what was earth like before dinosaurs

Millions of years ago, Earth was a vastly different place. The continents were fused into a single supercontinent, Pangea, teeming with diverse and often terrifying life forms. When imagining prehistoric times, one might picture a T-Rex rampaging through jungles with its razor-sharp teeth. However, long before dinosaurs roamed, other giant creatures dominated the planet. Welcome to the Permian period, an era that began 300 million years ago.

During the Permian period, Earth's climate transitioned from the cool temperatures of an ice age to a warmer, lush environment. This change fostered a diversity of plant life and a rapid evolution of insects and animals. Over the next 50 million years, the planet grew increasingly hotter and drier, culminating in the most catastrophic event in Earth's history—the Great Dying, a mass extinction that wiped out nearly all life.

To understand this ancient world, imagine traveling back 300 million years. You'd find yourself on Pangea, a supercontinent formed from the collision of Earth's smaller landmasses, covering a third of the planet's surface. The atmosphere had less oxygen than today, and temperatures were cooler, averaging around 4 degrees Celsius. But soon, the climate warmed, transforming Pangea into a lush, thriving environment.

This was a volcanic world where violent eruptions shaped the landscape and drove evolution. As swamp forests dried out, plants had to adapt. About 290 million years ago, the first seed-bearing plants, gymnosperms, appeared, spreading across Pangea. Early Permian forests teemed with life, including ancient insects like cicadas and beetles, and enormous cockroaches the size of birds.

Among the fascinating creatures of this period was Dimetrodon, an ancestor of primitive mammals. This five-meter-long predator, with a large sail on its back, roamed Pangea. Scientists believe the sail helped regulate its body temperature. Dimetrodon, with its mix of sharp and flat teeth, was an apex predator, resembling a menacing crocodile.

In the middle Permian period, mammal-like reptiles called therapsids took over. These creatures, with strong jaws and upright stances, ranged from the omnivorous Diictodon to the smaller, meat-eating Lycaenops. As the climate grew hotter, reaching an average of 25 degrees Celsius, volcanoes emitted greenhouse gases, affecting sea levels and marine life.

The late Permian period introduced Lystrosaurus, a herbivorous reptile resembling a cross between a lizard and a pig, and Cynodonts, small mammal-like reptiles with whiskers. However, volcanic activity drastically altered the atmosphere, reducing oxygen levels to as low as 10 percent. Coupled with rising temperatures, this created a harsh environment, transforming the lush world into a virtual oven.

The Permian period ended in a catastrophic mass extinction about 252 million years ago. Known as the Great Dying, this event wiped out 90 percent of plant and animal life. Scientists debate its cause, but most theories point to massive volcanic eruptions that unleashed ash into the atmosphere, blocking sunlight and halting photosynthesis. As plants died, the food chain collapsed, leading to widespread extinction. The eruption's carbon dioxide emissions then caused global temperatures to soar, depleting ocean oxygen and killing marine life. Over 95 percent of marine species and more than 70 percent of land animals perished.

This mass extinction marks a somber chapter in Earth's history, a reminder of the ever-changing nature of our planet and the incredible resilience of life.