
The Great Dying saw up to 95% of marine species vanish and it was followed by a long period of low diversity. There were no coal and no coral reefs for millions of years. Bivalves (molluscs) that could tolerate a low oxygen environment slowly recovered.
On land the dominant Glossopteris flora died out and landscapes were very barren.
Eight insect orders became extinct, the largest insect extinction event ever.
Two-thirds of four legged animals (tetrapods) were lost.
As the climate recovered in the Early Triassic, the herbivorous reptiles (Lystrosaurus) became widespread, exploiting the absence of predators and competitors.
It took millions of years for ecosystems to re-establish, with new forms like early mammals and lizard-like reptiles (Archosauromorpha) eventually emerging, and leading to the Age of Dinosaurs.