Love warm, sandy beaches? Tropical azure seas? Metre-long sea scorpions? Then the Silurian is the backpacking destination for you! Join host David Mountain as he scuba dives through the Silurian period, the hidden gem of the Palaeozoic. Lasting from 444 to 419 million years again, this stretch of time sees the emergence of jawed fish, terrestrial arthropods, vascular plants and much, much more.

Providing the expert advice are Dr James Lamsdell, a palaeobiologist at West Virginia University (http://jameslamsdell.com/; https://twitter.com/FossilDetective), and Dr Sandy Hetherington, a palaeobotanist at the University of Edinburgh (https://www.ed.ac.uk/profile/dr-sandy-hetherington; https://www.ed.ac.uk/biology/groups/hetherington; https://twitter.com/Sandy_Heth). If you want to find out more about the Silurian, be sure to check out their research!

Follow the podcast on Twitter @prehistoryguide. Find out more at prehistoryguide.co.uk.

Sound effects from Zapsplat.com.