How much species loss may have occurred during the final 20,000 years of the Permian 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.

While some researchers suggest the Permian extinction occurred over a protracted 15-million-year interval, other scientists argue that the event was much more rapid. These researchers contend that the bulk of species loss occurred during a concentrated 20,000-year span near the end of the Permian Period.1

Overall, the Permian extinction resulted in the elimination of approximately 90 percent of all species on Earth. This catastrophic loss included more than 95 percent of marine species and 70 percent of terrestrial species, alongside the disappearance of more than half of all taxonomic families present at the time.1