Middle Triassic

The Middle Triassic is an important time period in Earth's history. It is the second part of the Triassic period, which happened a very long time ago. The Middle Triassic lasted from about 246.7 million years ago to 237 million years ago. Before this time was the Early Triassic, and after it came the Late Triassic.

During the Middle Triassic, many changes happened on our planet. This time is split into two parts called the Anisian and Ladinian ages. Scientists study rocks and fossils from this period to learn about life and the world long ago.

In some places, like western Europe, rocks from this time are called Muschelkalk. In Australia, near Sydney, there are special rocks such as the Ashfield Shale and Bringelly Shale that contain fossils from rivers and other places from the Middle Triassic. These fossils help us understand what the world was like millions of years ago.

Middle Triassic life

Main page: Category:Middle Triassic life

After a big event that made many plants and animals disappear, life started to grow again during the Middle Triassic. Many different sea animals, like ichthyosaurs, sauropterygians, and ray-finned fish, began to appear. Also, many small creatures that do not have a backbone, such as molluscs, started to live in the oceans.

At this time, there were no flowering plants yet. Instead, plants like seed ferns and gymnosperms grew on land. The first very small dinosaur-like animals also began to show up.

Mixosaurus cornalianus was a sea animal that lived during this time.