1. Permian Period

2. Length of Period and Climate
299 million to 251 million years ago (Bagley 2014)
Temperatures gradually became warmer throughout the period
Interior regions were mostly dry and cool with seasonal changes (this was because of how large Pangaea was).
Small portions of the interior regions received rain
(Department of Paleobiology 2016)
Tropical forests became more dry, arid environments and the polar regions were similar to desolate tundras
Pangaea 260 million years ago

3. Animals in the Permian Period
Marine Life
Fossil evidence indicates that reefs were large and abundant and were inhabited by many species of coral and sponges
Sharks and rays continued to be prevalent
True bony fish were just beginning to replace the lobe- finned and spiny fish of the Carboniferous Period
Insects
More variable climate allowed arthropods to diversify
True bugs evolved that had mouthparts for piercing and sucking plant material
Cicada and beetle groups arose
(Bagley 2014)

4. Animals in the Permian Period
Synapsids and Sauropsids dominated
Synapsids
Skulls with single temporal opening
Believed to have led to land mammals
Highly diverse
Most primitive were Pelycosaurs, which in the late Permian period were succeeded by Therapsids and were more similar to modern mammals
Largest Synapsids went extinct at the end of the Permian period
Sauropsids
Skulls with two openings
Ancestors of the reptiles, including dinosaurs and birds
(Bagley 2014)

5. Plant Life and Evolution
The giant swamp forests of the Carboniferous period began to dry out
Mossy plants that depended on spores for reproduction were replaced by the first seed bearing plants (Bagley 2014)
The first Gymnosperms appeared
Conifers and Ginkgos became prominent (Kazlev 2002)
Water dependent plants shrank in size & abundance (Bagley 2014)
Lycopods and Sphenopsids became shrubs
Tropical coal forests declined & disappeared with the drier climate. (Kazlev 2002)
-According to fossil records plants suffered just as much as animals from the “Great Dying.”
-entire conifer forests in areas such as the Italian Alps, where wiped out and only fungi were in the fossil records directly afterwards.
(Bagley 2014)

6. Major Changes in Fauna Synapsids Increased (Smithsonian)
Therapsids became dominant and gained mammal like traits
legs under the body
tooth differentiation
whiskers
fur
jaws became more powerful
Amphibians Decreased (Strauss 2015)
Arthropods Increased (Smithsonian)
mouthparts for feeding mechanisms developed
Cicada and beetle groups arose
-Amphibians decreased due to climate becoming dryer
-Arthropods increased due to climate, water loving plants dec and dry up

7. Major Changes in Fauna Plants (Bagley 2014) Fish (Bagley 2014)
Major Changes in Fauna
Plants (Bagley 2014)
Seed plants developed
Ferns, Conifers, Cycads
Fish (Bagley 2014)
True bony fish develop
Cartilaginous fish decrease significantly
-Plants due to climate caused changes, water loving plants dec with warmer climate
-fish: true bony fish develop from lobe-finned and spiny fish

8. Changes of Clades
The Permian Period resulted in an expansion of clades, generally speaking.
Many clades expanded in variety, such as reptiles, arthropods, fish, and seed plants. Many groups that developed in this period were some of the only that survived the Permian Extinction.
A limited number of groups actually shrunk in variety, such as amphibians, as a result of climatic changes the Permian Period brought.
Many clades were lost at the end of the Permian as a result of the Permian Extinction, and never had the opportunity to evolve. While the Permian was a great beginning in many ways, it was also a great end.
Clades of marine organisms were hit especially hard by the Permian Extinction.
(Strauss 2015)

9. Largest Mass Extinction In History
Otherwise known as The Great Dying (BBC)
~ 90% of marine animal species disappeared - some of which include trilobites, eurypterids, rugose and tabulate corals, acanthodian and placoderm fishes, and blastoid echinoderms (Smithsonian; BBC)
~ 70% of land animals went extinct including large synapsids and pelycosaurs (National Geographic; Smithsonian; BBC)
Insects suffered the only mass extinction of their history (BBC)
-The Permian extinction was the worst extinction event in the planet’s history (
- Interesting finding: eurypterids (AKA sea scorpions) were the largest arthropods known to have existed on Earth - they could grow to 2.5 meters long! (
- Synapsid group was unique; pelycosaurs were members of the synapsids ( which contained some mammal-like reptiles like the sail-backed prehistoric 'monsters' Dimetrodon and Edaphosaurus (

10. Reasons For Mass Extinction
The formation of Pangea reduced continental shelves, taking away habitat for shallow water organisms (Smithsonian).
Rapid warming and glaciation, in addition to a drop in sea level (Smithsonian)
Asteroid impact (BBC)
Catastrophic methane release (BBC)
Series of large-scale volcanic eruptions which produced flood basalts. Possible impacts of the volcanic eruptions: severe atmospheric disturbances, global warming, and anoxic ocean water. (Smithsonian)
- Catastrophic release of methane gas stored under the seabed - possibly triggered by earthquakes or global warming, or a massive asteroid impact (
- Flood basalt eruptions can occur on land or on the ocean floor; the lava can cover hundreds of thousands of kilometers - lava also accompanied by large release of volcanic gases (
- Various extinction theories… perhaps a chain of events led to the mass extinction (

11. Citations
August-Schmidt, Lisa, Jennifer Lee, Robert Mooring, Marisa Rodriguez, Sharon Sullivan, and Feibi Zheng. "Synapsids with Attitude." Introduction to the Pelycosaurs. UCMP, 1 May Web. 30 Jan (used in notes section of slide 9 for further details about synapsids)
Bagley, Mary. “Permian Period: Climate, Animals & Plants.” LiveScience. TechMedia Netowork, Wed. 27 Jan (used for identifying changes in the clades of plants and fish, plant evolution, and Permian animals)
BBC. “Permian Mass Extinction.” BBC Nature: Prehistoric Life, n.d. Web. 28 Jan (used on slide 9 for Permian mass extinction facts and on slide 10 for mass extinction causes)
BBC. “Permian Period.” BBC Nature: Prehistoric Life, n.d. Web. 28 Jan (used links on this website to find specific details about animals and extinction causes - put in notes section of slides 9 and 10)
Department of Paleobiology. “The Permian: Tectonics, Climate and the Formation of Pangea.” Smithsonian National Museum of National History. N.p., Web. 30 Jan (used on slide 2 for information about the climate).
National Geographic. "Permian Period, Permian Extinction Information, Prehistoric Facts -- National Geographic." N.d. Web. 28 Jan (used on slide 9 for information about land animal extinctions and in notes section of slide 9; also used in notes section of slide 10 for further details about mass extinction causes)
“Permian: Terrestrial Animal LIfe and Evolution of Herbivores.” Geological Time. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Web Jan (used for looking at the changes in the synapsids and arthropods)

12. Citations (continued)
Smithsonian. “Permian: The Marine Realm and The End-Permian Extinction.” Web. 30 Jan (used on slide 9 for information about marine animal extinctions; also used on slide 10 for identifying mass extinction causes)
Smithsonian. “Terrestrial Animal Life and Evolution of Herbivores.” Web. 30 Jan (used on slide 9 for information about synapsids)
Strauss, Bob. “The Permian Period: Prehistoric Life During the Permian Period.” About Education Sat. 30 Jan (used for looking at changes in the amphibians)

13. Images
Permian landscape on Slide 1
Pangaea on Slide 2
Beetle on Slide 3
Permian reef on Slide 3
Dimetrodon on Slide 4
Therapsid skull on Slide 4
Permian Plants on Slide 5
Permian Conifer fossil on Slide 5
Permian Ginkgo fossil on Slide 5
Therapsids on Slide 6
Beetle on Slide 6
Cartilaginous Fish on Slide 7
Bony Fish on Slide 7
Cycad on Slide 7
Fern on Slide 7
Conifer on Slide 7
Eryops fossil and Dimetrodon fossil, both on Slide 8
Trilobite on Slide 9
Blastoid fossils on Slide 9
Dimetrodon on Slide 9
Volcano/flood basalt on Slide 10
Asteroid impact on Slide 10