How many terrestrial vertebrate genera survived into the Triassic Period?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Line graph showing the number of marine animal families from the Precambrian era to the present, with illustrations of key groups such as trilobites, ammonoids, marine reptiles, and diatoms. The graph highlights major extinction events and a rise to 1,900 living families today. — Permian extinction The diversity of marine animal families since late Precambrian time. The data for the curve comprise only those families that are reliably preserved in the fossil record; the 1,900 value for living families also includes those families rarely preserved as fossils. The several pronounced dips in the curve correspond to major mass-extinction events. The most catastrophic extinction took place at the end of the Permian Period.

Following the Permian-Triassic mass extinction event, which was the most extensive in Earth's history, terrestrial vertebrates experienced significant reductions in diversity. Only 30 percent of terrestrial vertebrate genera survived into the Triassic Period.1