The student who successfully completes the course will have the basic knowledge about the following topics: 1) origin, evolutionary history, and systematics of the main groups of vertebrates, 2) paleoecology and taphonomy of vertebrates in terrestrial and marine environments, 3) evolutionary patterns and extinction mechanisms in terrestrial and marine ecosystems, 4) main techniques of prospecting, excavation, recovery, preparation, preservation, and analysis of fossil vertebrates.