250 million years ago, the Great Dying decimated life one Earth. 95% of all creatures died in one swift wave of fire. Then here we are, 30 million years later, and the environment is left with open niches to fill. We all know the story about how the dinosaurs rose from small beginnings to fill in these niches, dominating the world for 160 million years.
But what if they never made it? What if a different group beat the mighty dinosaurs to it? What would happen if prehistory changed its course and Dinosaurs Never Evolved?
It is the Triassic period, 30 million years A.G.D. We are here in North Eastern Pangaea, the super continent of the world.
We are in a desolate desert wasteland, with only a few scorched trees in sight.
In the last 30 million years, in the absence of the giant Permian synapsids, we have seen an explosion in new giant forms of live.
A massive predator runs past on 4, powerful legs.
This is Fasolasuchus, a 30 foot super killer of the modern age! It is the largest terrestrial predator the world has ever seen, up until now.
The Fasolasuchus stops and sniffs the air.
And it hunts large reptiles.
Nearby, a smaller, herbivorous crocodilian nibbles at a dried bush.
A Desmatosuchid is the most massive herbivorous reptile in these lands. At over 5 meters long and heavily armored, it poses a great threat to its few enemies. Fasolasuchus is in fact one of these few enemies.
The Fasolasuchus snarls at the desmatosuchid, and rears on its hind legs. The desmatosuchid turns and groans. It crouches, ready to defend itself with its large shoulder spikes. The Fasolasuchus turns and leaves.
These new forms of giant life will likely set the cornerstone for even larger giants. We must prepare for a new chapter in the story of life.
The deserts of our planet are vast, stretching throughout most of Pangaea's interior. In North Eastern Pangaea, they are particularly brutal. But it is not completely void of green.
We arrive at a large desert oasis. Ferns and cycads adorn the small speck in the desert.
It is the beginning of this world's wet season, and this oasis boasts a wide variety of new plant life. Tall cycads and numerous but weak ferns.
A small mammal-like creature moves from the bushes, twitching its whiskers.
This probainognathid is a cynodont. A proto-mammal. It spends its days searching for small primitive lizards to eat.
The probainognathid scratches at the ground and sniffs the air. It peers at a odonopterid flying around a nearby fern.
Mammals? An insignificant small life form. Have you even heard of them? Up until now, they never even really existed.
A larger creature bursts from the bushes and kills the probainignathid. It is a clawed and bares sharp canines. It snarls viciously.
Tyrannodon. A true mammal. But isn't this predator before its time? Today, we look back and barely see a glimpse of mammalian life.
The Tyrannodon bites the probainognathid in the thoats, restraining it with its terrible claws and weight.
With the lack of fast predators, the mammals have evolved quickly. Their efficient reproduction and nurturing system give them an advantage overother animals. And, due to lack of competition, they have left their burrows to become vicious terrestrial predators.
The Tyrannodon drags its kill into the bushes of the now silent oasis. Small flying reptiles appear in the skies above.
But where do they find enough food? Prey can't be too quick, as Tyrannodon has forfeited speed in favor of killing weapons and bulk. Well, the large herbivorous crocodilians have little competition, but they aren't suited for the newly evolved species of ferns and other plants. Therefore, to adapt quickly enough they grew drastically smaller, requiring less bulk to fuel with their malnutritional diet. But, they have yet to become speedy escape artists, as running fast using up energy they do not yet possess.
The Tyrannodon drags its kill into a small ditch. A squealing sound can be heard below. Insects buzz out of the animal's path.
Because of this, the Tyrannodon's common prey is crocodilians. But it will hunt proto-mammals given the chance.
Mammals are only taking their first bites, and they cannot diversify quite yet. This scorching Triassic climate does not providethe environment they need for rapid adaptations, so the mammals will have to wait a while to grow larger bodies.
The Tyrannodon snarls as a small flying reptile dives toward the carcass, and swats the air. The reptile flees.
This Tyrannodon is a male, and he's bringing his kill back to his family. These mammals are monotremes, meaning they lay eggs like their therapsid ancestors. But upon hatching, the young are fed and raised by their parents. It increases their chance of survival, but also means only a few young can be cared for at a time.
The Tyrannodon gives the probainognathid to the mother, and she uses fearsome fangs to rip it apart.
The mother Tyrannodon must constantly be fed, to keep her milk supplies high. The babies, thankfully, are almost ready to move out on their own. They've been under their parents protection for almost 10 months now.
The babies squeal and move to greet their father. Whiskers twitching. Small stubs, growing canines, poke out from between the younglings' lips.
This small ditch is cool and peaceful, perfect for a mammalian predator like Tyrannodon. However, safety is often a misconception in nature. A large creature is approaching.
The sound a crunching can be heard from outside the ditch. A hissing, almost sizzling sound can be heard. The Tyrannodons look up.
A meter long animal peers over the side ditch, antennae swishing in the air. It's mandibles clatter together and it hisses a ferocious hiss.
To be continued.
For the main WIDNE post:
https://dinopedia.fandom.com/f/p/4400000000000123630
