The breakup of Pangaea around 200 million years ago led to significant climatic changes, including CO2 release that caused global warming and ocean acidification, contributing to mass extinction events like the end-Triassic extinction, which wiped out 80% of species. This event allowed dinosaurs to thrive as the dominant land vertebrates. Although mammals evolved during this period, they remained small nocturnal creatures. The Great Dying almost 250 million years ago, which resulted in the extinction of 96% of species, was driven by volcanic eruptions that drastically altered Earth's environment.
The breakup of Pangaea contributed to the end-Triassic mass extinction by releasing CO2 that caused global warming and ocean acidification, inhibiting marine life calcification.
Dinosaurs exhibited air sacs throughout their bodies, enabling them to grow large without overheating—a trait that evolved into the lightweight body structure seen in birds today.
Early mammals, faced with dinosaurs, developed differentiated teeth and efficient breathing mechanisms, allowing them to exploit nocturnal niches as hunters with a faster metabolism.
The Great Dying, caused by volcanic eruptions from the Siberian Trap, resulted in the extinction of 96% of all species due to global warming and ocean acidification.
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