Program Overview

Vertebrate Palaeontology and Evolution (GEOL0009)

Key Information

• Faculty: Faculty of Mathematical and Physical Sciences
• Teaching department: Earth Sciences
• Credit value: 15
• Restrictions: N/A

Alternative Credit Options

There are no alternative credit options available for this module.

Description

This course provides an introduction to the evolutionary history of vertebrates, including fishes, early tetrapods, reptiles, and mammals. It covers their anatomy, including key evolutionary innovations (e.g., the development of jaws, limbs, and flight), evolutionary phenomena (e.g., extinction, exaptation, adaptation), as well as the major environmental events that shaped the evolutionary and biogeographic history of the group. It also covers the evolutionary relationships of vertebrates, with emphasis on how to understand and reconstruct evolutionary trees. The course consists of lectures and practicals, including practical classes in the Grant Museum of Zoology.

By the end of this module, students should:

• show an ability to identify members of particular vertebrate groups
• be able to analyse the functional significance of particular anatomical features
• be able to understand and reconstruct evolutionary trees
• have developed a more detailed understanding of key evolutionary events such as the end-Cretaceous extinction
• be able to explain key concepts to a lay-person audience

Module Deliveries for 2026/27 Academic Year

• Intended teaching term: Term 1
• Undergraduate (FHEQ Level 5)

Teaching and Assessment

• Mode of study: In person
• Methods of assessment:
  • 20% Group activity
  • 40% Coursework
  • 40% Exam
• Mark scheme: Numeric Marks

The methods of assessment for affiliate students may be different to those indicated above.

Other Information

• Number of students on module in previous year: 41
• Module leader: Professor Philip Mannion

Last Updated

This module description was last updated on 10th March 2026.