The T
riassic Period
248-206 million
The Triassic period was
ld was a very
years ago and the wor
ld was made
different place. The wor
continent called
up of one huge super
mous ocean
Pangea, with one enor
called Panthalassa.
period there
Just before the Triassic
event, called
was a mass extinction
ction, in which
the Permo-Triassic extin
rth died out. It
95% of all species on Ea
ve been caused
is believed this could ha
climate change
by volcanic eruptions,
asteroid colliding
or perhaps a comet or
ion opened
with Earth. This extinct
dinosaurs and
the way for the rise of
mammals.
What was th
e world like
?
The climate w
as generally d
ry, with cold
winters and v
ery hot summ
ers. Desert
covered muc
h of Pangea,
and there we
even polar ic
ren’t
e caps. There
were small, fe
areas by the
rtile
coast where
vegetation g
and there we
rew
re seasonal m
onsoons. Plan
life wasn’t ve
t
ry diverse, wit
h no flowerin
plants or eve
g
n grass, and m
ost ground
coverage wo
uld have bee
n moss and fe
rns.
What lived on Earth in the
Triassic period?
At the beginning of the Triassic period, there
was very little life on Earth, it wasn’t until later
in the Triassic period that we began to see
dinosaurs. Two groups of animals survived the
Permo-triassic extinction event – therapsids
and archosaurs.
Therapsids were mam X[ [Z