The Forgotten Disaster That Changed Dinosaur History

Two million years of intense rainfall changed which creatures could survive—and helped open the path to the age of dinosaurs. This documentary explores the Carnian Pluvial Episode, one of the most important and overlooked climate crises of the Late Triassic. Approximately 234 million years ago, a dramatic environmental transformation spread across Pangaea. Volcanic activity associated with the Wrangellia Large Igneous Province likely released enormous quantities of greenhouse gases, strengthening the global water cycle and triggering repeated periods of extreme rainfall. Forests changed, rivers multiplied and ancient ecosystems began to collapse. Aetosaurs, phytosaurs, early crocodylomorphs, turtles and lepidosaurs entered important phases of diversification. Early dinosaurs also became more abundant, varied and geographically widespread. But dinosaurs did not take control immediately. Powerful crocodile-line archosaurs continued to dominate many terrestrial food chains for millions of years. The true dinosaur takeover would only come later, after another extinction crisis at the end of the Triassic removed many of their remaining competitors. The Carnian Pluvial Episode was not simply an age of rain. It was an evolutionary reset that changed which bodies, diets and behaviours were most successful. The rain did not choose a ruler—but it changed the odds forever. Subscribe to Primordia for cinematic documentaries about dinosaurs, prehistoric life, mass extinctions, evolution and the forgotten worlds that shaped our planet. Musics Song: Flowing Energy Composer: Keys Of Moon Website: No URL available License: Creative Commons (BY 3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Music powered by BreakingCopyright: https://breakingcopyright.com 'Titan' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au Song: In The Desert Composer: Savfk Website: https://youtube.com/savfkmusic License: Creative Commons (BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/lic