Late Triassic Period
237-201 million years ago
The Late Triassic is when dinosaurs truly got their start. The supercontinent Pangaea was beginning to crack apart, climates were shifting, and the earliest true dinosaurs were competing with large reptiles for dominance. By the end of the Triassic, a mass extinction cleared the way for dinosaurs to take over completely.
Fun Facts
- âThe earliest unambiguous dinosaur fossils come from the Late Triassic, around 230-235 million years ago.
- âCoelophysis, one of the best-known Late Triassic dinosaurs, lived in large groups and may have been a pack hunter.
- âPlateosaurus was one of the first large dinosaurs, reaching up to 26 feet long in the Late Triassic.
- âPterosaurs, the flying reptiles, also first appeared during the Late Triassic.
- âThe end-Triassic extinction killed off many of the dinosaurs' competitors and set the stage for the Jurassic explosion.