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Triassic Period
The Triassic period was
the first of three periods in the Mesozoic Era
(the others being the
Jurassic period
and the
Cretaceous period),
and occured between 248 million and 213 million years ago.
It was during the Triassic period that archosaurs ("ruling reptiles"),
including
dinosaurs, crocodiles, and
Pterosaurs first evolved.
Prior to the Triassic, during the previous Permian era, mammal-like reptiles
had been the dominant land animals. Some survived into the Triassic, but
they dramatically declined, apparently out-competed by the dinosaurs. The
mammal-like reptiles did however give rise to the first mammals, these being
tiny mouse-sized animals. The dominant plants during the Triassic period
were
conifers, ferns, ginkgos and horsetails.
Here is a map of the world during the early Triassic (about 225 million years ago).
At this time, all the continents were combined into one massive super-continent,
known as Pangaea:
The different geography of the world also led to a different climate.
On the whole, the Triassic was generally hot and dry, and there
was no glaciation or ice caps at the poles (polar regions were moist and temperate).
The interior of Pangaea would have had a highly seasonal continental climate,
with very hot summers and cold winters.
Triassic Dinosaurs
Here are some of the types of dinosaurs
that lived during the Triassic period:
Timeline:
Related Information & Resources
See Also
Books about the Triassic Period
Here are some books from Amazon.com:
Disclosure: Products details and descriptions provided by Amazon.com. Our company may receive a payment if you purchase products from them after following a link from this website.
By Dougal Dixon
Barron's Educational Series
Paperback (32 pages; 1)
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Click Here | - ISBN13: 9780764134814
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Product Description:
This was the age of early amphibians and reptiles, lasting roughly from 248 to 206 million years ago.
Prehistoric World Books combine dramatic, scientifically accurate color illustrations with a wealth of factual details based on archaeological findings to give young readers a vivid picture of the exotic succession of animals that inhabited the Earth in the prehistoric era. Dating back to perhaps 300 million years ago, with the earliest-known life forms, the six titles in this series carry the history of animal life forward to man-like creatures such as homo erectus, and finally to prehistoric homo sapiens, or human beings like ourselves, whose origins date back an estimated 200,000 years. Individual species are presented on two-page spreads that show large illustrations of the animal when it was alive, photos of reconstructed fossil skeletons, and a list of descriptive factual details. These books are great sources for elementary school class projects, or simply for fun reading. |
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By Bruce L. Stinchcomb
Schiffer Publishing
Paperback (160 pages)
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Click Here | - ISBN13: 9780764331633
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By Thom Holmes
Chelsea House Publications
Library Binding (192 pages; 1)
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"March Onto Land" depicts life's migration from the sea to the land and the rise of the first terrestrial organisms. Following the appearance of the first land plants and terrestrial invertebrates, some animals with backbones ventured out of the water. After gaining a toehold on dry land, terrestrial vertebrates grew in number and diversity to become the most important large-bodied organisms on the planet. The evolution of the amniotic egg gave vertebrates an adaptive advantage, allowing them to explore habitats beyond those of their water-bound amphibian ancestors. As a result, reptiles arose and rapidly diversified into a variety of distinct families, each with its own peculiarities. Vertebrate groups explored in this full-color volume include early tetrapods, amphibians, and reptiles. By the Middle Triassic period, the evolutionary stage was set for the rise of many new and distinct species, including mammals and dinosaurs. |
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By Nicholas Fraser
Indiana University Press
Hardcover (328 pages)
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Before the Age of Dinosaurs there was an age in Earth's history known as the Triassic. It was a world of truly fantastic creatures, a genetic stew of the ancient and the modern. During this time the Earth took its first steps toward the creation of modern terrestrial ecosystems. This incredibly exciting period is brought vividly to life in the words of paleontologist Nicholas Fraser and the consummate artistry of Douglas Henderson. Together they have created a book in which the riches of Triassic life are presented with clarity, scientific accuracy, and imaginative recreation. Every lover of the life of the past will treasure Dawn of the Dinosaurs. "Fraser (curator, vertebrate paleontology, Virginia Museum of Natural History) has prepared a serious work on Triassic paleontology. The text is accompanied by numerous color plates of animals and scene reconstructions as well as quality line drawings and illustrations... The book itself is rather readable and represents a comprehensive review of Triassic vertebrate evolution accessible to both experts in the field and generalists ... Fraser presents a comprehensive picture...A refreshing approach in a market saturated with "just so" stories and sanitized tales of evolution. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Graduate students through professionals." -- Choice May 2007 |
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By Thom Holmes
Chelsea House Publications
Library Binding (159 pages; 1)
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"Dawn of the Dinosaur Age" presents the first act in the drama that would become the Mesozoic Era, the Age of Reptiles. The rise of the first dinosaurs is the story of opportunity and evolutionary innovation. The first dinosaurs, after living in the shadows of larger, more dominant reptilian kin, took advantage of major mass extinctions at the end of the Triassic Period to take over niches once occupied by their predecessors. In the course of doing so, dinosaurs quickly radiated to widespread geographic ranges and began an evolutionary course that led to the development of two major groups of dinosaurs, the Saurischia and Ornithischia.The Late Triassic and Early Jurassic Periods were a time of experimentation in dinosaur evolution as the earliest herbivorous and predaceous dinosaurs adapted increasingly specialized body forms and lifestyles. "Dawn of the Dinosaur Age" explores the roots of the dinosaur family tree and the lifestyle and radiation of the first carnivorous and herbivorous dinosaurs. |
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By Jan Sovak
Dover Publications
Paperback (32 pages; 1)
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Based on the latest scientific information, this coloring book by an expert naturalist spotlights dinosaurs from more than 200 million years ago. Accompanied by fact-filled captions, 30 dynamic illustrations feature the Staurikosaurus, Aliwalia, Eoraptor, Gojirasaurus, Laosaurus, Melanosaurus, Plateosaurus, Sellosaurus, Coloradisaurus, Pisanosaurus, and more. |
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Cambridge University Press
Paperback (404 pages)
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Thirty-one specialists in the paleontology of the Age of Dinosaurs address a variety of issues: animals that preceded dinosaurs, the origin and early history of dinosaurs, and the relationship of the ascent of dinosaurs to new evolutionary innovations and to global, climatic, ecological, and even chance factors. This study is the first to examine how the period of dinosaur domination began. |
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By J. J. Veevers
Geological Society of America
Hardcover (368 pages)
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By Hans-Dieter Sues
Columbia University Press
Released: 2010-04-20
Hardcover (280 pages)
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The Triassic period is generally viewed as the beginning of the Age of Dinosaurs. For paleontologists, however, it also marks the rise of the world's first modern land ecosystems. Over the past three decades, extensive, worldwide fieldwork has led to the discovery of many new species of Triassic animals and plants, suggesting that faunal and floral changes already began in the Middle Triassic and were more protracted than previously thought. The Late Triassic is a pivotal time in the evolution of life on land, with many of the major groups of present-day vertebrates and insects first appearing in the fossil record. This book provides the first detailed overview of life on land during the Triassic period for advanced students and researchers. Noted vertebrate paleontologists Hans-Dieter Sues and Nicholas C. Fraser also review the biotic changes of this period and examine their possible causes. |
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By Eugene S. Gaffney
American Museum of Natural History
Paperback (263 pages)
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