Lystrosaurus, An Early Relative of Mammals (IMAGE)

University of Birmingham

Lystrosaurus, An Early Relative of Mammals

Caption

The mass extinction at the end of the Permian (about 252 million years ago) was the largest in Earth history, in which 70 percent of land-living vertebrates became extinct. This drastic biodiversity loss led to global 'disaster faunas', dominated by a small number of widespread surviving and newly-evolving species. One of the most common animals at this time was Lystrosaurus, an early relative of mammals whose fossils are known from Russia, China, India, Africa and Antarctica.

Credit

Victor O. Leshyk, website: victorleshyk.com

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