Prehistoric Wild: Life in the Mesozoic

Beneath the Waves (242 MYA)

Besano Formation, Italy, 242 Million Years Ago

Dawn's light breaks into the morning sky, revealing lightly clouded air. Reddish-orange shines in the backdrop of darkened blue. The growing radiance slowly reveals the part of the world we know as Italy.

In our modern day, this is where the famous European Alps would appear. Their snow-capped peaks and jagged cliffs would tower over the vast meadows. Stretching nearly 750 miles, it will end up being one of the longest mountain ranges in the continent of Europe.

Those days, however, are distant from this point in time. Here in the Middle Triassic, these Alps have yet to form. In their place is a vastly different environment. The land here is a dry, semi-arid one, made up of hot, reddish sands, something commonly seen across the supercontinent of Pangea. Sparsely covering them are the occasional ferns, cycads, and ancient conifer trees.

Long estuaries split up the ground here, allowing the salt water of the Panthalassa Ocean to bleed in. The presence of this azure blue liquid allows for the formation of muddy coastal areas where land meets the sea. Groups of tidal rocks are here as well, occasionally stretching out from the shore for miles into the ocean blue. Both the coastal stones and sands are regularly bathed in the passing waves of the sea.

This coastal world helps in supporting just some of the vast ecosystems here. Some are so small that even something unassuming like a tidal pool can support them. Thankfully, such minuscule habitats are in large abundance in this coastal area.

One of these tidal organisms is a type of small seasnail. They gather in the pools in massive clusters, clinging to the rocks and crevices around them. Much of their time is spent eating algae and going up and down their respective rocks to coincide with the tide. This stone scraping also has the benefit of deepening the high tide of their pools over time. They withdraw into their shells whenever the current is less active to avoid drying out.

They share these puddles with other organisms. Barnacles, too, cling to the rocks, constantly opening and closing their mouths to consume floating bits of algae. Young fish and prawns reside here too, feeding on whatever bits of plankton and other dead organisms get carried in by the ocean. This area may be small and secluded, but they are the perfect place for them to feed and grow without worrying about the large threats lying in deeper waters. Plus, the abundance of seaweed-like algal plants provides them with excellent shelter.

However, even these green underwater structures don't last forever. Sea urchins are sometimes carried in by the current too, which feeds on structures such as this. With coral having yet to evolve again in this post-Great Dying world, this is their best option for sustenance.

Even so, the urchins still have competition in the form of one of their closest relatives. Ancient starfish feed on the algal structures as well as the seasnails. Like their modern relatives, these starfish have five appendages that allow them to move across land and the sea floor. They're somewhat different in appearance, being much thinner and more flexible. Although their movements are slow, these coastal predators can crawl freely through the shallow, thin water connecting each pool in their hunt for prey.

Life has found its way to thrive on this Middle Triassic coast, especially with small areas such as these tidepools. However, it isn't to say the small residents of these puddles are completely safe. Larger residents roam these Italian shores, some being adapted for life entirely on land. To them, tidepools are an excellent way to find small organisms to feed on, even the predatory starfish.

One common animal seen eating from these puddles is a Eusaurosphargis. This is a type of small, 8-inch-long reptile that's common along this coast. Its slender, flattened body bulges out in the middle, similarly to that of a bearded dragon. Sprawling out from this body are four short limbs that each end in curved claws. A short tail juts out from the back, starting wide before tapering to a much narrower point. Its head is elongated with a pointed, dwindled snout. Rows of small, sharp teeth line the inside of its jaws. Its scaly skin is primarily sandstone with rows of gray lines along its back. There are also smaller, spike-like scales colored in white on much of its body, a row on each side of its belly, three running along its back, and one row lining the back of its head.