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  • This is the world 200 million years ago.

  • No cell phones, electricity or even other humans.

  • Wait dinosaurs are here?

  • Okay, maybe this won't be so bad.

  • The world was pretty different during the late Triassic period.

  • One of the most notable differences is this thing right here.

  • This is Pangea, a supercontinent containing different parts of today's world.

  • There's Australia down South, North America in the North West and

  • Eurasia in the East, all interconnected.

  • It would take you a while, but in theory, you could walk from California to France.

  • But you won't see the Hollywood Walk of Fame or the Eiffel Tower as they don't exist yet.

  • What would you see?

  • The first thing you'd notice as you're traveling across Pangea

  • are all the dinosaurs running about.

  • You won't have to worry about dinosaurs such as the dilong,

  • that weigh only 11 kg (25 pounds,) they won't pose much of a threat.

  • But watch out for the Melanorosaurus who has a height of 12 meters (39 feet)

  • and would find you to be a tasty snack.

  • Scientists say the late Triassic period was the dawn of the first dinosaurs.

  • Dinosaurs of all sizes would be everywhere.

  • You'd also see some other crazy creatures you've never seen before,

  • and some that may remind you of animals you see today.

  • This species known as Drepanosaurus with its reptile-like skin and arched back

  • might be one of the first versions of birds to ever exist.

  • The Triassic period was an incredibly important 50 million years of evolution.

  • A time with not a lot of competition between species, since just prior this period,

  • 70% of the Earth's creatures were wiped out in a mass extinction event.

  • Many of the animals at this time were able to thrive and grow

  • without having to be constantly wary of other predators.

  • The further you travel inland into Pangea you'll notice the massive weather changes.

  • The outer edges of the supercontinent may be full of lush forests and green grass,

  • but the further you go in, that begins to change.

  • Scientists suspect that much of Pangea was a dry, desert wasteland.

  • That's because the land mass was so large

  • that the interior wouldn't have received the cooling effects of the ocean.

  • Speaking of which, the ocean, known as Panthalassa

  • surrounded all of Pangea and covered 70% of the Earth's surface.

  • This ocean was extremely deadly.

  • It would easily produce superhurricanes and monsoons. And due to its massive size,

  • they could gain enough momentum to hit Pangea with potentially fatal weather.

  • Pangea was just beginning to separate 200 million years ago.

  • If you were able to stick around a few million years for the Jurassic period,

  • that's when you'd truly see the dinosaurs thrive.

  • The T-rex, brachiosaurus, stegosaurus,

  • What would happen if they were still alive today?

  • That sounds like a question for another WHAT IF.

This is the world 200 million years ago.

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