For the first episode of The Backpacker's Guide To Prehistory season two, host David Mountain travels back to the Carboniferous period, 359-299 million years ago. In this weird world of giant horsetails and monster arthropods, what creatures should you look out for? What clothes should you pack? And is it really such a good idea to light a campfire?
 
Providing the answers are two Carboniferous experts: Dr Bill DiMichele, Curator of Palaeobotany at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History (https://naturalhistory.si.edu/staff/bill-dimichele), and Dr Russell Garwood, a palaeontologist at the University of Manchester (https://russellgarwood.co.uk/; https://twitter.com/RussellGarwood). Massive thanks to Bill and Russell for sharing their travel advice. If you're interested in the plants and animals of the Carboniferous - and I know you are - then make sure to check out their research!
 
Follow the podcast on Twitter @prehistoryguide. Find out more at prehistoryguide.co.uk.
 
Sound effects from Zapsplat.com.