About 225 million years ago, something new appeared amongst the varied reptiles and amphibians of the Triassic world... Bright-eyed and alert, these nimble little predators likely terrorized many of the creatures which surrounded them, to a degree far greater than their small size would warrant...
Coelophysis bauri was one of the earliest known dinosaurs, and its adaptations enabled its relatives and descendants to dominate the land for over 150 million years... and their descendants, to dominate the air, to this very day! The Triassic playing field was far from empty - several other types of reptile, particularly ancient relatives of modern crocodiles, were almost as varied and well-adapted as these little dinosaurs, and were far more numerous at the time... but something gave the dinosaurs an advantage, however slight; and they exploded in diversity over the next few million years, while the crocodilians went into a decline, and the mammal-like reptiles retreated quietly to the fringes.
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