Trilogy of Life Season 1

by bennettfender

See the story of life before the dinosaurs like never before.

12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: The New Rulers

Earth 242 million years ago, it is now the Mid Triassic and we are now at a critical turning point in our planet's history. It has now been 10 million years since the Great Dying ravaged the planet wiping out countless numbers of species in both the sea and on land. The few survivors of the extinction have now begun to slowly but surely grow in diversity and number and many new species and families have appeared to take up the niches left open by the Great Dying. One such place that has seen a particularly large explosion of new life is the oceans. Life in the oceans was ravaged by the Great Dying with up to 96% of all life in the seas being wiped out, this was an even larger death toll than what occurred on land with entire families that were dominant in the Paleozoic being completely wiped out, including families like trilobites and the eurypterids.

Despite this, life in the seas has recovered more quickly than life on land and many new types of creature have appeared to become dominant in this new world. One of the richest seas is the great Tethys sea, a body of water that covers much of what will one day become Europe, while it is significantly smaller than the massive Panthalassic Ocean that surrounds Pangea, it arguably has a higher diversity of life, likely thanks to the shallow warm sunlit seas being a breeding ground for all kinds of creatures, some of which are unlike anything our planet has seen before.

...

On a coastline around what will one day become Switzerland, we find a large group of strange reptiles resting on a sandy beach. These are Nothosaurus giganteus, a genus of reptile notable for being adapted to life in the seas. Nothosaurus are part of a superorder of reptiles known as the sauropterygians, a collection of reptiles that have become adapted for life in the seas. Sauropterygians are a diverse superorder with many smaller orders and families and the nothosaurs are one such family, with Nothosaurus itself being a common genus. The genus Nothosaurus itself is very diverse with species ranging in size and in lifestyle and at up to 20 feet in length, Nothosaurus giganteus is one of the largest.

Nothosaurus itself is a lot like the Triassic version of a seal being adapted for life on both land and in the water. Their legs are short with webbed feet, meaning they are perfectly adapted for allowing them to glide effortlessly through the sea, despite this, their legs are still strong enough to allow for terrestrial locomotion as well. Currently the pod is resting enjoying the early morning sun's rays before they head out into the sea. The pods are mainly made up of females and their young, however, a single large dominant male watches over them. Males must protect their harems by force, fighting off any potential rivals with such battles usually being bloody and violent affairs.

As the sun continues to climb higher in the sky, the Nothosaurus pod quickly move towards the sea, calmly wading into the surf as they swiftly transform and begin gliding effortlessly through the water. The Nothosaurus pod quickly set out on the hunt for food, their diet mainly consists of fish and their needle-like teeth are perfect for grabbing the slippery creatures. One Nothosaurus quickly finds a small pod of fish and opens its jaws, grabbing one of the slippery creatures and wolfing it down. The fish in these waters are decently diverse considering the circumstances with a variety of ray finned fish and coelacanths being common. Some of these fish are deadly in their own right like the fearsome Birgeria, a powerful predator that hunts some of the smaller fish, of course it is nothing more than another meal for the much larger Nothosaurus.

One Nothosaurus is quick to demonstrate this as it snatches up a Birgeria and wolfs it down. Of course there are yet larger fish in these waters like the chondrychthian Acrodus, a 10 foot predator. Acrodus is part of a group of chondrycthian fish known as the hybodonts, a group that first appeared during the late Devonian and rose to prominence during the Permian becoming apex predators. The hybodonts were able to survive the Great Dying and remain powerful predators, albeit they now face competition from marine reptiles like Nothosaurus. The Acrodus swiftly descends upon the fish shoal, gobbling up fish quickly and efficiently.

It isn't long until yet another predator joins the fray, meet Mixosaurus cornalianus another type of marine reptile, however, it is a part of a different lineage than the nothosaurs, one that is even more adapted for aquatic life. The order that Mixosaurus is part of is known as the ichthyosaurs, an order of marine reptiles that stand out thanks to their fish-like shapes, an example of convergent evolution. Unlike the nothosaurs, ichthyosaurs cannot leave the water, being fully adapted to an aquatic lifestyle. The ancestors of the ichthyosaurs first appeared right before the Great Dying and in the aftermath of the extinction they were quick to return to the seas and with a lack of competitors they were able to diversify into many different genre with many different ecological roles. Mixosaurus itself is on the small end of the size range for ichthyosaurs and as a result it must watch itself when in these large feeding frenzies for Nothosaurus and Acrodus will happily gobble them up if given the chance.

Luckily for Mixosaurus, their speed and agility allows them to evade potential dangers with relative ease. The Mixosaurus quickly dart in, snagging small fish in their long jaws. The feeding frenzy only lasts a few minutes and soon the predators disperse leaving the area in a state of calm.

...

Further below one can find plenty of life on the seafloor, with many small creatures burying themselves into the dirt. These small animals attract hungry predators like Nothosaurus, who walk along the bottom combing through the muck in search of food.

As the Nothosaurus probes, it walks past some Daonella. At first glance Daonella resemble brachiopods, however, they are part of a different class of animals known as bivalves. Bivalves are not actually related to brachiopods with the similarities once again being convergent evolution. Throughout the Paleozoic bivalves were relatively uncommon with brachiopods taking up most of their potential roles in the ecosystem, but this has changed. While both groups were hit hard by the Great Dying, bivalves were able to recover far more quickly and while brachiopods have survived and even diversified somewhat, they now sit subservient to the bivalves who dot the sea floor in great numbers, filtering out microscopic creatures in the waves.

Like Brachiopods, bivalves like Daonella rely on their tough shells to protect them from predators and this works on most creatures, but some animals have evolved to get around these defences. Calmly walking around the sea bed is another type of marine reptile and another member of the sauropterygians meet Cyamodus hildegardis. Cyamodus at first glance resmbles a turtle with its armoured carapace, but it is actually part of a different order known as the placodonts. Placodonts are another order that appeared in the aftermath of the Great Dying and they have become quite common in response. Unlike the swift nothosaurs, placodonts like Cyamodus are slow moving and they prefer to hunt creatures like Daonella.

They do this through usage of their powerful jaws that are perfectly designed to break open the tough shells to get to the soft flesh. The Cyamodus calmly swims up to a Daonella and grabs it, cracking it open like an egg as it begins to feed shortly after on the soft innards, it seems that the Daonella's defences have failed it today. The Cyamodus quickly heads out again looking for more Daonella to munch on.

...

Later in the day as the sun begins to dip below the skyline, we find the Nothosaurus hauling themselves back onto dryland. As they emerge from the waves, they spray excess salt out of their nostrils, a feature shared by many modern day animals like marine iguanas, doing this allows them to safely drink the salty water. As they return, the mothers seek out their pups and they begin to regurgitate their catches, allowing their young to feed. As the commotion settles down the Nothosaurus prepare for their late night rest. The main advantage to sleeping on land is that the Nothosaurus don't have to worry about the massive marine predators that stalk the waves, for as large and powerful as they are, Nothosaurus are not the biggest marine predators in these waters.

...

The next day, the sun rises once again signaling the start of a new day. We find ourselves in a coastal forest. This area is a few miles up the beach from where the Nothosaurus pod rests and it is home to its own unique creatures. Resting under the shade of a tree is another coastal resident, meet Tanystropheus hydroides, one of the strangest creatures to ever walk the Earth. The most striking feature of Tanystropheus is its unusually long neck that makes up most of its body.

The long neck is rather stiff and is made up of 13 vertebrae, however, it is also lightweight, keeping it from weighing down the Tanystropheus too much. The Tanystropheus heads for the beach and wades into the water. The long necked reptile then sits and waits. Tanystropheus mainly feeds on fish and its long neck is a perfect tool for hunting them. The Tanystropheus waits for any unsuspecting fish to swim up to it and then once their in range it snatches them up almost like a Triassic version of a heron.

Despite hunting aquatic prey, Tanystropheus spends most of its time on land, while it is a very competent swimmer, it prefers a more terrestrial mode of life. After getting some fish in its belly, the Tanystropheus heads back into the treeline to escape the heat of the rising sun. As the Tanystropheus heads back into the treeline, a potential predator takes notice. Watching from the cover of the brush, is a Ticinosuchus. At up to 10 feet in length Ticinosuchus is only half the length of Tanystropheus, but its powerful jaws and teeth combined with a bulky build makes it more than capable of tackling larger prey like Tanystropheus.

Ticinosuchus itself is a member of the archosauromorphs, specifically it is a part of a new clade known as the pseudosuchians a family that in the future will include crocodilians and even now in the Triassic one can see the beginnings of the crocodilian body plan, with the thick armoured back of the Ticinosuchus giving away its future relations. The Ticinosuchus creeps towards the Tanystropheus, calmly getting closer, while it is capable of quick bursts of speed, Ticinosuchus can only keep up such bursts for a short time before tiring out, so it must get close. The Ticinosuchus continues to calmly close in, but it fails to notice a small twig in its path and a sharp crack alerts the Tanystropheus to its presence. The Tanystropheus immediately bolts heading for the safety of the sea. The Ticinosuchus follows behind earnestly, covering ground as it runs towards its target.

The Tanystropheus reaches the beach, as the Ticinosuchus desperately tries to close the distance. The Tanystropheus then makes it to the water and hurries for the deeper parts. The Ticinosuchus stops as it can only watch a potential meal escape its grasp, it seems that luck is not on its side today. The disappointed Ticinosuchus heads back into the forest. The Tanystropheus for its part swims for some rocks out in the lagoon, it doesn't want to stay in the water for too long, lest it be put in danger by the marine predators that patrol these waters.

It hauls itself onto one of the rocks and takes a few breaths, the running and swimming has left it quite tired and it will likely rest here for a few minutes. On the brightside the rock makes a great perch for the Tanystropheus to fish from and so it will likely stay here for a time to fish before heading back to the coast.

...

Also bordering the coast, are a variety of estuaries, places where the fresh water of rivers meets the saltwater of the Tethys. These brackish waters, harbor a wide variety of fish who take advantage of the abundance of food sources here. One such fish in the Acrodus, which takes advantage of the smaller fish who come to feed in the estuary, they also commonly give birth here, giving their young a safe place to grow up before heading out into the more treacherous open ocean. Of course there are larger predators in these waterways, swimming through the water are massive predators like the Mastodonsaurus giganteus, a saltwater crocodile sized temnospondyl that prowls waterways. Mastodonsaurus is one of the apex predators of the estuary and they feed on just about anything they can find.

Their jaws are filled with teeth including a pair of massive fangs on their lower jaw that poke out of their upper jaw, Mastodonsaurus despite having legs are not built for crawling around on land restricting them to the water. Despite their massive size, Mastodonsaurus are not invincible, for while they are the kings of the estuary, they are dwarfed by some of the marine reptiles of the open ocean and when they on occasion venture out into the Tethys they must watch out for predators. Even in the estuaries they sometimes fall victim to terrestrial predators. One such potential predator is currently snacking on shoreline, feeding on an Acrodus it recently caught, it's the Ticinosuchus from before, it seems that he finally found a good meal for himself. Luckily for the Mastodonsaurus, this means that the Ticinosuchus is not currently a threat.

While it may seem surprising that a Ticinosuchus could take down an animal twice its size, it is something that happens from time to time, albeit it isn't easy for the smaller carnivore. The main strategy is to catch a Mastodonsaurus in the shallows and then pounce on its back and deliver a bite to the back of the skull killing it instantly. The Ticinosuchus finishes up the Acrodus, before slinking off back into the brush, likely trying to find a good place to settle down for a nap.

...

Back out in the open seas, life continues on as usual for the many inhabitants of the deep blue. Currently swimming peacefully through the waves is another group of animals that survive the Great Dying, these are Gymnites, a type of ammonite. Ammonites were ravaged by the Great Dying and yet a small few pulled through and rapidly diversified once again. Joining them is a different type of a cephalopod, a small school of squid. The squid rapidly swim through the water searching for small fish to feed on. Of course the squid themselves are on the menu for other larger predators.

A hungry Mixosaurus suddenly darts in and snags some of the squishy cephalopods in its jaws. It quickly wolfs down its catch before setting out again to snag yet more prey. Thanks to their speed, ichthyosaurs like Mixosaurus are perfectly designed for catching fast moving prey like fish and squid. Of course Mixosaurus is not the largest ichthyosaur in these waters, for there is a close relative that dwarfs not just it, but all the other marine reptiles of this lagoon. The Mixosaurus suddenly panics and flees as a massive Cymospondylus buchersi emerges from the depths and snatches up some squid in its jaws.

At up to 30 feet in length Cymospondylus is an enormous ichthyosaur dwarfing all the other creatures of this region. The rest of the squid panic as the Cymospondylus grabs as many of them as it can in its massive jaws. Soon the rest of the shoal is able to swim off, leaving only the slower moving Gymnites still present. The Cymospondylus swims up to the Gymnites, who quickly retract into their shells. The Cymospondylus nudges the hapless Gymnites before swimming off, knowing that there is no use in trying to get through the thick shell, it will simply have to settle on finding something else to eat.

Cymospondylus itself is a truly terrifying predator, while it usually tackles fish and squid it will sometimes hunt larger prey, using its vicious jaws to snatch up other marine reptiles needless to say the Mixosaurus was wise to flee. The species of Cymospondylus in these waters isn't even the largest species, the truly massive Cymbospondylus youngorum, patrols what will one day become North America and at up to 57 feet in length it is one of the largest animals yet to have evolved being one of the first true aquatic giants.

...

Back on the beach, we find the pod of Nothosaurus currently resting, however, something is about to happen that will disrupt the relative peace. Emerging from the surf is a male Nothosaurus, however, this isn't the resident male, it's a rival. The male immediately begins to eye the females who hiss in response shielding their young as they do so. Nothosaurus males will kill young that don't belong to them to ensure that the females go into heat. The male walks up to a female who bares her teeth snapping at him, causing him to back up.

While male Nothosaurus are larger than the females, a mother protecting her young is no joke. A loud bellow suddenly echos through the pod, causing the male to turn to see the resident male marching towards him, the commotion has caught his attention. The resident bull marches towards the young upstart who hisses in response. The pair circle sizing each other up, it's the job of the alpha male to protect his harem and their young from both predators and from rival males and he takes his job very seriously, for the life of his pups is at stake. The pair snap and hiss as they look for openings, for the rival male this is his chance to get a harem of his own and he is not willing to pass it up.

The resident male strikes first, biting down on the rival's neck, his teeth leaving nasty wounds as blood begins to pour. The rival jerks his neck free and hisses in response. He snaps at the resident male, who wisely back pedals. The rival male seeing the resident male give ground rushes forward, however, he runs right into the resident male's jaws. The resident male bites down again, once more snagging his neck.

Once more blood flows from more new wounds, as the rival male fights to free his neck. He finally yanks himself free and lands a bite of his own immediately afterwards in retaliation, grabbing the resident male by the snout. The resident male pulls free, however he is left with nasty bite marks. The pair briefly pause to catch their breath, these fights are as tiring as they are brutal and already blood is dripping from open wounds on both animals and yet the fight is not over. The pair reengage, rearing up on their hind legs and beginning to wrestle, kicking up sand as they struggle.

They exchange bites as more blood pours down from new wounds. The resident male begins to gain the edge and starts to push his rival over. The rival male unable to keep his balance falls backwards to the ground, with the resident male falling on top of him. The resident male quickly attempts to deliver a devastating throat bite, as the rival male pushes away. The rival male finally makes space and turns attempting to get to his feet, but he gives up his back in the attempt. The resident male gets ahold of his back and begins to bite into his neck once again.

The resident male shakes his head from side to side, digging his teeth deep into the flesh of his rival. The rival male hisses in pain, as he attempts to flee. He drags the resident male along with him for quite a ways in the attempt. The resident male finally loses his grip allowing the rival male to run into the sea. The resident male immediately heads off to rest, while he is the clear victor, he now has new wounds to nurse and he is tired from the struggle.

On the brightside he has successfully defended his harem for the time being. The rival male meanwhile has sustained nasty wounds, however, he has gained valuable experience from the fight and in time he could become a dominant male in his own right, but for now he must find a safe place to nurse his wounds, after all his injured state leaves him at risk of attack from marine predators.

...

Sometime passes, as the local wildlife continues their normal routines. The Tanystropheus is back out on the rock, it seems that it has found a new favorite hunting spot. The long necked reptile peers through the water, before snatching a fish out of the surf and gulping it down. After eating a few fish, the Tanystropheus decides to head back to the shore satisfied with its success for the day. The Tanystropheus enters the water and begins to swim back towards the shore.

These waters are not very safe to traverse, however, lurking beneath the water, a pair of Acrodus eye the Tanystropheus and yet they do not attack, for they are here to scavenge from the real apex predator of the water. Also eyeing the Tanystropheus, is the Cymospondylus and it seems that today it wants something bigger to eat than squid. The Cymospondylus rapidly swims up from the depths, heading right for the Tanystropheus. The Tanystropheus doesn't even realize it was being stalked up until the moment that the Cymospondylus teeth pierce into its neck, causing it to shriek in pain. The Tanystropheus cries are soon silenced as it rapidly bleeds out from the wound.

The Cymbospondylus promptly carries its meal below the water and with a flick of its head, decapitates the Tanystropheus. It then lets the head sink to the bottom, before it descends on the rest of the carcass. The Cymospondylus then rapidly tears into the body of the Tanystropheus, filling the water with blood as it feeds. After a short time, the Cymospondylus eats its fill and then swims off. The hungry Acrodus swiftly descend on what's left of the carcass, tearing off chunks of flesh as they hungrily begin feeding.

...

Back on the shoreline, the Nothosaurus pod rests in the afternoon sun. As they rest, a predator takes notice. Watching from further down the beach, is the Ticinosuchus, it is hungry and has decided to snag some sea food for today's meal. The Ticinosuchus eyes the Nothosaurus pod, it knows that adults are very dangerous prey, for they are bigger than it is and can deliver nasty bites with their jaws, however, their young are a different story. The Ticinosuchus walks towards the pod,as a female takes notice.

Her bellows alert the rest of the group and they crowd around their young in response. The Ticinosuchus stays at the edge of the pod snapping its jaws, trying to flush a young Nothosaurus out, but it is having no success. It isn't long until the resident male takes action bellowing at the carnivore and then moving in to confront him. The females are emboldened by this and start to snap and hiss at the Ticinosuchus. The Ticinosuchus relents and begins to retreat, he knows better than to risk injury.

As the Ticinosuchus moves off, the pod relaxes knowing that they are safe at least for now anyways.

...

A few weeks later something big is about to happen in the Nothosaurus pod. The young are for the first time being brought out to sea by their mothers. This is a big step for them and it is a make or break moment for them. They must learn to hunt and catch food on their own, for soon their mothers will abandon them. The mothers beckon their young to follow them into the sea.

Some of the young are eager to head out and explore with their parents, but others are more stubborn. These stubborn individuals quickly change their mind, for their mothers quickly push them onwards. The pod quickly head out into the ocean. The young are immediately taken aback by the world that they are exploring for the first time ever. They quickly get over this shock, as they begin hunting with their parents.

Most of the young struggle at first, catching fish isn't as easy as momma makes it look after all. Most of the young dart in, as the fish easily swim circles around them. It's a rather humorous sight to see. Soon some of the young begin to pick up on the art of catching the fish. It takes a lot of trial and error but some of the young begin having success.

Other young Nothosaurus remain unsuccessful in their attempts. Others loose interest in the fish and begin to explore other areas of the sea. One of the young finds itself on the sea bed. The youngster in question is investigating a Cyamodus. The Cyamodus initially ignores the curious Nothosaurus, but the youngster begins to push its luck.

The youngster begins nudging the shelled reptile. The Cyamodus attempts to swim away, but its slow movements allow the young Nothosaurus to catch up to it with ease. Luckily for the Cyamodus, the youngster eventually loses interest and swims off to find its mother. The pod will remain here for a time hunting fish and allowing the young to practice as much as possible.

...

Back on dry land, we find the Ticinosuchus on the hunt in the estuary. The Ticinosuchus explores around the estuary looking for potential prey, it moves across the banks with ease. After a short search, it stumbles upon a Mastodonsaurus resting in the shallows. It watches the giant amphibian, while Mastodonsaurus are potential prey, their large size and powerful jaws makes them dangerous, luckily for the Ticinosuchus it has the tools to bring one down. It begins to creep towards the giant amphibian.

Once in range it begins to prepare to strike. With a strong leap, it hops on the Mastodonsaurus' back, causing the giant amphibian to jolt in terror. The Mastodonsaurus attempts to turn and head back into deeper water, but the Ticinosuchus clamps down on the neck and delivers a deadly bite, snapping the giant amphibian's neck, killing it instantly. The Ticinosuchus quickly tears into the carcass, finally having secured itself a meal. As the Triassic goes on, pseudosuchians like Ticinosuchus will only continue to grow in both size and ferocity and in time some types of pseudosuchian will return to the water and become crocodilians.

As the Ticinosuchus finishes its meal, it turns and heads back into the forest to find a nice spot to rest.

...

Back in the Tethys, we find the Nothosaurus snatching up their last catches for the day. Already the young have learned a lot and they are one step closer to leaving their mothers. The pod soon prepares to head back to shore, but they are not alone. Watching nearby, is the Cymospondylus and it is hungry. The giant carnivore scans the group, any of them are potential prey, but he must proceed with caution, for the adults are a fearsome animal and are more than willing to defend themselves.

Luckily the young are a far easier target, but he must avoid the females who will violently defend their young. He swims towards the group and scans, looking for any potential target. He locks in on a youngster who has strayed away from the rest of the pod. He rapidly swims towards the youngster and the pod quickly takes notice. They swiftly flee the area, heading for the safety of the beach.

The Cymospondylus rapidly bridges the gap between him and his target and he opens his jaws and grabs the youngster. The youngster is helpless, as the teeth of the Cymospondylus pierce his torso. Blood rapidly fills the water and as the Cymospondylus shakes his meal around. It isn't long before the youngster has expired in his jaws. The Cymospondylus promptly begins dismembering his meal, tearing off chunks of flesh.

The scent of blood attracts the Acrodus, who wait patiently for the scraps. As soon as the Cymospondylus has eaten his fill, they close in and feed on what's left.

...

Back on the beach the Nothosaurus calm themselves. While they have lost one of their number, most of the young have survived their first big test. Over the course of the next few weeks, they will head out with their mothers a few more times and then they will be forced to survive on their own. The males in particular will be chased off by the dominant bull to prevent inbreeding, a necessary evil for the survival of the species. The males will then live on their own for a few years and once large enough will attempt to take over pods of their own.

Only a few will be successful in this, but those that are will continue to help their species in the years to come. As the sun sets, the pod prepares for a night of rest.

...

The Triassic is just the beginning of the reign of marine reptiles, for the rest of the Mesozoic they will reign as the dominant creatures in the seas, with many families coming and going in that time. While these marine reptiles dominate the seas, life on land is slowly recovering from the Great Dying, recovery has been slower than in the sea and life is still not yet back to Permian levels and yet many new creatures have appeared and are now poised to make out world their own and here in what is now South Africa we can find many animals whose descendents are destined for greatness.

...

The sun rises as a new day dawns in the South African wilderness. As the sun rises, many of the local residents set out to begin their daily activities. Moving through the undergrowth is a Euparkeria, a small archosauromorph. Euparkeria is a basal archosauromorph and lives a similar lifestyle to the earlier Prolacerta, albeit the two are not very closely related. Unlike Prolacerta, however, Euparkeria's jaws are more robust meaning it can scavenge the carcasses of larger animals more effectively, as well as being able to hunt slightly larger prey.

Other features of Euparkeria, include its large eyes, this allows the little predator to be active at night as well as during the day, an important feature during the winter months as South Africa faces long periods of darkness at this time thanks to its close proximity to the south pole. Of course while it can be active at night, Euparkeria will also remain active during the day especially in the mornings and the evenings. One downside for Euparkeria is that since it is rather small, larger archosauromorphs see it as potential prey. As the Euparkeria climbs a log to look for food, a larger predator spots it. As the Euparkeria inspects the log, the predator prepares to strike.

Luckily for the Euparkeria, it spots the predator and with quick reflexes jumps away, as the predator snaps at the spot where it once sat. The Euparkeria then dives inside of an opening in the log, as the predator looks inside. The carnivore reaches in with an arm, only for the Euparkeria to lurch forward and deliver a nasty bite, causing its attacker to jerk back in pain. The predator, seeing that it's useless, decides to head back into the forest, leaving the Euparkeria in peace for now.

...

The predator in question is a Nyasasaurus and it isn't just any archosauromorph, for this man sized hunter is one of the very first dinosaurs. The dinosaurs have only just now evolved and at this time they are very few in number, with other animals being the top dogs in this world and yet they are destined for greatness. Already the dinosaurs have many advantages, their limbs are held directly under their bodies, which when combined with their fast metabolisms, give them a great amount of speed and agility. They also have a complex respiratory system compared to their contemporaries and hollow bones that keep them relatively lightweight. Of course these features alone are not enough to elevate the dinosaurs to the top and they are not by any means perfect, in fact dinosaurs struggle with the Triassic conditions compared to other archosauromorphs.

Still the dinosaurs have proven resourceful and already a few different species live out in areas throughout what will one day become Africa. The Nyasasaurus wanders through the forest for a time, looking for potential food. Loud bellows suddenly grab its attention and the little dinosaur runs off to investigate. The little dinosaur's investigation leads it to one of many open fern prairies that dot the region and currently moving across the fern prairie is a herd of Kannemeyeria, a genus of dicynodont. Kannemeyeria is part of a family of dicynodonts known as the kanneymeyeriaforms.

This family has proven to be quite successful and they are quite large compared to previous dicynodonts like Lystrosaurus, Kannemeyeria for example is the size of an ox. The kanneymeriaforms evolved from animals like Lystrosaurus and they have diversified since. Lystrosaurus itself is no longer around having died out not long into the Triassic and yet its legacy lives on and while not as successful as Lystrosaurus once was, Kannemeyeria are one of the dominant herbivores in this environment. As the Kannemeyeria feed, they stir up small animals and this attracts the Nyasasaurus, which quickly gobbles up whatever it can catch in the confusion. This behavior is somewhat risky, as Kannemeyeria are ill tempered, especially the males and females with young.

Luckily for the Nyasasaurus, the herbivores ignore it, as they continue gobbling up ferns. After a short time, they grow thirsty and head for the local lake to get something to drink. The lake itself isn't far from their feeding grounds and like most lakes, many animals crowd around it. Fish are of course quite common and they are hunted by amphibians like the mighty Xenatosuchus, a close relative of Mastadonsaurus. The Kannemeyeria begin to drink from the lake.

The Xenatosuchus watches the herd as they drink, while adult Kannemeyeria are far too large to be prey, there are youngsters in the herd and they are perfect prey for the giant amphibian. Getting to the young would be the hard part, however, for their mothers watch them like hawks and will happily take on any potential threats to their young. The Xenatosuchus soon loses interest, knowing that the young's mothers are watching them intently and the giant amphibian vanishes beneath the waves, it seems that fish will have to do for now. The herd continues to drink from the lake and joining them is the Nyasasaurus, the little dinosaur knows that the Kannemeyeria, while potentially dangerous, can offer protection from most predators in the region, albeit there are some animals that consider even these giant beasts prey. The Nyasasaurus sips water from the lake.

It stays on guard the whole time, its keen senses allowing it to detect danger. As it sips from the lake, some of the young Kannemeyeria take notice of the little dinosaur. Immediately their first instinct is to inspect it. The Nyasasaurus takes notice of the youngsters and attempts to ignore them, threatening them is out of the option with their watchful mothers nearby. The youngsters begin to harass their neighbour.

One nips the little dinosaur's tail, causing it to jolt. The other headbutts the Nyasasaurus rib's. The Nyasasaurus quickly decides to take a hike. The youngsters chase him a short distance, but soon they give up and head back to the herd. The Nyasasaurus for his part scurries off back into the forest.

...

Sometime later, the herd is peacefully sleeping under some trees around the lake, with the midday sun shining it can get quite hot and thus the comfort of the cool shade is much appreciated. As the herd rests, a couple individuals stand guard, their job is to watch for predators while the others sleep. One of the scouts suddenly smells something in the air. Immediately the herbivore lets out an alarm call, awakening the rest of the herd. The herd immediately jump up and surround their young.

Out of the treeline on the opposite bank, something big is coming and that something is not very friendly. The beast emerges from the undergrowth of the forest, its an Erythrosuchus the biggest predator in this region and one of the apex predators, at up to 16 feet in length and 1.5 tons in weight its one of the largest terrestrial carnivores to have evolved so far, it rivals even the massive Anteosaurus in size. The first thing to pop out about Erythrosuchus is its massive 3 foot skull, which gives the beast a bobblehead look. This skull isn't just for show, it's filled with massive muscles giving this beast a powerful bite, which when backed with sharp dagger like teeth, allows this beast to tear apart pretty much any animal in the region. Kannemeyeria are a frequent target, however the Erythrosuchus is not hungry, it is simply coming to get something to drink to relieve itself from the extreme midday heat.

The Erythrosuchus begins to sip from the water, while on the other side of the lake, the Kannemeyeria watch it with great intent. While the Erythrosuchus isn't hunting them, the herbivores are still nervous about its presence and thus they begin to head out looking for a different spot to rest. The Erythrosuchus ignores them as it laps up the water greedily. After drinking its fill, the large carnivore lies down in the water to stay cool, being the apex predator means that it can do this without having to worry about aquatic hunters like Xenatosuchus.

...

About a mile away from the lake, the Kannemeyeria are currently marching towards a different resting spot, but ironically they are putting themselves in greater danger than if they had just stayed put, for while the Erythrosuchus isn't hungry, other predators are. Slinking through the ferns is a Cynognathus, a genus of cynodont and a formidable predator. Cynognathus are one of the larger members of the cynodonts being similar in size to a modern day cougar, but this makes them much smaller than Kannemeyeria, but despite this Cynognathus are one of Kannemyeria's main predators for they have a secret weapon, for this Cynognathus is not alone, for it is accompanied by 12 more. Hunting in groups allows Cynognathus to bring down larger prey than themselves, making them the other top predator of the region alongside Erythrosuchus. The Cynognathus creep towards the herd, looking for any sign of weakness.

The Kannemeyeria are currently none the wiser to their presence. The Cynognathus finally target a female at the edge of the herd and they prepare their attack. One of the Cynognathus bursts from the ferns, causing the Kannemeyeria herd to panic and bolt. The Cynognathus pack rapidly gain ground on the herd. The head of the chase closes the gap between it and the pack's target with frightening speed and with a leap it jumps on the herbivore's back.

The Kannemeyeria roars out in pain, as the Cynognathus teeth cut into its back side. The jaws of the Cynognathus are loaded with powerful muscles giving the predator a lethal bite, even much larger animals can be seriously wounded by a single bite from a Cynognathus. The Kannemeyeria attempts to shake off the predator, while the rest of the pack surrounds the frightened herbivore. One of the Cynognathus joins its companion, as it grabs ahold of the Kannemeyeria's neck, sinking its sharp teeth in. The Kannemeyeria roars as it suddenly jerks its head, tossing the attacking carnivore aside.

Even in a pack, the Cynognathus must still remain vigilant, for Kannemeyeria are far from defenseless. Other pack members nip at the herbivore's legs. The first Cynognathus maintains its hold in the meantime. Soon the Kannemeyeria's injuries rapidly weaken it and the herbivore collapses to the ground. The pack remain weary, as they look for a throat bite, even now the Kannemeyeria is dangerous.

One of the Cynognathus gets a kick to the face, causing it to back up. Another one finds the neck, however and delivers the killing bite. The Kannemeyeria rapidly succumbs to blood loss, while the pack digs in. The individual who got tossed limps over to the carcass attempting to get a bite, but one of the dominant members growls at it, being in a weakened state means that the injured Cynognathus will simply have to wait its turn, for there is no sympathy in Cynognathus society for the strongest always get the first bite. Growls erupt from the carcass as pack members snap at each other, all the organization from the hunt is now gone and it is every man for himself.

Luckily a kill this big ensures that everyone will get a bite. Sometime later, the pack has eaten their fill and they are now laying in the shade. The smell of flesh fills the air and attracts some other local residents. A Euparkeria is happy to scavenge the remains, but he is about to be bullied off by a bigger scavenger. The Nyasasaurus has also smelled the carcass and it doesn't like to share.

It hisses at the smaller scavenger, causing the feeding Euparkeria to turn around. The Euparkeria immediately bolts in fear, leaving the carcass to the Nyasasaurus. The little dinosaur proceeds to feed on the carcass. He feeds for about 15 minutes and then slinks off to find a place to rest, while his food digests in his stomach.

...

A few days pass and we find ourselves once again in the forest. Moving through the ferns that dot the ground, is another type of archosauromorph, this is Asilisaurus, another basal member of the dinosaurs. In the dinosaur clade there are two smaller clades, one is the saurischians or lizard hipped dinosaurs which is the clade that Nyasasaurus belongs too, the other is the ornithischians or bird hipped dinosaurs whom Asilisaurus belongs too, specifically Asilisaurus is a silesaur a basal family in the ornithischians. While Nyasasaurus future relatives will include animals like Tyrannosaurus and the long necked sauropods, Asilisaurus descendents will include all the other herbivorous dinosaurs including animals like Stegosaurus and Triceratops. Asilisaurus itself is an omnivore feeding on plants,as well as insects.

This one is currently cropping up some horsetails. As the Asilisaurus feeds, it runs into another forest denizen, in this case a Stenaulorynchus, an animal that is part of a successful order of Archosauromorphs known as rhynchosaurs. Stenaulorynchus are herbivores, but they have a very aggressive disposition and this one is no different. Immediately the Stenaulorynchus starts snapping its distinctive incisors at the Asilisaurus, while these incisors are mainly for cropping tough vegetation, they also make lethal weapons. The Asilisaurus is quick to retreat and find a less contested spot to feed.

The Stenaulorynchus, content with running off its neighbour, begins to feed once again. Rhynchosaurs have only just evolved in evolutionary terms and yet they are already becoming quite common parts of the ecosystems they can be found in. As the Triassic continues on, they will only become more common.

...

Elsewhere a sleeping beast begins to stir. The Erythrosuchus is currently resting in the shade. As the sun rises, the large predator begins to get to its feet. The Erythrosuchus begins to head for the lake, it has been a few days since its last meal and it has grown hungry in the time since. The Erythrosuchus reaches its destination and it begins to peer into the water.

Just beneath the surface, a Xenatosuchus is blissfully unaware of the danger. The Erythrosuchus is quick to take advantage, with a short leap, it pounces into the water, pinning its quarry to the sandy bottom. The Erythrosuchus then pulls the thrashing amphibian to the surface and snaps its neck in earnest. The Xenatosuchus goes limp, as the Erythrosuchus hauls it onto the bank. The Erythrosuchus then begins to rip into the carcass, the meal should keep it fed for the next few days.

After finishing its meal, the Erythrosuchus walks back to the water's edge and enters the lake. It then lies down in the cool shallow water, this will make a nice spot to relax in for the big carnivore.

...

Elsewhere, we find the Cynognathus pack resting in a secluded grove. This grove is where the females keep their young. The females themselves dig out dens where they then lay their eggs and in time the eggs hatch. Litters are quite large and the young are well developed straight out of the eggs. The mothers keep close watch of said young.

Currently one of the mothers has her litter outside the den and the young are happily playing. Playing allows the pups to attain valuable survival skills. Some of the pups even try their hand in hunting. One of the pups is currently after a Euparkeria. The Euparkeria for its part runs for its life, with the pup in hot pursuit.

Luckily for the little archosauromorph, its speed allows it to outmaneuver its attacker. The pup looks disappointed, as its target disappears into a clump of ferns. The pups chase has led it away from the watchful eye of its mother and watching from the trees is the Nyasasaurus, the little dinosaurs will often kill Cynognathus young both for food and to rid themselves of a potential predator, for adult Cynognathus will often hunt them. The Nyasasaurus watches with interest, it must be careful for the mother is likely not far. Luckily for the pup it moves off before the Nyasasaurus can make a move.

The Nyasasaurus swiftly heads back into the forest, it knows better than to stick around for too long.

...

Deeper in the forest, we find the Asilisaurus feeding on ferns. It seems that it has found a nice secluded spot in the forest for this purpose. As it feeds on the ferns, it spooks out some beetles from their hiding spots. The Asilisaurus is quick to snatch some of them up, after all beetles are quite a nutritious meal. Suddenly the sound of rustling vegetation catches the Asilisaurus's attention, causing it to snap its head up.

Asilisaurus like most prey animals have keen senses and they are always on high alert. The Asilisaurus cans the area and soon it spots the noise maker. Luckily for the Asilisaurus, its the Nyasasaurus. The Nyasasaurus and Asilisaurus look at each other with some curiosity. While Nyasasaurus is a predator, the Asilisaurus is not within the size range of what it would consider appropriate prey.

Soon the Nyasasaurs heads out, as the Asilisaurus quickly goes back to feeding. The Nyasasaurus for its part continues to move through the forest. Its search leads it to a burrow and the little dinosaur's curiosity is piqued. Burrows like these often have small animals hiding in them and such animals could serve as food for the hungry Nyasasaurus. The Nyasasaurus peeks inside, only for angry growls to cause it to back out.

Out from the burrow pops the Stenaulorynchus and it is not happy about being disturbed. The Nyasasaurus quickly runs off, while the Stenaulorynchus grunts and growls angrily at the intruder. Satisfied with having run the threat off, the Steanulorynchus retreats back into its burrow to resume its afternoon nap. The Nyasasaurus for its part will simply have to look elsewhere for food.

...

About a week later, we find ourselves back on the fern prairie. The herd of Kannemeyeria are currently feeding. As they feed they attract the attention of potential predators. Watching from the treeline, is the Erythrosuchus, the large predator stares at the herd with intrigue. The Erythrosuchus has once again grown hungry and it is hunting its favorite food.

The Kannemeyeria are blissfully unaware as they continue to rip up ferns. The Erythrosuchus begins to move closer to the herd. Despite its large size, the Erythrosuchus can be very sneaky when it wants to be. The Erythrosuchus continues to inch closer to the herd. Then once in range it charges.

The Kannemeyeria immediately begin to scream in terror, as the fern plain becomes a cacophony of sound. The Kannemeyeria run, with the Erythrosuchus in hot pursuit. The Erythrosuchus must hurry, while it can run fast for an animal of its size, it can only keep it up for a short while before growing tired. The Erythrosuchus quickly closes the gap, as it catches up to an older female who is unable to keep pace with the herd. The Erythrosuchus promptly snatches a hold of one of the back legs.

The Kannemeyeria screams in pain, as the Erythrosuchus picks the leg up in its jaws and flicks its head, causing the Kannemeyeria to be off balanced. The Kannemeyeria rolls to the dirt, as the Erythrosuchus promptly pounces on it and delivers a fatal neck bite, snapping the Kannemeyeria's spine. The Erythrosuchus then begins to rip into the flesh, tearing off chunks and swallowing them greedily. The Erythrouschus feeds for about an hour, eating its fill. In the meantime, the Kannemeyeria go back to feeding, having calmed down after the initial attack.

After eating its fill, the Erythrosuchus drags the rest of the carcass to a hiding spot storing it for later. After storing the kill, the big predator begins to patrol its territory. Like most big predators, Erythrosuchus have massive territories and they do not usually tolerate rivals. A few hours go by, as the male surveys his turf. Suddenly, the Erythrosuchus hears a sound that catches its attention.

While it isn't hungry, the Erythrosuchus can't help but be curious. It pushes aside some ferns and finds two young Cynognathus playing. The Erythrosuchus looks at the youngsters somewhat confused. Cynognathus are competitors for Erythrosuchus and he could easily kill them, but they seem to have caught him off guard. The youngsters don't even notice him at first, but it doesn't take more than a few seconds for them to do so.

The youngsters immediately stop, as the Erythrosuchus looks down at them. The shock quickly wears off as they bolt, squealing as they run. This activates the prey drive for the Erythrosuchus, who quickly gives chase. The chase doesn't last long, as the young reach their den. The Erythrosuchus continues to follow them.

Suddenly a growl catches the Erythrosuchus ' attention, as it turns to see the angry mother snarling. The Erythrosuchus hisses in response, it seems that he has found their den. One on one the mother stands no chance should the Erythrosuchus stand and fight, but she will not abandon her young. She puffs up her hair growling and snapping, hoping the big predator will be intimidated, after all a good bluff can often drive away a potential threat. The Erythrosuchus refuses to back down as it charges at the mother snapping its massive jaws.

The mother hops back in response, her agility saving her. She then begins to circle snapping at the Erythrosuchus, who snaps back hissing in response. Luckily for the mother, the commotion reaches the rest of the pack. More Cynognathus come to the den in earnest. Even with these numbers there is no guarantee of victory, Erythrosuchus have been known to go toe to toe with entire packs of Cynognathus and come out on top.

The pack begin to attack, nipping at the back legs of the Erythrosuchus, who hisses in response, snapping its massive jaws at pack members. The pack for their part keep up the assault, with some opening cuts up on the Erythrosuchus back legs with their jaws. Soon the Erythrosuchus begins to realize that the fight isn't worth it and it begins to flee. The pack for their part chase away the Erythrosuchus, snapping at its heels, as the beast runs. Finally they give up their pursuit, sending the biggest predator in the region and one of the biggest terrestrial predators to have evolved up to this point running for the hills.

Afterwards the pack relaxes, with the mother Cynognathus checking on her young. She quickly beckons them back to the den, while the rest of the pack begin to head back to their sleeping spot to get some more rest.

...

Elsewhere the Erythrosuchus finds its own secluded spot and it lies down, it seems to have had enough excitement for one day. Luckily for it, the injuries it has sustained from the Cynognathus are minor and it will make a full recovery. Erythrosuchus itself is the largest member of its family and for a few millions years these bobble headed beasts would be the top terrestrial predators and yet their time is short lived. Soon these giant predators will fade away into extinction and in their absence another family of archosauromorphs will take over that being pseudosuchians like Ticinosuchus. Erythrosuchus won't be the only one to lose its place as an apex predator.

The large cynodonts like Cynognathus will also die out albeit at a slightly later time than the erythrosuchids, leaving behind only their smaller burrowing relatives. For the rest of the Mesozoic, the synapsids will no longer be the top dogs, living in the shadow of the larger archosauromorphs that rule around them. Of course there will be winners in this long struggle for survival.

...

One such winner can be found resting under a tree. The Nyasasaurus seems to have found a nice secluded spot to get some rest. In time dinosaurs like it will grow in size becoming more and more common across Pangea. Despite this they will stay playing second fiddle to other archosauromorphs and it won't be until the Jurassic period that they become the rulers of the Earth. Yet once they become the rulers of the planet, they will form a dynasty that no other terrestrial family of animals can even come close to matching.

For now at least the sun sets as the last memories of the Paleozoic Era slowly fade away and the new rulers sit poised to take over as a new era begins to dawn, an era that in time will be ruled by the dinosaurs.

...

Trivia

At long last I have finished this project it's been a hell of an endeavor and I appreciate the support all my readers have given me and I very much intend on continuing this series into the Mesozoic Era with all that said let's do some trivia.

This episode is based on the Besano Formation for the first segment and the Cynognathus Assemblage Zone for the second.

It is debated whether or not large Nothosaurus species would spend time on land. I personally still find it quite likely that they did but this is a debated topic and unfortunately it was a topic that I couldn't' really write around so I had to take a side.

I originally planned to have a Nothosaurus kill the Tanystropheus instead of the Cymospondylus, but I felt like I had already given the Nothosaurus enough screen time so I changed it to the Cymbospondylus to give the latter more to do.

The Tanystropheus death scene, is based on a fossil of a decapitated individual that is theorized to have been killed by a marine reptile.

The Ticinosuchus attacking the Nothosaurus is based on interactions with modern day Fur Seals and Jackals where in the small canines will often attempt to eat their young.

The Nothosaurus fight took inspiration from both modern day elephant seals and monitor lizard fights.

The Ticinosuchus attacking the Mastodonsaurus is based on fossils of Mastodonsaurus found with bite marks from a pseudosuchian that is believed by some to have been predatory behavior (It also keeps up the bad luck of amphibians across the series poor guys can't catch a break XD).

Mastodonsaurus isn't actually known from the Besano Formation, but it is a common find across Europe and it isn't found very far from the Besano Formation.

The age of both the Cynognathus Assemblage Zone and the Manda Beds (Where a couple of the cast for the second segment are found) is a debated topic at the moment but I went with the older age for the purposes of this series whether or not this will hold up under scrutiny remains to be seen.

My decision to use animals from the Manda Formation is based on the fact that there is a lot of faunal overlap between both fossil formations so I found it reasonable to mix the fauna a little bit.

I was debating on whether or not to make Asilisaurus and Nyasasaurus dinosaurs or non dinosaurian dinosauromorphs as it is a topic of debate, but ultimately I chose to go with the dinosaur classification as that seems to be the current consensus, but once again this is a debated topic.

I was going to use one of the rhynchosaurs actually found in the Cynognathus Assemblage Zone, but they were all too small for the purposes of this episode hence why I went with Stenaulorynchus which is from the Manda Formation.

Diademodon was considered for this episode, but it was ultimately cut as I couldn't find a good role for it that didn't lead to the cast being bloated.

Well that's it for this series folks next stop will be the age of the dinosaurs so be ready for that until then I thank everyone again for the support.