At a time when we are all forced to stay home to protect ourselves, our loved ones and our incredible key workers, I think it is important for us to take the opportunity to share experiences with each other and create interesting and engaging content. I wanted to put together a small write-up to accompany some photographs I could get at an exhibition I visited at the start of March, with the hope that this will bring you a healthy dose of paleo-history during these difficult times.
Without any further ado, let’s explore Permian Monsters: Life Before the Dinosaurs.
To kick off our look at this fantastic exhibition, I first want to take a moment to introduce you to the Permian Era – and era which Jurassic fans are not necessarily going to be familiar with, even though some of our favourite animals come from this period. The Permian era was around 298 Million years ago – long before the dinosaurs which we all love and adore. During this period, the Earth was dominated by two species of animals – Synapsids and Sauropsids. Synapsids are believed to be the ancient descendants of mammals, whilst Sauropsids are believed to be the ancient descendants of reptiles – including our beloved dinosaurs.
Due to the different climate and different atmosphere at the time, life was very different. Paintings in the exhibit created the image of expansive areas of land with interesting and rich climates, whilst other areas were more thoroughly devoted to the animals which would have inhabited these landscapes. I will be perfectly honest – I am in no means a prehistoric animal expert. People always ask me questions about dinosaurs which I don’t know the answers too – and my knowledge of the Permian is even more limited, so it was fun having an opportunity to learn a little bit more about the animals which inhabited the Earth a very long time ago.
Thanks to my love of Primeval I was, however, familiar with some of the animals and creatures in the exhibit. Seeing the large and imposing Gorgonopsid face-to-face was intimidating, and getting to see a Arthropleura (giant centipede) up close and personal gave me the creeps! The people behind this exhibit committed to bringing the Perriman area to life once more – filling the interactive exhibition space with wonderful animatronics and an assortment of beautiful specimens. Some other things which caught my eye were Ammonites, Skulls and the simply gorgeous skeleton of the Dimetrodon – a creature which I think many of us Jurassic fans have an affinity for. In short, the exhibition was wonderful – and has really opened my eyes to just how weird and wonderful our planet was before Dinosaurs existed on it.
Once the current situation passes, I recommend checking out this exhibition at the Horniman Museum. The museum itself is situated in some beautifully scenic outskirt boroughs of London, and is a real treat if you are a fan of natural history.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this gentle look back at the Permian era and some of the creatures who inhabited it. Make sure to check out our great dinosaur resources to keep you occupied during this tough time, and remember – stay safe, stay Jurassic!
Written by:
Tom Fishenden