Knowra Triassic Triassic The Triassic is the geologic period from about 252 to 201 million years ago, between the Permian and Jurassic. It saw the first dinosaurs and mammals emerge.
Permian–Triassic extinction event : The largest known mass extinction, occurring around 252 million years ago at the end of the Permian. Its aftermath opened ecological space for the recovery and diversification of Triassic life.
Coelophysis : A slender, early theropod dinosaur known from abundant fossils in Late Triassic deposits. Its fossils show that small, agile dinosaurs lived before their Jurassic ascendancy.
Permian : The geologic period immediately preceding the Triassic, ending about 252 million years ago. Its closing extinction marks the boundary that begins the Triassic.
Archosaur : A group of reptiles that includes crocodilians, pterosaurs, dinosaurs, and birds. Archosaurs diversified on land during the Triassic and gave rise to dinosaurs.
Carnian Pluvial Episode : A period of increased rainfall and major environmental change during the Late Triassic. This climatic disruption altered ecosystems during the rise of dinosaurs.
Plateosaurus : A large, long-necked herbivorous sauropodomorph dinosaur from the Late Triassic. It exemplifies the early diversification of plant-eating dinosaur relatives.
Jurassic : The geologic period following the Triassic, lasting from about 201 to 145 million years ago. Its start marks the end of the Triassic and the expansion of dinosaurs.
Dinosaur : A diverse group of reptiles characterized by distinctive hip and limb anatomy, first appearing in the Triassic. The group's origins fall within this period, though dinosaurs did not immediately dominate.
Pangaea : A supercontinent that assembled most of Earth's landmasses during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras. Its vast interior helped produce the Triassic's strongly seasonal, arid climate.
Ichthyosaur : An extinct marine reptile adapted to life in the sea, with a streamlined body and paddle-like limbs. Ichthyosaurs flourished in Triassic seas as marine reptiles diversified.
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