Jurassic

The Jurassic Period lasted from 201 to 145 million years ago, thriving as a golden age of planetary biodiversity. Following a major extinction event at the end of the Triassic, the supercontinent Pangea began splitting into two smaller landmasses, Laurasia and Gondwana. This tectonic breakup altered ocean currents and transformed the global climate into a warm, humid, and tropical greenhouse environment. Lush forests of ferns, cycads, and massive conifers blanketed the land. These abundant plants supported giant herbivorous sauropod dinosaurs, such as Brachiosaurus, which were hunted by large theropod predators like Allosaurus. The skies were dominated by pterosaurs and the very first primitive birds, including Archaeopteryx. In the oceans, marine reptiles like plesiosaurs flourished alongside abundant coiled cephalopods called ammonites, making Jurassic ecosystems some of the most dynamic and iconic in Earth's history.