Tag Archives: Permian

Fossils from Tanzania and Zambia Illuminate the Permian Mass Extinction

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Paleontologists have discovered a variety of animals, including saber-toothed predators, burrowing foragers, and large salamander-like creatures that flourished in southern Pangaea about 252 million years ago, just prior to the mass extinction of the Permian period.

Artistic rendering of an evening about 252 million years ago during the Late Permian Epoch in the Luangwa Basin, Zambia. This scene features several sabertooth Golgonopsians and Dishnodons in the beak. Image credit: Gabriel Ugueto.

“The extinction at the end of the Permian was catastrophic for life on Earth,” stated Professor Christian Saidal of the University of Washington.

“Yet, we do not have a complete understanding of which species managed to survive.

“The fossils we gather in Tanzania and Zambia provide a broader perspective on this remarkable period in our planet’s history.”

All new fossils were uncovered in three basins in southern Africa: the Roof Basin in southern Tanzania, the Luangwa Basin in eastern Zambia, and the Zambezi Central Basin in southern Zambia.

The majority were found by team members during several month-long excavation trips to the region over the past 17 years.

Others were analyzed from specimens excavated decades ago, preserved in museum collections.

“These regions in Zambia and Tanzania are home to incredibly well-preserved fossils from the Permian era,” Professor Saidal remarked.

“They provide us with an unparalleled glimpse into terrestrial life leading up to the mass extinction.”

The Permian period marks the conclusion of what paleontologists term the Paleozoic era.

During this time, animal life, which first emerged in our oceans, began to colonize land and developed complex terrestrial ecosystems.

The Permian epoch saw a diverse range of amphibians and reptile-like creatures inhabit environments ranging from early forests to arid valleys.

The mass extinction at the End-Permian wiped out many of these ecosystems, paving the way for the Mesozoic era, which witnessed the evolution of dinosaurs, the first birds, flowering plants, and mammals.

For decades, scientists relied on the Kalu Basin in South Africa for their best understanding of the Permian, the corresponding extinction, and the onset of the Mesozoic Era, which boasts nearly complete fossil records from before and after that mass extinction.

However, since the 1930s, paleontologists have noted that the fossil records in the Tanzanian and Zambian basins are comparably pristine.

This excavation represents the most extensive analysis of the local fossil record from the period surrounding the Permian mass extinction to date.

“The quantity of specimens found in Zambia and Tanzania is extraordinarily high, and their condition is so exquisite that paleontologists are able to draw species-level comparisons with those in South Africa,” Professor Sidor explained.

“We recognize that there is no better location on the planet to make such precise conclusions and comparisons to glean sufficient detail about this era.”

In the Series of 14 Articles published in Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, researchers have detailed numerous new species of dicynodonts.

These small, burrowing, reptile-like herbivores first emerged during the Central Permian.

By the time of the mass extinction, the Dishnodons had beak-like snouts featuring two small tusks; many of them dug holes and became the dominant plant-eating animals on land.

The findings also uncover several large saber-toothed predators known as Golgonopsians, along with new species of amphibians, such as large salamanders.

“We can analyze two distinct geographical regions of Pangaea and observe the happenings before and after the Permian extinction,” Professor Saidal concluded.

“This allows us to explore critical questions regarding which species survived and which did not.”

Source: www.sci.news

New Permian Herbivore Species Discovered in China

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Paleontologists have discovered a new genus and species of medium-sized Paleasaurus, identified from two fossilized specimens found in China in 2018.

Artist Reconstruction Yinshanosaurus angustus. Image credit: X.-C. Guo, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleontology.

The newly recognized species, Yinshanosaurus angustus, existed during the latest Permian period, around 259 to 254 million years ago.

These ancient creatures were part of Paleiasauria, a distinct group of herbivorous tetrapods that thrived across the Supercontinent Pangaea during the Middle Permian.

“Pareiasauria was a bizarre quadrupedal herbivorous clade present during the Guadalpian and Ropingian epochs, significantly impacted by both the late Capitanian and Permian mass extinction events,” stated the Chongqing Institute of Paleontology.

“Fossils of Pareiasauria have been discovered globally, spanning Africa, Europe, Asia, and South America.”

“Pareiasaurus served as a primary herbivorous consumer within various terrestrial tetrapod faunas, including those from the late Permian in northern China.”

“Since the 1960s, eight species of Chinese Paleasaurus have been documented.”

Two significant specimens—a partial post-skull skeleton with a nearly complete skull and another partial skeleton—were excavated in China in 2018.

“The first specimen was found in a dark purple siltstone layer of the Sunjiagou Formation, near Zhangjiage Tuo Village in Bird County, Shanghai,” reported the paleontologist.

“The second specimen was located in purple silty mudstone at the upper section of Member I of the Naobaogou Formation near Qiandian Village in the Siguai district of Baotou, Inner Mongolia.”

According to the researchers, Yinshanosaurus angustus features the narrowest skull of all Pareiasaurus species, with a length over twice its width at the lateral edge of the cheek.

“With the skeleton of Yinshanosaurus angustus, we present the complete skull and detailed post-cranial structure of this Chinese Pareiasaurus for the first time,” they emphasized.

Their study was published this month in the journal Paleontology Papers.

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Jian Yi & Jun Liu. 2025. Tetrapod fauna of the Upper Permian Naobagou Formation in China: A new medium-sized Pareiasaurus Yinshanosaurus angustus and its implications for the phylogenetic relationship of Pareiasaurus. Paleontology Papers 11(3): E70020; doi: 10.1002/spp2.70020

Source: www.sci.news

The survival strategies of ancient amphibians during the Permian mass extinction elucidated by new study

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A primitive amphibian called the Temnospondyls survived the aftermath of the end-of-permian mass extinction that occurred about 252 million years ago. University of Bristol.

Reconstruction of the Temnospondyl species Mastodon Saurus. Image credit: Mark P. Whiton, https://www.markwitton.co.uk.

The Permian mass extinction is the most severe biological crisis in the last 540 million years, eliminating more than 90% of marine species and 75% of terrestrial species.

Dr. Aamir Mehmoud, a researcher at the University of Bristol, said:

“These were predatory animals that ate fish and other prey, but were primarily water-related, just like modern amphibians such as frogs and salamanders.”

“We know that the weather was hot, especially after the extinction event. Why were these water-loving animals so successful?”

The early Triassic period was an era of repeated volcanic activity that led to global warming, motivation, reduced atmospheric oxygen, acid rain, and long stages of widespread wildfires, creating such hostile conditions that the tropics lacked animal life.

This “tropical dead zone” dramatically affected the distribution of both marine and terrestrial organisms.

Dr. Suresh Singh of the University of Bristol said:

“We measured the size and characteristics of the skull and teeth that tell us about their function.”

“To our surprise, we discovered that they weren’t much different due to the crisis,” said Dr. Armin Elssler of the University of Bristol.

“The Temnospondils exhibited the same range of body sizes as the Permian, some of them were small, insect-eating, and others were bigger.”

“These large forms included animals in long snoo trapping fish and generalist feeders covered in vast nudes.”

“However, what’s unusual is that their body size and functional diversity expanded about five million years after the crisis and then returned.”

There is evidence that due to severe global warming in the first 5 million years of the Triassic, life on land and on seas has left the tropical region to avoid fever.

“Our work shows that Temnospondil was able to cross the tropical dead zone unexpectedly,” said Professor Mike Benton of the University of Bristol.

“The fossils are known from South Africa and Australia in the south, North America, Europe, and Siberia in the north.”

“Temnospondyls must have been able to cross the tropical zones during the cool episode.”

“Their explosion of success in the early Triassic period was not tracked,” Dr. Amir said.

“They dealt with hot conditions, perhaps because they could eat most prey animals and perhaps because they had a low food need by hiding in sparse waters.”

“However, when dinosaurs and mammalian ancestors began to diversify in the mid-Triassic period, Temnospondil began to undergo a long decline.”

a paper The findings will be published in the journal Royal Society Open Science.

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Aamir Mehmoud et al. 2025. Permian – the ecology and geography of the recovery of Temnospondil after the mass extinction of the Triassic period. Royal Society Open Sciencein press; doi: 10.1098/rsos.241200

Source: www.sci.news

Tropical ecosystems rebounded more quickly than anticipated following Permian extinction

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Tropical riverbank ecosystems – what can be seen along rivers and wetlands – have now recovered within just two million years of North China's extinction. Terrestrial ecosystem.

An illustration depicting the beginning of the mass extinction of the Endopermians. Image credits: Dawid Adam Iurino/Paleofactory, Sapienza Rome University of Rome/Jurikova et aldoi: 10.1038/s41561-020-00646-4.

The mass extinction of the Endopermians occurred about 252 million years ago, and due to extreme environmental changes such as global warming, ocean acidification and long-term drought, more than 80% of marine species and 70% of terrestrial species. I've cleared up all of that.

Dr. Li Tian, ​​a researcher at the China University of Earth Sciences, said:

“It has long been theorized that low-latitude land areas remained uninhabited for a long period of time, 7-10 million years after extinction, but our results suggest that some ecosystems have previously been considered. It suggests it's more adaptable than it was.”

To reconstruct the timeline of ecosystem recovery on the land, Dr. Tian and colleagues analyzed trace fossils (such as burrows and footprints), plant relics, plant relics, and vertebrate fossils . 247 million years ago.

These fossils were obtained from lake and river deposits in central central China.

Researchers used a combination of techniques such as biostratigraphy, biology (studying microfossils), sedimentology, and geochemical analysis.

Their research suggests harsh environments at the beginning of the early Triassic period, with only sparse and simple living remaining.

Fossils of this era represent monospecific communities. This means that there is little evidence of biodiversity, and only a single type of organism dominates.

Fossils showed a significant decrease in biological size compared to before the end of Permian, a common indicator of extreme environmental stress.

However, fossils from the Spacyan stage (approximately 249 million years ago) show increased plant stems, root traces, and signs of piercing activity, suggesting a more stable and structured environment .

Scientists also discovered fossils of medium-sized carnivorous vertebrates, indicating that a multi-level food web was established at this stage.

The revival of the action that dug a hole that was largely vanished after the events of extinction was a significant discovery.

Hole-digging behavior promotes sediment and plays an important role in cycling nutrients in riverbank ecosystems, suggesting that animals adapted to environmental stress by escaping underground during this period. Masu.

The findings challenge the view that ecosystem recovery on post-extinction lands is far behind marine life, and that some ecosystems are already stable within relatively short geological time frames. It is revealed.

“Our research is the first to suggest that, contrary to past assumptions, life in the tropical House of Representatives' riparian ecosystems has recovered relatively quickly after the mass extinction of Permians,” said Jinnan. Dr. Tong also spoke from China's University of Earth Sciences.

“The fossil records we studied suggest that riparian zones played an important role in stabilizing post-extinction ecosystems.”

“The rivers and wetlands served as shelters, providing more stable conditions and more stable conditions, allowing life to rebound faster than in arid inland areas.”

Team's paper Published online in the journal Elif.

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Wenwei Guo et al. 2025. Following the mass extinction of Permians, rapid recovery of riparian ecosystems in the hypoxic environment of northern China. Elif 14: RP104205; doi: 10.7554/Elife.104205.1

Source: www.sci.news

The Permian mass extinction could have been influenced by the Mega El Niño event

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Diagram of the end-Permian extinction event, where extreme temperatures may have caused forests to die off.

Richard Jones/Science Photo Library

The end-Permian extinction, 250 million years ago, may have been amplified by an El Niño event that was much stronger and longer-lasting than anything we see today.

These giant El Niño events caused extreme changes in the climate, wiping out forests and many land animals. Alexander Farnsworth At the University of Bristol, UK.

The El Niño also set off a feedback process that helped make this mass extinction so bad, he said: “There's a knock-on effect that's making these kinds of El Niños stronger and lasting longer.”

The end-Permian extinction is thought to have wiped out about 90 percent of all species living at the time, making it the worst mass extinction in history, and is widely thought to have been caused by a massive volcanic eruption in what is now Siberia.

These eruptions heated rocks rich in fossil carbon, releasing huge amounts of carbon dioxide, causing extreme global warming. Oceans became stagnant and oxygen-depleted, killing marine life.

But this doesn't explain the whole story: in particular, terrestrial species began to go extinct tens of thousands of years earlier than marine species.

A variety of ideas have been proposed to explain this, from volcanic winters to a disappearing ozone layer, but the idea that an extreme El Niño might be involved arose from studies of past ocean temperatures based on oxygen isotopes in fossils. Yadong Sun At China University of Geosciences in Wuhan.

Now, Farnsworth and his colleagues have run computer models to explore what might have happened at the end of the Permian period that could explain Sun's findings.

Currently, El Niño occurs when warm water in the western Pacific Ocean spreads eastward across the ocean surface, creating an area of ​​anomalously warm water that heats the atmosphere and affects weather across the globe.

The researchers found that before the Permian extinction began, El Niño events were probably similar in strength and duration to today, meaning abnormally warm waters were about 0.5°C (0.9°F) hotter than average and the event lasted for several months.

But these events occurred in a huge ocean called the Panthalassa, which was 30 percent larger at the equator than the present-day Pacific Ocean. This means that the area of ​​unusually warm water during El Niño was much larger than it is today, and its impact on the planet was much greater.

According to the team's model, rising carbon dioxide levels at the end of the Permian period caused El Niño events to become stronger and last longer. These events caused extreme weather changes on land and killed forests, which stopped absorbing carbon dioxide and started releasing it, leading to further warming and more extreme El Niño events.

In the ocean, the temperature changes would have been less drastic, and marine life would have had an easier time migrating to avoid them. This is why the marine extinctions occurred after more intense global warming. “The deadly extreme global warming that caused the marine extinctions was made worse by these El Niños because they stripped away carbon sinks,” says Farnsworth.

At the peak of the extinctions, El Niño temperature anomalies reached up to 4°C (7.2°F), and each event lasted for more than a decade, he says.

It's unclear whether a similar event will occur in the future — computer models vary in their predictions about how El Niño will change as the planet warms, Farnsworth said — but because El Niño occurs in a warmer world, it's already having big effects.

“The recent El Niño event has caused record temperatures and sparked a lot of wildfires,” he says, “and what worries me most is the signs of tree death in the Amazon during this El Niño event.”

Research shows that under certain climate conditions, El Niño could cause extinctions, Pedro Dinezio According to a team of researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder, such giant El Niño events don't occur today because the Pacific Ocean is smaller than the Panthalassa.

“These results are really interesting for understanding the past, rather than the near future,” Dinezio says. “To understand what El Niño will bring, we need to look at past periods when the continents were positioned similarly to the present.”

“I think this is a compelling study.” Phil Jardine Researchers at the University of Münster in Germany have discovered the first direct evidence that the ozone layer disappeared during the Permian mass extinction.

“I don't think this event and other extinction drivers, including ozone depletion, are mutually exclusive,” he says. “The scary thing about the end-Permian extinction is that a lot of things were happening at the same time, and they seemed to feed off each other in cascading ways throughout the Earth system.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com