Famennian in the context of "Waterloo Farm lagerstätte"

Cladoselache ("branch shark") is an extinct genus of shark-like chondrichthyan (cartilaginous fish) from the Late Devonian (Famennian) of North America. It was similar in body shape to modern lamnid sharks (such as mako sharks and the great white shark), but was not closely related to lamnids or to any other modern (selachian) shark. As an early chondrichthyan, it had yet to evolve traits of modern sharks such as accelerated tooth replacement, a loose jaw suspension, enameloid teeth, and possibly claspers.

Some 20th century studies considered Cladoselache to be a basal (early-diverging) member of Elasmobranchii, the fork of cartilaginous fish which leads to modern sharks and rays. More recent studies have identified distinctive traits of the chondrocranium (cartilaginous braincase), dorsal fin spines, and pectoral fin bases. These newly identified features support a close relationship to symmoriiforms, a small group of bizarre chondrichthyans such as the bristle-spined Stethacanthus. Cladoselache and symmoriiforms may be more closely related to chimaeras (a modern group of unusual deep-sea fish) than to true sharks and rays.

Octochara is a genus of fossil charophyte (aquatic green alga) from the Famennian (Late Devonian). It is one of two genera of charophyte described from the Waterloo Farm lagerstätte in southern Africa. It and Hexachara, from the same locality provide the oldest record of reconstruct able charophytes with in situ oogonia.

Octochara is derived from a Greek word "octo", meaning eight, a reference to the octoradial symmetry, and "chara", referring to membership of the Charales. In Octochara, a whorl of eight laterals are borne at each node. Each lateral is branched to produce four secondary branches and bears an oogonium.

Acanthostega, from Ancient Greek ἄκανθα (ákantha), meaning "spine", and στέγη (stégē), meaning "roof", is an extinct genus of stem-tetrapod, among the first vertebrate animals to have recognizable limbs. It appeared in the late Devonian period (Famennian age) about 365 million years ago, and was anatomically intermediate between lobe-finned fishes and those that were able to come onto land.