I recently created a map showing the distribution of Lystrosaurus in Lopingian and Early Triassic. Having completed the creation, I thought about where else these animals could live and where, in theory, they could be found in the future?
As can be seen from finds in the southern hemisphere, these animals lived around the subrolar region, where suitable vegetation probably grew and where the last relict lakes from the Karoo Ice Age probably remained (South Africa, India, East Antarctica). In the northern hemisphere, they also lived near the subpolar region (western Russia, northwestern China), where similar climatic conditions were probably observed, but due to the proximity of the ocean, especially between Siberia and Eastern Europe (on some maps, the authors show a sea strait between these regions, but this is unlikely, because there was already a land connection between Europe and China). So, taking into account the already known places of discoveries, I imagined the habitat zone of Lystrosaurus in Early Triassic (purple) and marked with "˅" places where they most likely lived and where we are likely to find their fossils in the future:
1) Southern part of South America (Chile, Argentina). ~250 Ma, it was located not far from South Africa and, most likely, the animals could get there by land.
2) East Africa (Tanzania, Kenya and other countries). Location located between South Africa and India. I believe the likelihood of finding a Lystrosaurus fossil there is very high.
3) Northern Europe (Norway, Sweden, Finland). This region was not separated by sea and mountains from Eastern Europe.
4) Finally, the territories located between Eastern Europe and China: western Siberia, southern Siberia and Mongolia.
However, you noticed that there are still no finds of Lystrosaurus skeletons from the equatorial part of Pangaea, right? There is no doubt that they lived there, and it is a matter of time before we find them there. I marked "?" suggested places where Lystrosaurus might have lived, but the certainty is not so high. Since scientists believe that El Niño in Panthalassa occurred at the Permian-Triassic boundary, the climate on the western coasts was likely drier than on the eastern. The same thing is observed today: the driest deserts are located in the west of Australia, South America and sub-equatorial Africa. For this reason, I believe that Lystrosaurus lived mainly in the east of Pangea, on the coast of Tethys. Here are the proposed locations:
1) Australia. It was located by south of Tethys and probably had similar conditions to India and Antarctica.
2) New Guinea. It was probably connected to Australia.
3) Eastern territories in central Pangaea: northeastern Africa, Arabia, southern Mediterranean, northern Africa, Spain and eastern North America.
4) Greenland. This region was located in northern latitudes, not far from modern Europe.
5) South China. There is a high probability that it was connected to Northern China.
What do you think about it? Can we really find Lystrosaurus there, or did they inhabit a smaller area?
This map is from a recent study (https://scitechdaily.com/when-mega-el-nino-rewrote-earths-fate-the-untold-story-of-the-largest-mass-extinction/).
It makes me suspicious that the northern landmass is shown with very cold surface temperatures when this is the moment of extinction. In Siberia (this is apparently Siberia) at that moment there were eruptions. Shouldn't there be higher temperatures there?
Welcome to the permian about 298.9-251.902 million years ago. at that time, the world is dominated by synapsids like the infamous dimetrodon or the more fearsome inostrancevia
(shi's reconstruction of a CHONKY dimetrodon grandis) this is dimetrodon, the most infamous synapsid of the permian period. unlike his non-finned pelycosaur relatives, dimetrodon has a sail to stabilize his spine & control his body temprerature in a form of thermoregulation
Dimetrodon mainly eats early reptiles, fish and amphibians rather than having plant eaters for a feast. he's a species of dimetrodon grandis, one of the many 20 dimetrodon species. weighting up to 330 pounds and is about 9.8 feet but is underestimated by dimetrodon angelensis, the largest species of thd dimetrodon genus.
(artist's impression of various dimetrodon species for scale)
The first dimetrodon genus was first discovered in the 1870s in southwest USA by american paleontologist: Edward Drinker Cope.
The smallest species of dimetrodon was teutonis almost the 60 cm long and weighted only 14 kg...
The male dimetrodon grandis is resting in the night sky. maybe the seymouria dosen't mind to sleep near him
(shi's art of a seymouria resting with a sleeping dimetrodon)
Sey
Seymouria are a species of amphibian but are more adapted to land more than water
The individuals of this species are robust-looking animals with a large head,stocky limbs,and broad feet and are fairly small creatures and this one is with a dimetrodon for a good-night friendly sleep...
The next morning. seymouria realise that dimetrodons are carnivores so she has no choice but to walk away from grave danger while dimetrodon grandis woke up later.
He dosen't seem aggressive and his sail is wounded.
Dimetrodon grandis walks up in the early morning sky and what he saw were a migrating herd of edaphosaurus...
(shi's art of edaphosaurus pogonias)
Edaphosaurus are one of the first herbivorous vertabrates of all time. they are distantly related to dimetrodon. however the sail of these herbivores look a bit different in shape & morphology. they are more than 3.5 meters in length and probably weighted 300 kg in keeping it's tiny head. like most herbivores, edaphosaurus have a capacious gut and symbiotic bacteria to aid in the breakdown of cellulose and other indestible plant materials.
Dimetrodon then came to check it out then runs to follow the tracks of the herd.
The edaphosauruses seemed frightened trying to scare the predator away with their flashing sails. but dimetrodon can see and locks onto the nearest edaphosaurus. his teeth are sharp and serrated. the recurved rear teeth are for shearing through tough flesh his name means: two measured teeth in reference to his sets of small and large teeth.
The edaphosaurus stands no chance...
And the other members of the herd runs away as fast as they could to escape this fearsome pelycosaurid predator.
But the smell of blood attracts other individuals of his kind...
(another rival... art by:shi)
The other dimetrodon grandis individuals decided to feast on the edaphosaurus. the dimetrodon with the wounded sail (the one we who's the protagonist throughout episode 6) defensed it's kill when another rival entered the scene. but realised he knows better than to defened it for himself...
A few days later. dimetrodon grandis found scavanged food when he founded a cotylorhynchus
(shi's deptiction of cotylorhynchus romeri)
Cotylorhynchus is a herbivorous caseidae synapsid. usually feeding on low-nutrient plants
It's 6 meters long and probably weighted over 500 kg. the cotylorhynchus is curious about dimetrodon grandis, but it's best to leave the predator alone...
Dimetrodon grandis then drags the scavanged meat to eat it later...
(life restoration of helicoprion davisii)
In the northern parts of usa, theres helicoprion
His teeth that are like blades are actually tooth whorls. the unusual saw-like teeth whorld and lack of wear on teeth of helicoprion implies a diet of solf bodied prey as hard shelled prey would slip out of their mouths. the suction feeding is unlikely to have been affected and helicoprion is thought to have been a bite feeder. but whats on the land above are dinocephalians.
In whats now isheevo of russia a titanophoneus is chasing an ulemosaurus.
These belong to the suborder dinocephalia. but this is more than a evolutionary competition between predator and prey even before the dinosaurs. all species of the permian are at an evolutionary arms race on the supercontinent
Pangea.
until the largest extinction event ever occured on earth...
This episode only takes place in the early permian which explains why gorgonopsids and dicynodonts didn't appear in the episode
As you probably guessed the next main animal to be caught is Dimetrodon but I have run into a slight problem there are 10 species of Dimetrodon that have been named. So what species would make the most sense to be the target species? I ask as this determines where in the world the park staff goes to and what other animals are in the area even though we are talking being on a supercontinent where all land is one giant land surrounded by sea water with volcanic islands
Another double page feature! This one is a snapshot of the Triassic World. Decide: is it accurate, outdated, or just plain wrong?
I have a new art style!!!!!!!!!!??️
This is Pangaea's biggest Moon which is the same size as Earth.