New research suggests that some of the earliest ancestors of dinosaurs and crocodiles managed to migrate across vast, deadly regions of the Earth over 250 million years ago.
These hardy reptiles, known as archosauromorphs, lived during the Triassic period and may have traveled up to 10,000 miles through areas once thought to be too hot and inhospitable for life.
The study, published in Nature Ecology and Evolution, was led by scientists from the University of Birmingham and the University of Bristol.
It sheds new light on how these early reptiles spread across the globe following the end-Permian mass extinction, one of the most devastating events in Earth’s history.
That extinction wiped out over half of all land animals and around 81% of marine species, leaving behind a planet that was nearly lifeless in many regions.
After this catastrophe, the world was incredibly hot and dry, especially near the equator. Paleontologists once believed that the tropical regions of ancient supercontinent Pangaea were essentially dead zones where life couldn’t survive.
But this new study suggests otherwise.
By using a new modeling method that combines ancient landscape maps with the evolutionary family trees of animals, the team traced how archosauromorphs may have moved across the Earth.
They named their system TARDIS, inspired by the time-traveling machine from Doctor Who, because it looks at how these animals moved through both space and time.
Their results suggest that archosauromorphs weren’t limited to the cooler parts of the world. Instead, they managed to survive extreme heat and cross vast tropical deserts, finding new ecosystems on the other side.
This resilience may have played a big role in their later success. Over time, these reptiles evolved into more familiar animals, including the dinosaurs that would later dominate the planet.
Dr. Joseph Flannery-Sutherland, the study’s lead author, said the findings show how life can persist even in the harshest conditions. “Amid the worst climatic event in Earth’s history, where more species died than at any other time, life still found a way. These reptiles proved to be tougher than we imagined.”
Professor Michael Benton, a co-author of the study, added that this new method helps bridge the gap between what we see in the fossil record and what likely happened in reality. “By combining fossil data with detailed maps of the ancient world, we’re able to get a clearer picture of how ancient creatures like archosauromorphs lived, moved, and survived.”
This research shows that even in the face of disaster, some life forms not only endure — they adapt, travel, and eventually shape the future of life on Earth.
