About 250 to 200 million years ago, the Triassic represent a geologic period of time that follows the Permian and precedes the infamous Jurassic. From the very beginning, this period was marked by major extinction events, which also took place towards the end of the period. In this article, you will learn more about the Triassic Period, as well as some of the creatures that lived during that time.
During the Triassic Period, the first vertebrates (known as ‘winged lizards’ or pterosaurs) to fly in the air emerged. Corals belonging to the hexacorallia group appear. The marine and continental life that dwelled on the earth show signs of rapidly evolving and multiplying. A few dinosaurs that lived during the Triassic include:
Sellosaurus
All of the fossils belonging to the Sellosaurus have been uncovered in Germany. Archeologists have more than 20 nearly complete fossil skeletons of the species to investigate. In the past, these dinosaurs roamed what is now known as Lowenstein Formation and the Keuper Formation of Baden-Wurttemberg. In the same region, other fossils had been detected and confused with the Sellosaurus, but have now been identified as a new breed , later called the Efraasia.
The Sellosaurus dinosaur was an herbivore that exhibited the characteristics of primitive Plateosaurus of its time. Measuring nearly 7 meters long, the dinosaur had strong legs and used a sharp claw on its thumb as a method of defense.
Technosaurus
The first partial bone (from the jaw) of the Technosaurus was located very close to Texas University , thus the origin of the dinosaur’s name. The fossils of this particular species were discovered by Sankar Chatterjee in 1984. Not much is known about this dinosaur because there are a low number of fossils linked to the species. However, what researchers do know is that the species was one of the smaller dinosaurs of the late Triassic Era. The herbivore measured no more than 3 feet tall.
Plateosaurus
There are two species that belong to the European Plateosaurus genus: P. Engelhardti & P. Gracilis. This creature was a prosauropod that represented dinosaurs that were related to the larger and later sauropods, which were omnivores , eating both plant and animal matter. The Plateosaurus was quite a popular dinosaur of its time in Europe. What we do know about the creature is that its tail made up half the total length of its body and it measured about 27 feet long. This measurement would make it the largest of the prosauropods.
They also had a clawed thumb that was probably used for latching onto tress to pull itself up to eat leaves or to possibly defend against predators. Researchers believe the animal may have traveled in herds and could have very well kept their young in the center of the pack to make sure they were well protected. When artistic depictions highlight the Triassic period, it is a Plateosaurus that often appears in illustrations.
