Triassic Animals & Early Dinosaurs

372Mesozoic

A narrow snout was built to snap at fish in water.

375Mesozoic

A skull more than two meters long belonged to one of the largest freshwater amphibian predators.

377Mesozoic

A near-complete skeleton reveals the full proportions of a giant Triassic amphibian.

388Mesozoic

A long siphon accessed sugary secretions before flowers evolved.

397Mesozoic

Large wings and robust mouthparts belonged to the spectacular titanopterans.

420Mesozoic

Columnar lycophytes formed pioneer stands after the end-Permian catastrophe.

421Mesozoic

Paired forked fronds became an emblem of Triassic southern vegetation.

439Mesozoic

A needle-like snout and slender body converged on modern barracudas.

444Mesozoic

Closed otic notches and a broad flat skull marked a giant aquatic ambush predator.

445Mesozoic

A broad half-meter skull carried grooves that sensed water movement.

448Mesozoic

A row of exaggerated dorsal appendages has been called scales, feathers or gliding surfaces.

449Mesozoic

Its main flight membrane stretched between extraordinarily long hind legs.

450Mesozoic

A complete shell coexisted with neck spikes and an inability to retract the head.

504Mesozoic

Leaves of different lengths on one shoot record an early stage of modern conifer architecture.

505Mesozoic

Entire strap-shaped leaves with dense side veins define a form genus rather than one secure lineage.

525Mesozoic

An extremely narrow snout gave this temnospondyl a gharial-like profile on an amphibian skeleton.

528Mesozoic

A narrow sensory-grooved snout suited an open-water temnospondyl.

531Mesozoic

A broad shell, toothless beak and crushing plates converged strongly on turtles.

533Mesozoic

An enormous deep skull sat on a relatively low body in this early archosauriform apex predator.

534Mesozoic

A long tail, paddle-like limbs and downturned snout marked a vanished marine-reptile branch.

551Mesozoic

Thick leathery pinnules and lower-surface stomata helped this seed fern withstand seasonal dryness.

552Mesozoic

Huge, nearly undivided strap leaves opened from a stout cycad-like crown.

561Mesozoic

A sickle-shaped hand claw, grasping feet and hooked tail tip formed a highly arboreal reptile.

562Mesozoic

A toothless beak, long neck and bipedal legs made this crocodile relative converge on later bird-like dinosaurs.