When was the Triassic Period?
The Triassic Period was a time in history that started around 250-201 million years ago. It was a time when Earth was going through many changes and strange and wonderful creatures were coming to life. It was the time of dinosaurs.
Just before the Triassic Period, something strange happened. Around 90% of life on land and in the sea, mysteriously died. Could it have been a large volcano? Or maybe huge glaciers? Scientists are still trying to figure it out today.
Whatever it was, planet Earth was never the same again.
The supercontinent
At the beginning of the Triassic Period, Earth didn’t have the 7 continents we have today. All the continents were stuck together stretching from pole to pole. This giant continent was called Pangaea and in the centre of Pangaea, there was a big desert.
The dinosaurs
There were lots of different types of dinosaurs during the Triassic Period. One of the first was the Coelophysis, a rather small, two-footed dinosaur with a mouth full of sharp teeth, perfect for eating meat.
Another dinosaur that emerged was the Plateosaurus. It was a giant herbivore with a long, powerful tail and a curved claw on its thumb. Scientists don’t really know what it needed the claw for. Can you guess what it might have used it for?
Another extinction
The Triassic Period didn’t last forever. Once again something mysterious happened and there was a huge extinction. Lots of animals and plants died but this didn’t bring an end to the dinosaurs! Dinosaurs survived and became the ruling animals on Earth.
Did you know?
- One of the strangest creatures that lived during the Triassic period was the Placerias. It looked like a cross between a hog, a cow and a turtle! The Placerias was a large herbivore (plant eater) with a horny beak and downward pointing tusks.
- The Ichthyosaurs were giant reptiles with dolphin-shaped bodies, long necks and fins that lived during the Triassic Period.
