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When people imagine the scariest place on the planet, it may often involve the ocean. The mystery, the sharks, the deep-sea monsters, all of them make the waters an especially dangerous place to live in. Moreover, for much of the history of this planet, this idea has actually been correct.
The seas were home to many of the biggest and strangest predators to have ever existed on Earth. However, there was a specific period when the ocean felt safer than living on land. During this era, it may have been the best bet for living organisms to stay in the water rather than outside of it.
A Planet with a Calm Ocean and a Killer Continent
Near the end of the Permian period, around 259 to 251.9 million years ago, the waters of the Earth could have possibly been safer than the ground. During this time, the Earth’s continent was still conjoined as a supercontinent called Pangaea. So, instead of multiple oceans, there was a singular, enormous body of water called Panthalassa.
This ocean was once brimming with life, but an extinction event named the Capitanian mass extinction 2 million years ago, wiped out most of the dominant species of the seas. Some examples of species that were nearly eradicated were a giant shark called Helicoprion and other creatures like sea scorpions.
During this small window in history, the aquatic species did not grow larger than 2 meters. Even the sharks that have survived countless extinction events were smaller around this era. Other lifeforms inhabiting the oceans during this period were ammonoids and trilobites. These species are all lacking compared to the sea monsters that we have come to imagine.
In contrast, the land ecosystem recovered much faster from the same mass extinction event. It also became incredibly hostile, as large predators arose. Some examples of these aggressive apex animals were Gorgonopsids, which were a saber-toothed therapsid, and large herbivores like Scutosaurus.
Additionally, the predators themselves were not the only problems for living organisms, but also the overall condition of the continent. Different parts of the environment were not life-friendly, as the inland locations are sometimes dry and hot, where little to no plants survive, which could support the different large herds of animals. Moreover, this was all happening just before one of the largest mass extinctions in history, called the “Great Dying”.
Read more: Wikipedia
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Watch: The Only Time In History That Water Was Safer Than Land
Author's Final Thoughts
This strange period in our planet’s history, near the end of the Permian, reminds us that Earth is not always stable, and its rules are not fixed for all living creatures of all timelines. Sometimes, the places that we thought were as dangerous were actually safer for living organisms in a certain era.
Looking back, should helps us appreciate the planet we are currently living on, and just how changeable this condition really is. Climates can swing, environments can transform, and the safe places can be the worst place to be in.
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