The plants that conquered the land
Scientists think that the first living thing on land came out of the
water about 500 million years ago.
The sea was full of living things. There were jellyfish, sponges, worms,
and small, crablike animals called trilobites. And there were plants
growing in the shallow water near the shore.
Slowly, as many years passed, the plants grew toward the shore. At last
they were growing right out of the water, creeping onto the land. They
didn’t look like much—probably like bunches of flat leaves or stubby
green stems. But they were the first things in the world to live on the
land.
Plants that came out of the water were the first living things on
land. These plants helped to make the first soil.
