Mesozoic

Episode 151/152: Lissamphibian Origins
Published on January 25th, 2023 | by David Marshall
We burrow into lissamphibian origins with the help of exceptionally rare fossil caecilians... Read More →
The Triassic period is a division of earth’s history spanning from around 252 to 201 million years ago, and during which global faunas were radically reorganised in the wake of the Permian mass extinction. The climate of the Triassic was typically arid and hot. During this period, the supercontinent of Pangaea began to gradually break apart, opening the Tethys Ocean. Recovery from the Permian mass extinction lasted up to 10 million years. In the oceans, surviving invertebrates including corals, cephalopods (such as ammonites) and echinoderms began to diversify. Marine reptiles became abundant and reached colossal sizes by the end of the Triassic. On land, archosaurs, a group of reptiles including crocodilians and dinosaurs, began to flourish. Mammal-like reptiles, on the other hand, became smaller and less diverse. The end Triassic is also characterised by a mass extinction event. Around 76% of all species, including the conodonts (a successful group of jawless fish), many archosaurs (with the notable exception of dinosaurs) and large amphibians were wiped out.
Published on January 25th, 2023 | by David Marshall
We burrow into lissamphibian origins with the help of exceptionally rare fossil caecilians... Read More →
Published on October 5th, 2022 | by Liz Martin-Silverstone
Scleromochlus is an animal that has been known for over 100 years, and has been frequently suggested as being an ancestor to pterosaurs. It hails from the Late Triassic of Scotland, and there are fewer than [&hellip... Read More →
Published on January 2nd, 2022 | by David Marshall
We learn to draw and paint dinosaurs with Dr Emily Willoughby... Read More →
Published on July 19th, 2021 | by David Marshall
We look at the beetles found within Triassic dinosaur dung. What can they tell us... Read More →
Published on June 16th, 2021 | by David Marshall
Our very own Dr Elsa Panciroli comes on the show to discuss her new book 'Beasts Before Us'... Read More →
Published on April 15th, 2021 | by David Marshall
We look at rates of evolutionary innovation in crocodiles through time with Dr Tom Stubbs... Read More →
Published on July 31st, 2020 | by David Marshall
Dr Russell Bicknell joins to examine the evolutionary history of the horseshoe crabs... Read More →
Published on March 1st, 2020 | by David Marshall
Plesiosaurs are some of the most easily recognisable animals in the fossil record. Simply uttering the words ‘Loch Ness Monster’ can conjure a reasonably accurate image of what they look like. Thanks to palaeoart, it’s also [&hellip... Read More →
Published on May 28th, 2019 | by Guest Blogger
As with most children who are fascinated by dinosaurs, Tyrannosaurus, Triceratops, and Stegosaurus were amongst the first dinosaurs I learnt of. But as I grew older, another group of dinosaurs began to pique my interest, a [&hellip... Read More →
Published on May 30th, 2018 | by Liz Martin-Silverstone
Squamates are a group of reptiles that include lizards and snakes, with the earliest fossils occurring in the Jurassic, despite molecular studies dating the group back to the Triassic. The study of their origins has been [&hellip... Read More →