The Triassic

The triumph of reptiles

Between 248 and 206 million years ago, the cards for the development of life were reshuffled again. During the Triassic, the world was recovering from the great mass extinction at the end of the Permian era, which had claimed 95 percent of all living species. 

The climate remained hot and dry during the Triassic, which was beneficial for the dominant species, the reptiles. The plant world also adapted to the climate. Primitive plants, ferns, and ginkgo trees were widespread.

In the late Triassic period, the supercontinent Pangaea, until then the only continuous landmass on our planet, broke apart. More and more reptiles conquered the land until finally the ancestor of all dinosaurs, Coelophysis, appeared on Earth.

The dinosaurs now began their triumphant march, lasting almost 200 million years, while the mammal-like reptiles died out or took refuge in the evolution of smaller species. Gradually, reptiles conquered the seas and the skies, and dinosaurs spread across the globe.