The Triassic Period was the first geological period of the Mesozoic Era, and it lasted from 250 million years ago till 200 million years ago. It was preceded by the Permian period, which was the last geological period of the Paleozoic Era, and was succeeded by the Jurassic Period. The Mesozoic Era was characterized by the emergence and development of the widest variety of dinosaurs on Earth among all prehistoric geological periods. Also, this was the era by the end of which the maximum number of prehistoric animal species became extinct from the face of our planet.
Triassic Period Climate
Studies by geologists and paleontologists have shown the average climatic conditions of the Triassic Period to have been on the hot and dry side. There are no signs that glaciers existed at either poles. Reddish-hued sedimentary rocks and water-soluble mineral evaporites abounded the Earth’s surface and crust. During this period, there was only one huge terrestrial mass that was located along the median belt of the Earth, having the Equatorial latitude as the approximate center. The climate of the polar extremities of this super continent tended towards a somewhat moist and temperate environment.
This land mass has been named the Pangaea, meaning all the land, with reference to its singular mass that was so huge that it succeeded in limiting the climatically moderating effects of the global ocean – the singularly huge mass of water surrounding it. As a result, the overall climate remained continental in nature, with extreme seasonal variations. The summer was intensely hot whereas the winter was chilling. It is the temperate polar regions of this huge prehistoric landmass that encouraged the propagation and evolution of reptilian creatures and coniferous plants.
Animals and Plants Of this Period
The Triassic flora, as suggested by fossils and other evidences, was composed mostly of plant species belonging to the lycophyta, cycadophyta, ginkophyta, and pteridospermatophyta divisions of the plant kingdom, with seed-producing plants being dominant. The Triassic Period fauna included a large number of species of such life forms as prehistoric amphibians, reptiles, insects, crustaceans, mollusks, mammals, fish, and synapsids. Most of our modern-day animals have descended from some of these creatures.
List of Animals that Lived at this Time
Check out the following list of some Triassic Age animals to get an insight into the vast diversity of the now extinct animals that composed the Triassic fauna.
Amphibians
Amphibamus
Plemmyradytes
Eoscopus
Platyrhinops
Georgenthalia
Pasawioops
Micropholis
Gerobatrachus
Limnerpeton
Aphaneramma
Batrachosuchus
Bothriceps
Keratobrachyops
Koolasuchus
Compsocerops
Pelorocephalus
Siderops
Capitosaurus
Cherninia
Cyclotosauraus
Deltasuarus
Eocaecilia
Eryosuchus
Gerrothorax
Koskinonodon
Kryostega
Laidleria
Paracyclotosaurus
Ferganobatrachus
Mastodonsaurus
Metoposaurus
Microposaurus
Parotosuchus
Pelorocephalus
Sclerothorax
Triadobatrachus
Uranocentrodon
Wantzosaurus
Watsonisuchus
Wetlugasaurus
Xenobrachyops
Crustaceans
Acanthinopus
Antrimpos
Ambilobeia
Cycleryon
Rosenfeldia
Eryon
Knebelia
Clytiella
Stenodactylina
Clytiopsis
Pustulina
Enoploclytia
Protoclytiopsis
Eryma
Palaeastacus
Galicia
Lissocardia
Longichela
Ifasya
Macropenaeus
Kazakarthrans
Satyrocaris
Leiothorax
Tetrachela
Fish
Acrodus
Beltanodus
Chanxingia
Dapedium
Edaphodon
Heliocorpion
Laugia
Mawsonia
Perleidus
Saurichthys
Sinosaurichthys
Thoracopterus
Whiteia
Xenacanthus
Zeuchthiscus
Aellopos
Birgeria
Chinlea
Dicellopyge
Hybodus
Lepidotes
Pholidophorus
Semionotus
Ticinepomis
Wimania
Alcoveria
Cleithrolepis
Diplurus
Leptolepis
Listracanthus
Piveteauia
Arganodus
Coelacanthus
Axelia
Indocoelacanthus
Asiatoceratodus
Insects
Mendozachorista
Mesotitan
Mesotitanodes
Ultratitan
Prototitan
Paratitan
Gigatitan
Nanotitan
Ootitan
Mammals
Adelobasileus
Eozostrodon
Haramiya
Megazostrodon
Morganucodon
Sinoconodon
Mollusks
Araxoceras
Bellorophon
Ceratites
Daonella
Gervillaria
Orthoceras
Pseudotemperoceras
Solenomorpha
Whiteavesia
Aviculopecten
Claraia
Oxytoma
Reptiles
Arctosaurus
Bobosaurus
Crosbysaurus
Czatkoweila
Dinocephalosaurus
Dromomeron
Erythrosuchus
Euparkeria
Fodonyx
Gwyneddosaurus
Helveticosaurus
Hyperodapedon
Hypuronector
Icarosaurus
Koilamasuchus
Kuehneosaurus
Lagerpeton
Lariosaurus
Macrocnemus
Megalanacosaurus
Nectosaurus
Nothosaurus
Ornithosuchus
Pachypleurosaurus
Phonodus
Quianosuchus
Riojasuchus
Saltopus
Tricuspisaurus
Uatchitodon
Vallesaurus
Yonghesuchus
Synapsids
Bienotherium
Chiniquodon
Diademodon
Ecteninion
Galesaurus
Hahnia
Ischigualastia
Jachaleria
Kannameyeria
Lystrosaurus
Massetognathus
Oligokyphus
Prozostrodon
Rabidosaurus
Stahleckeria
Traversodon
Triassic Period animals include the likes of Agrosaurus, Isanosaurus, Plateosaurus, Melanosaurus, and Eoraptor, which are some of the major dinosaurs of this time. As many as 300 different types of dinosaurs and other animal life forms existed in this period, including mammals, insects, reptiles, amphibians, and others. Most of these life forms are further classified into various different species, taking the count to somewhere around a couple of thousand. The lists above mostly enumerates the generic varieties of life forms under each class of animals.
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