Carnian in the context of "Carnian pluvial episode"

Theropoda (/θɪəˈrɒpədə/; from ancient Greek θηρίο- ποδός [θηρίον, (therion) "wild beast"; πούς, ποδός (pous, podos) "foot"]) is one of the three major clades of dinosaur, alongside Ornithischia and Sauropodomorpha. Theropods, both extant and extinct, are characterized by hollow bones and three toes and claws on each limb. They are generally classed as a group of saurischian dinosaurs, placing them closer to sauropodomorphs than to ornithischians. They were ancestrally carnivorous, although a number of theropod groups evolved to become herbivores and omnivores. Members of the subgroup Coelurosauria were most likely all covered with feathers, and it is possible that they were also present in other theropods. In the Jurassic, birds evolved from small specialized coelurosaurian theropods, and are currently represented by about 11,000 living species, making theropods the only group of dinosaurs alive today.

Theropods first appeared during the Carnian age of the Late Triassic period 231.4 million years ago (Ma) and included the majority of large terrestrial carnivores from the Early Jurassic until the end of the Cretaceous, about 66 Ma, including the largest terrestrial carnivorous animals ever, such as Tyrannosaurus and Giganotosaurus, though non-avian theropods exhibited considerable size diversity, with some non-avian theropods like scansoriopterygids being no bigger than small birds.

The Late Triassic is the third and final epoch of the Triassic Period in the geologic time scale, spanning the time between 237 Ma and 201.4 Ma (million years ago). It is preceded by the Middle Triassic Epoch and followed by the Early Jurassic Epoch. The corresponding series of rock beds is known as the Upper Triassic. The Late Triassic is divided into the Carnian, Norian and Rhaetian ages.

Many of the first dinosaurs evolved during the Late Triassic, including Plateosaurus, Coelophysis, Herrerasaurus, and Eoraptor. The Triassic–Jurassic extinction event began during this epoch and is one of the five major mass extinction events of the Earth.

Rhynchosaurs are a group of extinct herbivorous Triassic archosauromorph reptiles, belonging to the order Rhynchosauria. Members of the group are distinguished by their triangular skulls and elongated, beak like premaxillary bones. Rhynchosaurs first appeared in the Early Triassic, reaching their broadest abundance and a global distribution during the Carnian stage of the Late Triassic.

The Ladinian is a stage and age in the Middle Triassic series or epoch. It spans the time between 241.464 Ma and ~237 Ma (million years ago). The Ladinian was preceded by the Anisian and succeeded by the Carnian (part of the Upper or Late Triassic).

The Ladinian is coeval with the Falangian regional stage used in China.

The Dockum is a Late Triassic (approximately late Carnian through Rhaetian, or 223–200 Ma) geologic group found primarily on the Llano Estacado of western Texas and eastern New Mexico with minor exposures in southwestern Kansas, eastern Colorado, and Oklahoma panhandle. The Dockum reaches a maximum thickness of slightly over 650 m but is usually much thinner. The Dockum rests on an unconformity over the Anisian (242–234 Ma) aged Anton Chico Formation.

The Dockum and Chinle Formation were deposited roughly at the same time and share many of the same vertebrates and plant fossils. They appear to have very similar paleoenvironments. The two units are approximately separated by the Rio Grande in central New Mexico. This has led to controversy over the stratigraphic nomenclature for the Chinle and Dockum.

The Blomidon Formation is a unit of Upper Triassic (Norian–Rhaetian) sedimentary rocks, which outcrops in Nova Scotia. At outcrop they reach a maximum thickness of 365 metres (1,198 ft), but up to 1,168 metres (3,832 ft) has been proven from well data and a thickness of up to 2,500 metres (8,200 ft) has been inferred from seismic reflection data. It overlies the mainly Carnian Wolfville Formation and underlies the North Mountain Basalt. The type section is exposed between Cape Blomidon (45°17′43″N 64°19′55″W / 45.29528°N 64.33194°W / 45.29528; -64.33194) and Paddy Island (45°11′51″N 64°21′34″W / 45.197372°N 64.359411°W / 45.197372; -64.359411).

The Norian is a division of the Triassic Period. It has the rank of an age (geochronology) or stage (chronostratigraphy). It lasted from ~227.3 to 205.7 million years ago. It was preceded by the Carnian and succeeded by the Rhaetian.

Herrerasaurus is likely a genus of saurischian dinosaur from the Late Triassic period. Measuring 6 m (20 ft) long and weighing around 350 kg (770 lb), this genus was one of the earliest dinosaurs from the fossil record. Its name means "Herrera's lizard", after the rancher who discovered the first specimen in 1958 in South America. All known fossils of this carnivore have been discovered in the Ischigualasto Formation of Carnian age (late Triassic according to the ICS, dated to 231.4 million years ago) in northwestern Argentina. The type species, Herrerasaurus ischigualastensis, was described by Osvaldo Reig in 1963 and is the only species assigned to the genus. Ischisaurus and Frenguellisaurus are synonyms.

For many years, the classification of Herrerasaurus was unclear because it was known from very fragmentary remains. It was hypothesized to be a basal theropod, a basal sauropodomorph, a basal saurischian, or not a dinosaur at all but another type of archosaur. However, with the discovery of an almost complete skeleton and skull in 1988, Herrerasaurus has been classified as an early saurischian in most of the phylogenies on the origin and early evolution of dinosaurs. It is a member of the Herrerasauridae, a family of similar genera that were among the earliest of the dinosaurian evolutionary radiation.