Permian Period
298-252 million years ago
The Permian Period came before the dinosaurs. It was ruled by synapsids, the ancestors of modern mammals, and ended with the most catastrophic mass extinction in Earth's history. Nearly 96% of all species were wiped out in what scientists call The Great Dying. From that devastation, the stage was set for dinosaurs to rise.
Fun Facts
- âThe Permian-Triassic extinction killed off 96% of all marine species and 70% of land vertebrate species.
- âAll of Earth's continents were joined into one supercontinent called Pangaea during the Permian.
- âMassive volcanic eruptions in Siberia triggered the extinction by releasing enormous amounts of carbon dioxide.
- âThe dominant land animals of the Permian were synapsids, more closely related to mammals than to reptiles.
- âRecovery from the Permian extinction took millions of years, much longer than recovery from the later dinosaur extinction.