Dinosaurs & Other Animals of the Triassic

The second in a series of five books, this book tells the history of life at the start of the Mesozoic Era during the Triassic Period, which was between 252 and 201 million years ago. In this period, the first lepidosaurs (the group containing snakes and lizards) and first archosaurs (the group containing crocodiles and birds) appeared. The first dinosaurs walked the land, the first pterosaurs filled the skies, and the seas were populated by marine reptiles such as ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs, and others. In this beautiful full-color illustrated book, you will learn about: The paleogeography of the Triassic - how the continents were joined in one gigantic supercontinentThe climate of the TriassicThe flora of the TriassicMarine life of the Triassic including plankton, marine invertebrates, fish and marine reptiles such ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs and placodontsTerrestrial life of the Triassic including insects, spiders, lungfish, amphibians, parareptiles, therapsids (mammal-like reptiles), lepidosaurs, archosaurs and dinosaursDinosaurs of the Triassic including the split between lizard-hipped (Saurischia) and bird-hipped (Ornithischia) dinosaursThe first theropod dinosaurs (the group which would eventually give rise to Tyrannosaurus rex , Allosaurus , Velociraptor and birds)The first sauropodomorph dinosaurs (the group which would eventually rise to Apatosaurus , Brachiosaurus and Diplodocus )The first ornithischian dinosaurs (the group which would eventually give rise to Iguanodon , Triceratops , duckbilled dinosaurs and other famous herbivores)The Triassic coal gapExtinction events of the TriassicAnd much more Table of Contents: Introduction Chapter 1: Before the Triassic Period The Formation of the Solar System and the Earth The Hadean Eon The Archaean Eon The Proterozoic Eon The Phanerozoic Eon - The Paleozoic Era - The End of the Paleozoic Era Chapter 2: Introducing the Triassic Period Subdivisions (Epochs) of the Triassic Period - Early Triassic Epoch - Middle Triassic Epoch - Late Triassic Epoch Chapter 3: Paleogeography of the Triassic Period Chapter 4: Climate of the Triassic Period Chapter 5: Flora of the Triassic Period Chapter 6: Marine Fauna of the Triassic Period Plankton Marine Invertebrates Fish Sauropterygian Reptiles - Pachypleurosaurs - Nothosaurs - Placodonts - Pistosaurs, Plesiosaurs and Pliosaurs Turtles Ichthyosaurs Hupehsuchia Thalattosaurs Chapter 7: Terrestrial and Freshwater Fauna of the Triassic Period Insects Spiders Lungfish Amphibians Parareptiles Lepidosauromorpha Therapsids - Dicynodonts - Therocephalians - Cynodonts Archosaurs and Archosauromorpha - Protorosaurs - Pterosaurs - Rhynchosaurs - Allokotosaurs - Phytosaurs - Proterosuchids and Erythrosuchids - Aetosaurs - Revueltosaurus - Poposauroids - Ornithosuchids - Rauisuchoids - Crocodylomorpha - Dinosaurs and Dinosauromorpha Chapter 8: Dinosaurs and Dinosauromorpha Saurischia and Ornithischia Early Saurischian Dinosaurs - The First Theropods - Sauropodomorpha Early Ornithischian Dinosaurs Chapter 9: Triassic Coal Gap Chapter 10: Extinction Events of the Triassic Period Permian-Triassic Extinction Event Smith-Spathian Extinction Event Carnian Pluvial Event Triassic-Jurassic Extinction Event Chapter 11: After the Triassic The Jurassic Period The Cretaceous Period The Cenozoic Era