The Permian was a very notable time in history for one reason. But that reason will be left for the end of this chapter of the story of life on earth.
Other than that, another thing the Permian was very notable for was that it paved the way for the next generation of species. The mammals. Before the Permian, the earliest synapsids, the ancestors of mammals, evolved during the Carboniferous. Luckily for them, they managed to survive into the permian, and they evolved adaptions to the dry desert climate. These creatures had evolved sails on their backs that would help them to withstand the heat by cooling themselves down. These creatures were huge, reptile-like creatures called Edaphosaurus'. Edaphosaurus were peaceful herbivores, and often lived in large herds, lying around on the ground cooling themselves of in the hot desert sun. Little did they know, they weren't the only sailbacks around. There was another synapsid lurking about, this time a carnivore. It was equipped with a deadly set of sharp teeth, and could run considerably fast.
(Edaphosaurus)
(Dimetrodon)
Dimetrodon would mostly go after the small, the weak, or the old. The Edaphosaurus seemed to have a way around this though. The sail would allow for camouflage, which would confuse the Dimetrodon. This would have worked, if the Dimetrodon did not also have a strategy against this. This strategy was similar to what modern mammals do to successfully catch their prey. They would charge straight into the herd, forcing the Edaphosaurus to spread out in all directions, and exposing the weak and young. The Dimetrodon would then charge into their target, outrunning them and successfully killing them.
The sail of a synapsid of the time could have been used for many different functions, such as cooling themselves off, extra muscle support, or providing an actual boat-like sail to navigate with the wind in water.
Though through close examination of the sail, it's bone structure, and how it grew, the most plausible suggestion would have been to use the sail for display.
The deserts of the Permian were dominated by giant reptiles. Ever since the Carboniferous extinction, amphibians had dramatically decreased in numbers, and could not be found as frequently as they could before. A large majority of the insects and arthropods of the time seemed to have ceased to exist at all. And so this seemed to be the reptiles' chance for an opportunity at life. They were the only ones who could survive the changes.
As reptiles continued to evolve, changes in their appearance began to occur. Some reptiles lost their sails, and evolved more powerful builds than reptiles like Dimetrodon. They even evolved saber-like teeth similar to that of a modern big cat. They grew much stronger skulls that were shaped differently than most reptiles of the time. These reptiles had evolved very mammal-like features, and so are now known as mammal-like reptiles, or therapsids. They are known as the earliest ancestors to mammals.
(Pristerognathus)
(Inostrancevia)
The therapsids were stronger and faster than the synapsids. It seemed as if they had traded their sails for strength. Though others were less fortunate. They had evolved large, bulky bodies and somewhat short legs, and were slightly slower than carnivorous therapsids. They looked much like the green creatures in the picture above.
Being a therapsid apparently only made life sligtly easier in the Permian climate. By this time, all the continents had merged into one huge, desert landmass called Pangea. There was hardly any available food or water, despite a few bushes and small lakes placed vastly across the desert. Though in many of these lakes lay dead amphibians and fish in the muddy waters. They had perhaps died of starvation among the mostly desolate Pangea.
It seemed as if many of the life-forms that had been so successful before were suddenly meeting an end. Life was very hard with needing to constantly find food and water, and sharing was a huge problem among most of the species, since there was so little food and water scattered across the land.
Though one little creature suggests that it was much easier living underground at this time. This creatures' name was Diictodon (dye-ick-toe-don).
(Diictodon)
It was a burrowing animal that seemed to be living much easier than most animals of it's time. In many ways they were similar to modern prairie dogs. They often lived in large underground colonies, and took care of each other and actually shared things with each other, since for them there apparently seemed to be enough to go around. They would also occasionally peep out of their burrows to spot predators, and when a predator would come, the Diictodon would release a warning call, telling all the other Diictodon to get back inside the hole. Predators couldn't even reach them because the holes were too small for their large, powerful jaws, and so what would have been the only source of food was out of their grasp.
While all of this was certainly not good for many species, this was the least bad of events to come. What would come next would change life on Earth for good, and it would almost bring it to an end.
This event was known as the Permian Extinction. It was also known as the great dying. It would be the most devastating of extinctions for years to come.
In the reaches of space, miles from Earth, a giant asteroid was headed towards the planet. The Permian animals didn't know it, but their lives were in grave danger. Years past, and the asteroid was falling ever so closely to earth. Meanwhile, underground, large amounts of lava and gas were building up, and were ready to explode out of the hills any minute.
After the many years of starvation, the asteroid finally passed through the earths' atmosphere. And back on earth, the magma was seconds from exploding out of the ground. The permian animals were still trying desperately to find food, when suddenly, the earth exploded with lava. Gigantic amounts of lava were eventually spewing out of the hills and mountains all around the desolate continent. The permian creatures were desperately running, trying to get away from huge amounts of magma and and gas and falling rocks. Most of them did not escape, and were stuck in lava, volcanoes surrounded the creatures in almost all directions, shooting out boiling lava. The mighty Pangea even started breaking apart in some places, and large amounts of gas and lava shot out from under the ground.
It seemed as if there was no escape. The Earth seemed to be collapsing all at once. Creatures were desperately running all around the land in fear. trying to escape the earth itself. All around there were volcanoes erupting, gas shooting out of the earth, earthquakes shaking the ground and rattling the oceans.
Even the ocean creatures were severely effected.
It seemed this couldn't have gotten any worse. And then it did.
Meteors started falling from the cloudy, black sky, forming holes in the ground, and eventually, out of the clouds came a giant asteroid. It was as if the meteors were introducing it to the earth.
And within minutes, the asteroid violently hit the ground, forming a giant crater in the once mighty continent of Pangea, and exploding into billions of pieces on the surface of the earth.
It was the largest mass extinction event in history.
The explosion killed 96% of all land and water species, and more than half of earth's species. The asteroid explosion consumed the land in a giant cloud of dust and fire.
Life seemed to have met it's violent end at the hands of lava and an asteroid.
There was no escape.
(Edaphosaurus)
(Dimetrodon)
Dimetrodon would mostly go after the small, the weak, or the old. The Edaphosaurus seemed to have a way around this though. The sail would allow for camouflage, which would confuse the Dimetrodon. This would have worked, if the Dimetrodon did not also have a strategy against this. This strategy was similar to what modern mammals do to successfully catch their prey. They would charge straight into the herd, forcing the Edaphosaurus to spread out in all directions, and exposing the weak and young. The Dimetrodon would then charge into their target, outrunning them and successfully killing them.
The sail of a synapsid of the time could have been used for many different functions, such as cooling themselves off, extra muscle support, or providing an actual boat-like sail to navigate with the wind in water.
Though through close examination of the sail, it's bone structure, and how it grew, the most plausible suggestion would have been to use the sail for display.
The deserts of the Permian were dominated by giant reptiles. Ever since the Carboniferous extinction, amphibians had dramatically decreased in numbers, and could not be found as frequently as they could before. A large majority of the insects and arthropods of the time seemed to have ceased to exist at all. And so this seemed to be the reptiles' chance for an opportunity at life. They were the only ones who could survive the changes.
As reptiles continued to evolve, changes in their appearance began to occur. Some reptiles lost their sails, and evolved more powerful builds than reptiles like Dimetrodon. They even evolved saber-like teeth similar to that of a modern big cat. They grew much stronger skulls that were shaped differently than most reptiles of the time. These reptiles had evolved very mammal-like features, and so are now known as mammal-like reptiles, or therapsids. They are known as the earliest ancestors to mammals.
(Pristerognathus)
(Inostrancevia)
The therapsids were stronger and faster than the synapsids. It seemed as if they had traded their sails for strength. Though others were less fortunate. They had evolved large, bulky bodies and somewhat short legs, and were slightly slower than carnivorous therapsids. They looked much like the green creatures in the picture above.
Being a therapsid apparently only made life sligtly easier in the Permian climate. By this time, all the continents had merged into one huge, desert landmass called Pangea. There was hardly any available food or water, despite a few bushes and small lakes placed vastly across the desert. Though in many of these lakes lay dead amphibians and fish in the muddy waters. They had perhaps died of starvation among the mostly desolate Pangea.
It seemed as if many of the life-forms that had been so successful before were suddenly meeting an end. Life was very hard with needing to constantly find food and water, and sharing was a huge problem among most of the species, since there was so little food and water scattered across the land.
Though one little creature suggests that it was much easier living underground at this time. This creatures' name was Diictodon (dye-ick-toe-don).
(Diictodon)
It was a burrowing animal that seemed to be living much easier than most animals of it's time. In many ways they were similar to modern prairie dogs. They often lived in large underground colonies, and took care of each other and actually shared things with each other, since for them there apparently seemed to be enough to go around. They would also occasionally peep out of their burrows to spot predators, and when a predator would come, the Diictodon would release a warning call, telling all the other Diictodon to get back inside the hole. Predators couldn't even reach them because the holes were too small for their large, powerful jaws, and so what would have been the only source of food was out of their grasp.
While all of this was certainly not good for many species, this was the least bad of events to come. What would come next would change life on Earth for good, and it would almost bring it to an end.
This event was known as the Permian Extinction. It was also known as the great dying. It would be the most devastating of extinctions for years to come.
In the reaches of space, miles from Earth, a giant asteroid was headed towards the planet. The Permian animals didn't know it, but their lives were in grave danger. Years past, and the asteroid was falling ever so closely to earth. Meanwhile, underground, large amounts of lava and gas were building up, and were ready to explode out of the hills any minute.
After the many years of starvation, the asteroid finally passed through the earths' atmosphere. And back on earth, the magma was seconds from exploding out of the ground. The permian animals were still trying desperately to find food, when suddenly, the earth exploded with lava. Gigantic amounts of lava were eventually spewing out of the hills and mountains all around the desolate continent. The permian creatures were desperately running, trying to get away from huge amounts of magma and and gas and falling rocks. Most of them did not escape, and were stuck in lava, volcanoes surrounded the creatures in almost all directions, shooting out boiling lava. The mighty Pangea even started breaking apart in some places, and large amounts of gas and lava shot out from under the ground.
It seemed as if there was no escape. The Earth seemed to be collapsing all at once. Creatures were desperately running all around the land in fear. trying to escape the earth itself. All around there were volcanoes erupting, gas shooting out of the earth, earthquakes shaking the ground and rattling the oceans.
Even the ocean creatures were severely effected.
It seemed this couldn't have gotten any worse. And then it did.
Meteors started falling from the cloudy, black sky, forming holes in the ground, and eventually, out of the clouds came a giant asteroid. It was as if the meteors were introducing it to the earth.
And within minutes, the asteroid violently hit the ground, forming a giant crater in the once mighty continent of Pangea, and exploding into billions of pieces on the surface of the earth.
It was the largest mass extinction event in history.
The explosion killed 96% of all land and water species, and more than half of earth's species. The asteroid explosion consumed the land in a giant cloud of dust and fire.
Life seemed to have met it's violent end at the hands of lava and an asteroid.
There was no escape.
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