first cats are
meat-eaters! Starting 25 million years ago, it’s as if
this planet exploded with life! The first deer, hyenas, giraffes, bears – my
neighborhood got a lot noisier almost overnight! One day, I feel the ground shaking again and
wonder if the dinosaurs have somehow come back. But no! The animal I see has a massive body covered
in fur, a long trunk, and long curved tusks. It's the mammoth, and it appears on Earth
approximately 4.8 million years ago. About 4 million years back in the past, I
see one of the first creatures that look a little bit like you, my friend. It's an Australopithecus, believed to be your
close relative. And finally, approximately 2 million years
ago, I meet one of the first representatives of the human species. Homo Habilis doesn't bear much resemblance
to modern people, but you just wait! About 350,000 years ago, the first archaic
humans called Neanderthals appear. But 100,000 years after that – here we go!
– look at these anatomically modern humans! It’ll only take you guys about 70,000 years
to replace the Neanderthals entirely. And, well, the rest is history! Gone are the days of dodging dinosaur feet
and leaf-munching bugs! You humans have made my life pretty easy – I
just sit here in my cozy safe pot on the windowsill and take in the sun. But every now and then, I do reminisce about
those wild times… Hey, if you learned something new today, then
give the video a like and share it with a friend! And here are some other cool videos I think
you'll enjoy. Just click to the left or right, and tell
them Fernando sent you. You look Mahvelous!
