Episode 6.3 · 27 min

Rivals of the Triassic and the First Dinosaurs

How did small, initially rare dinosaurs rise in a world dominated by crocodile relatives, rhynchosaurs, and large members of the mammal line? This episode follows their emergence in the Triassic, showing why dinosaurs appeared in some regions before others and how the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province drove the end-Triassic extinction. With most rivals gone, dinosaurs spread into the largest land roles—but why they survived remains unsettled.

Watch this film on YouTube ↗

Visual credits

42 sources

Sources and credits for imagery used in this film, including material incorporated into explanatory animations.

Saurosuchus galilei Ischigualasto
Man77
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY-SA 3.0
Hyperodapedon sanjuanensis Tubingen side
Ghedoghedo
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY-SA 3.0
Hesperosuchus flipped
Dr. Jeff Martz/NPS
View original source ↗Source licence: Public domain
Exaeretodon argentinus MCZ
Jonathan Chen
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY 4.0
Lufengosaurus huenei Holotype IVPP
Jonathan Chen
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY-SA 4.0
Alligator posing on the Econlockhatchee River (Central Florida)
Trougnouf
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY 4.0
Incorporated into an explanatory animation; presentation may include cropping, labels and overlays.
Prestosuchus AMNH
Ryan Somma
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY-SA 2.0
Incorporated into an explanatory animation; presentation may include cropping, labels and overlays.
Desmatosuchus spurensis
Matteo De Stefano/MUSE This file was uploaded by MUSE - Science Museum of Trento in cooperation with Wikimedia Italia .
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY-SA 3.0
Incorporated into an explanatory animation; presentation may include cropping, labels and overlays.
Effigia skeletal
LiterallyMiguel
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY 4.0
Incorporated into an explanatory animation; presentation may include cropping, labels and overlays.
Dicroidium odontopteroides
Retallack
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY-SA 4.0
Incorporated into an explanatory animation; presentation may include cropping, labels and overlays.
Stahleckeria potens Tubingen
Ghedoghedo
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY-SA 3.0
MetoposaurusDorsal
Jeyradan
View original source ↗Source licence: Public domain
Hyperodapedon (Macrocephalosaurus) mariensis (UFRGS-PV-0149T)
S. N. F. Spiekman & M. D. Ezcurra
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY 4.0
Incorporated into an explanatory animation; presentation may include cropping, labels and overlays.
Scientific figure · source page 2
Kear et al. 2023
Source licence: CC BY 4.0
Incorporated into an explanatory animation; presentation may include cropping, labels and overlays.
Maleriraptor (holotype, vertebrae, pelvis)
M. D. Ezcurra, M. S. Garcia, F. E. Novas, R. T. Müller, F. L. Agnolín & S. Chatterjee
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY 4.0
Incorporated into an explanatory animation; presentation may include cropping, labels and overlays.
Herrerasaurus ischigualastensis skeleton, Eoraptor lunensis skeleton, Plateosaurus skull
Ninjatacoshell
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY-SA 3.0
Incorporated into an explanatory animation; presentation may include cropping, labels and overlays.
Dinodontosaurus isiyavamanda (life restoration by Gabriel Ugueto)
Gabriel Ugueto
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY 4.0
Incorporated into an explanatory animation; presentation may include cropping, labels and overlays.
Erie Mine above the Root Glacier
National Park Service, Alaska Region NPS photo by Neal Herbert
View original source ↗Source licence: Public domain
Incorporated into an explanatory animation; presentation may include cropping, labels and overlays.
Ischigualasto 2
Ccarosio
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY-SA 4.0
Incorporated into an explanatory animation; presentation may include cropping, labels and overlays.
Herrerasaurus skull
Oscar Alcober, Ricardo Martinez
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY 3.0
Incorporated into an explanatory animation; presentation may include cropping, labels and overlays.
Petrified Forest National Park- Araucarioxylon fossil wood weathered from the Chinle Formation
National Park Service
View original source ↗Source licence: Public domain
Incorporated into an explanatory animation; presentation may include cropping, labels and overlays.
This is a photo of a Desmatosuchus fossil of the Late Triassic on display.
View original source ↗
Incorporated into an explanatory animation; presentation may include cropping, labels and overlays.
Postosuchus alisonae Whiteville
Gasmasque
View original source ↗Source licence: CC0
Incorporated into an explanatory animation; presentation may include cropping, labels and overlays.
Ghost Ranch redrock cliffs, clouds
Larry Lamsa
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY 2.0
Incorporated into an explanatory animation; presentation may include cropping, labels and overlays.
LACMCoeloBlock
Definitely NOT Dilophosaurus
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY-SA 4.0
Incorporated into an explanatory animation; presentation may include cropping, labels and overlays.
Effigia okeeffeae replica (Mass Extinctions-BIG FIVE)
Ta-tea-two-te-to
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY 4.0
Incorporated into an explanatory animation; presentation may include cropping, labels and overlays.
Plateosaurus panorama
FunkMonk
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY-SA 3.0
Incorporated into an explanatory animation; presentation may include cropping, labels and overlays.
Scientific figure · source page 4
Qvarnström et al. 2024
Source licence: CC BY 4.0
Incorporated into an explanatory animation; presentation may include cropping, labels and overlays.
Esrf grenoble
Christian Hendrich
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY-SA 3.0
Incorporated into an explanatory animation; presentation may include cropping, labels and overlays.
Scientific figure · source page 22
Qvarnström et al. 2024
Source licence: CC BY 4.0
Incorporated into an explanatory animation; presentation may include cropping, labels and overlays.
Scientific figure · source page 22
Qvarnström et al. 2024
Source licence: CC BY 4.0
Incorporated into an explanatory animation; presentation may include cropping, labels and overlays.
Triamyxa coprolithica type specimens
Martin Qvarnström, Martin Fikáček, Joel Vikberg Wernström, Sigrid Huld, Rolf G. Beutel, Emmanuel Arriaga-Varela, Per E. Ahlberg, Grzegorz Niedźwiedzki
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY 4.0
Incorporated into an explanatory animation; presentation may include cropping, labels and overlays.
Lisowicia limb bones
Jerzy Dzik, Tomasz Sulej, and Grzegorz Niedźwiedzki
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY 4.0
Incorporated into an explanatory animation; presentation may include cropping, labels and overlays.
Hudson River Palisades seen from 187th Street crop
Beyond My Ken
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY-SA 4.0
Incorporated into an explanatory animation; presentation may include cropping, labels and overlays.
Columnar Jointing in the Palisades Sill
CrankyScorpion at en.wikipedia
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY-SA 3.0
Incorporated into an explanatory animation; presentation may include cropping, labels and overlays.
NorthMountainBasalt zeolite
Michael C. Rygel
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY-SA 3.0
Incorporated into an explanatory animation; presentation may include cropping, labels and overlays.
Laki Krater
Areuland
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY 4.0
Incorporated into an explanatory animation; presentation may include cropping, labels and overlays.
Scientific figure · source page 3
Fang et al. 2026
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY-NC 4.0
Incorporated into an explanatory animation; presentation may include cropping, labels and overlays.
Blue Lias cliffs west of Lavernock Point - geograph.org.uk - 7834507
Dylan Moore
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY-SA 2.0
Incorporated into an explanatory animation; presentation may include cropping, labels and overlays.
Tooth structures of the Panderodus specimen from the town of Waukesha
Duncan J. E. Murdock, M. Paul Smith
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY-SA 4.0
Incorporated into an explanatory animation; presentation may include cropping, labels and overlays.
Tropites marii carnian
Ghedoghedo
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY-SA 4.0
Incorporated into an explanatory animation; presentation may include cropping, labels and overlays.
Dinosaur State Park (Rocky Hill, CT) - close-up
Daderot
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY-SA 3.0
Incorporated into an explanatory animation; presentation may include cropping, labels and overlays.

Animation design references 4 sources

These works informed the design of explanatory animations. A reference listed here is not necessarily reproduced on screen.

Early Jurassic CAMP map
Rémi Charton, Giovanni Bertotti, Aude Duval Arnould, Joep E. A. Storms, Jonathan Redfern
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY 4.0
Lisowicia bojani J.
Juan(-username-)
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY-SA 4.0
Silesaurus opolensis
Petrified Forest from Petrified Forest, USA
View original source ↗Source licence: Public domain
Sinosaurus triassicus
Ghedoghedo
View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY-SA 3.0

Research references

Selected sources from the episode’s research and scientific figures.

Music

Meditation From The Star Orion
OctahedronMusic · Envato Elements

Footage and image usage

Credits and usage times retained from the published edition or its production credit record. Where present, times identify visual appearances, not documentary chapters. Source and licence corrections are listed in the visual credits above.

Original animations and figures created by this channel.

How this film was made

Created and editorially directed by Anders Lunde using a custom production system developed over six months. AI assists research, drafting, programming, and visual production; I review and edit the material and make the final editorial decisions. Narration uses text-to-speech. Visuals combine custom-built scientific animations, AI-generated reconstructions, and credited scientific imagery.

Generated reconstructions illustrate scientific interpretations. They are distinct from photographs, specimens, and measured data.

More about the creator and production →

Visual credits

Saurosuchus galilei Ischigualasto

Hyperodapedon sanjuanensis Tubingen side

Hesperosuchus flipped

Exaeretodon argentinus MCZ

Lufengosaurus huenei Holotype IVPP

Alligator posing on the Econlockhatchee River (Central Florida)

Prestosuchus AMNH

Desmatosuchus spurensis

Effigia skeletal

Dicroidium odontopteroides

Stahleckeria potens Tubingen

MetoposaurusDorsal

Hyperodapedon (Macrocephalosaurus) mariensis (UFRGS-PV-0149T)

Scientific figure · source page 2

Maleriraptor (holotype, vertebrae, pelvis)

Herrerasaurus ischigualastensis skeleton, Eoraptor lunensis skeleton, Plateosaurus skull

Dinodontosaurus isiyavamanda (life restoration by Gabriel Ugueto)

Erie Mine above the Root Glacier

Ischigualasto 2

Herrerasaurus skull

Petrified Forest National Park- Araucarioxylon fossil wood weathered from the Chinle Formation

This is a photo of a Desmatosuchus fossil of the Late Triassic on display.

Postosuchus alisonae Whiteville

Ghost Ranch redrock cliffs, clouds

LACMCoeloBlock

Effigia okeeffeae replica (Mass Extinctions-BIG FIVE)

Plateosaurus panorama

Scientific figure · source page 4

Esrf grenoble

Scientific figure · source page 22

Scientific figure · source page 22

Triamyxa coprolithica type specimens

Lisowicia limb bones

Hudson River Palisades seen from 187th Street crop

Columnar Jointing in the Palisades Sill

NorthMountainBasalt zeolite

Laki Krater

Scientific figure · source page 3

Blue Lias cliffs west of Lavernock Point - geograph.org.uk - 7834507

Tooth structures of the Panderodus specimen from the town of Waukesha

Tropites marii carnian

Dinosaur State Park (Rocky Hill, CT) - close-up

Early Jurassic CAMP map

Lisowicia bojani J.

Silesaurus opolensis

Sinosaurus triassicus

Research references

Music

How this film was made