Earth’s conditions are so perfect for life that it would seem to be a planet that exists for that one reason. A place to create life and nurture it, and yet of all the organisms that have ever lived on Earth 98.5% have gone extinct because our splendid sanctuary has been visited by the apocalypse five times in all.

Everything we see alive on Earth today is the end survivor of at least one or more mass extinction events, making us the direct descendants of those who have survived extinction. Five times, nearly every living thing was wiped off the face of the planet, five hells of ice and fire, devastation seen in the seas, on land, and in the air above but after each mass extinction, there are always winners, survivors that inherit a new world.

After each annihilation, the handful of survivors gave rise to an explosion of lifeforms. These organisms would have been radically different from those of today, with some extraordinary forms. From the beautiful to the bizarre, these are the stories of Earth’s lost worlds and the fantastic lives fearsome deaths of its wondrous creatures.

Directed by: Alexis de Favitski