Triassic period

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Dinos Issued a Climate Warning 215M Years Ago
Dinos Issued a Climate Warning 215M Years Ago
NEW STUDY
Jun 17, 2015 12:40 PM CDT

Dinos Issued a Climate Warning 215M Years Ago

Sauropods avoided volatile tropics in Triassic

(Newser) - Scientists have long been baffled by a lack of Triassic period fossils from large, herbivorous dinosaurs known as sauropods near the equator. A new study offers some illumination: It suggests a hot, unpredictable climate and high carbon dioxide levels kept some of the world's first dinosaurs away—and may...

Giant Upright 'Butcher' Croc Ruled NC

Beast that lived 231M years ago was 'a bit of a Frankenstein'

(Newser) - A giant crocodile that walked on its hind legs roamed the warm, wet region of what's now North Carolina 231 million years ago, ripping through the armored shells of its prey like cake. Thankfully, the 9-foot-long Carnufex carolinensis, or "Carolina Butcher," went extinct by the end of...

240M-Year-Old Toilet Found in Argentina

Large mammals pooped there in early Triassic period

(Newser) - Curious about the world's oldest public bathroom? It's in Argentina and it's impressive, covering nearly 3,000 feet and dating back to a time when giant rhino-like creatures roamed the region, the BBC reports. Appropriately, the 240-million-year-old latrine is full of big fossilized feces, some up to...

Scientists Say They Found Earth's Oldest Dinosaur

Nyasasaurus parringtoni lived in the Middle Triassic period

(Newser) - Scientists studying fossilized bones originally discovered in Tanzania in the 1930s may have revealed Earth's oldest known dinosaur, LiveScience reports. Nyasasaurus parringtoni lived between 240 million and 245 million years ago, some 10 million to 15 million years earlier than any other dinosaurs previously discovered. Researchers stopped short of...

Volcano Eruptions Led to Rise of Dinosaurs

The lava all but wiped out main competitors

(Newser) - An explosion of volcanic activity 200 million years ago may have been responsible for the mass extinction that left dinosaurs with few competitors and allowed them to dominate the Earth for almost 150 million years. Researchers have discovered evidence of massive lava flows concurrent with elevated levels of CO2 in...

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