The Incredible Dinosaurs of the Triassic Period

🦕The Triassic period was the dawn of the dinosaur era, but dinosaurs did not dominate until the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.

🌍The Triassic world was vastly different from today, with a single massive landmass and extreme climate conditions.

🌿The dominant plants of the Triassic period were conifers, cycads, and ferns, not the flowering angiosperms seen today.

🐊Pseudosuchians, distant relatives of crocodiles, were the most abundant Triassic reptiles, not dinosaurs.

🦖Early dinosaurs, such as Eoraptor, were small predators and not substantially different from their dinosaur morph ancestors.

What made the Triassic period unique?

—The Triassic period was characterized by a single massive landmass, extreme climate conditions, and the coexistence of diverse reptiles, including early dinosaurs.

Did dinosaurs dominate the Triassic period?

—Although dinosaurs lived during the Triassic period, they did not rule or dominate until the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.

What were the dominant plants during the Triassic period?

—The dominant plants of the Triassic period were conifers, cycads, and ferns. Flowering angiosperms, including most modern plants, had not yet evolved.

What were the most abundant reptiles in the Triassic period?

—Pseudosuchians, distant relatives of crocodiles, were the most abundant reptiles during the Triassic period. Dinosaurs were not the primary terrestrial animals at that time.

How different were early dinosaurs from their ancestors?

—Early dinosaurs, such as Eoraptor, were not substantially different from their dinosaur morph ancestors. They were small predators that paved the way for the iconic dinosaurs of later periods.

00:00The Triassic period was the dawn of the dinosaur era, but dinosaurs did not dominate until the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.

03:47Pseudosuchians, distant relatives of crocodiles, were the most abundant reptiles in the Triassic period, not dinosaurs.

07:55Early dinosaurs, such as Eoraptor, were small predators and not substantially different from their dinosaur morph ancestors.