Middle Triassic facts for kids

The Middle Triassic was the middle part of the Triassic period. It lasted for about 10 million years. This time began around 247.2 million years ago and ended about 237 million years ago.

Animals of the Middle Triassic

During the Middle Triassic, big changes happened in the animal world. Before this time, therapsids were the main land animals. They were a group of animals that included the ancestors of mammals.

But in the Middle Triassic, archosaurs started to become more common. Archosaurs are a group that includes the ancestors of crocodiles, pterosaurs (flying reptiles), and dinosaurs. They began to take over from the therapsids. This big change is sometimes called the 'Triassic takeover'.

This takeover was very important for the evolution of mammals. The therapsids that survived had to adapt. They became smaller and mostly lived at night. These early mammal-like creatures were often insectivores, meaning they ate insects.

Living at night in burrows helped them develop important features. They likely grew fur to stay warm. They also developed faster metabolic rates, which helped them stay active. Taking care of their young in burrows and feeding them with milk were also key to their future success.

In the oceans, new marine reptiles appeared. In the Tethys Ocean, the first sauropterygia arrived. These included nothosaurs and early plesiosaurs. Ichthyosaurs, which were fish-like marine reptiles, had already appeared in the Lower Triassic.

Images for kids

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  A drawing of Mixosaurus cornalianus, an ichthyosaur from the Middle Triassic.

See also

In Spanish: Triásico Medio para niños