FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2 DECEMBER 2013
LIFE BEFORE DINOSAURS: THE PERMIAN MONSTERS
A summer exhibition for families at the South Australian Museum
Have you ever wondered what kind of creatures roamed the earth before our beloved dinosaurs?
We all know Tyrannosaurus Rex and his friends, but what bizarre monsters were around before
them?
This summer, the South Australian Museum brings you an incredible exhibition that brings the
Permian era to life. Life Before Dinosaurs: The Permian Monsters takes us back 290 million years to
the time when the earth had just one ocean and one large continent – Pangaea – and strange sharks,
giant insects and reptiles inhabited the world. The Permian period ended after 40 million years with
the largest extinction ever known on the planet, wiping out 90% of all species.
Come and meet the curious characters of the Permian, including the top predator of the time: the
giant sabre-toothed gorgonopsid ‘Inostrancevia’, and find out what killed most of them to make way
for Earth’s next rulers, the dinosaurs.
This unique exhibition brings the past back to life with fossilised skeletons and full life-size models of
the animals, blending art and science with a collection of new artwork from award winning
palaeoartist Julius Csotonyi. See these skeletons and models up close, and dig and identify fossils in
the interactive dig pits throughout the gallery!
Acting South Australian Museum Director Professor
Andrew Lowe says, “From 14 December, the South
Australian Museum will introduce you to a little-known
but very important period in the planet’s history. The
Permian included extraordinary lifeforms that are
biological wonders in the context of evolution, and
ended in one of the most significant climate change
events we know of.
Visitors of all ages will enjoy the opportunity to get up
close and marvel at the plants and animals of this period in our special gallery and can become
palaeontologists for a day as they dig up the fossils!”
Facts: The Permian Era
During the Permian the Earth’s land masses were joined in one supercontinent known as Pangaea.
The Permian began at the end of an ice age; the Earth was cooler than present day. As time passed,
the icecaps melted and the Earth slowly warmed up, becoming a lush green planet, where both
animal and plant life thrived.
Plant life consisted of ferns, conifers and small shrubs. Animals included fish, arthropods, amphibians
and reptiles. During the Permian reptiles developed mammal-like characteristics, but the first true
mammals would not appear until the next geological period, the Triassic.
The Permian ended 250 million years ago with the start of the Triassic period. The end of the era was
witness to the largest mass extinction in the history of Earth: over 90% of all plant and animal life
were wiped out. By the end of the Permian, the Earth had become a biological desert.
The Permian period was
the end of an era called
the Palaeozoic, meaning
“ancient life”. During the
Palaeozoic, life in the sea
evolved into many
strange creatures, from
giant sea scorpions to
bizarre looking sharks.
There were also many
invertebrate life forms
such as sponges,
ammonites, nautiloids,
crinoids, gastropods, brachiopods and trilobites. Corals also formed in the Palaeozoic; after their
near-extinction at the end of the Devonian period, they began to regenerate during the Permian
period producing huge reefs. During the Permian, Earth’s single land mass Pangaea was surrounded
by an enormous ocean called Panthalassa. Panthalassa teemed with life, from tiny single-celled
organisms to marine arthropods and large fish.
Meet some of the Permians!
Exhibition dates:
14 December 2013 – 10 March 2014
10am–5pm daily, closed 25 December.
Special Exhibition Gallery, Ground Floor
Cost:
$13 adults
$10 concession
$7 child
$30 family (2 adults + 2 children)
To arrange coverage, contact South Australian Museum Publicist Alex Parry:
P: 08 8207 7385
M: 0422 722 093
E: [email protected]