In the shadowed forests of the Late Carboniferous, long before mammals, birds, or even dinosaurs, a few small, lizard-like amniotes began to do something remarkable — they started to move not just for need, but for pleasure. Between the still instincts of amphibians and the lively games of future mammals, something new flickered: proto-play.

These early land vertebrates had evolved bigger brains, sharper senses, and longer childhoods — a trio of traits that made experimentation possible. When a juvenile darted after falling leaves or practiced quick turns in the safety of the underbrush, it wasn’t hunting or fleeing. It was rehearsing life — discovering coordination, testing reflexes, and, perhaps for the first time, enjoying the act itself.

From these first playful gestures came a thread that would never break. Over millions of years, play would deepen — in reptiles, it became exploration; in birds, flight for fun; in mammals, social games and laughter. But it all began here, around 300 million years ago, when life took its first curious step toward delight.