Children's Natural History Museum

Early Organisms in Evolution

Look through various microscopes and see microscopic creatures that became fossils including diatoms, foraminifers, and radiolarians. These aquatic creatures have fascinating structures that are only visible under a microscope. Also view different sands from around the world that contain not only grains of sand but microfossils.

RADIOLARIANS

Are single celled holoplanktonic protozoa with a glass shell.  They are found in marine environments and make up a portion of zooplankton.  Radiolarians have been on Earth from the Pre-Cambrian period to present.

FORAMINIFERS

Are single celled protozoa with a shell of calcium carbonate.  They are found in brackish and marine environments only.  They are found in the fossil record dating back to the Cambrian.  They are ecological indicators of environmental changes.

DIATOMS

Are single celled plants that live in marine, fresh and brackish waters and moist soils. They have a shell of glass, and have been found in the fossil records back to the Cretaceous period (the time of the dinosaurs), and are still found today.