The Drought and the Storm - The Permian of Karoo

Karoo Basin, specifically the Tapinocephalus Assemblage Zone. During the Middle Permian, the place that would become South Africa faces a drought that lasts longer than usual andt tests the limits of the animals. The water level is worrysome and the sun is unforgiving, but the long-awaited rain is approaching from the horizon.

A trio of large synapsids, the Jonkeria truculenta, approach the river to drink some water. The amphibian Rhinesuhus whaitsi seems to be bothered by these thirsty dinocephalians, and opens its mouth wide to scare them. Across the river, a huge Anteosaurus magnificus yawns and also heads to the water. This is the biggest predator in the area (the skull reached ~80cm), but at the moment it is only interested in quenching its thirst. Ahead, in the lower right corner, two tiny diggers appear: the dicynodont Diictodon feliceps peeks out of its burrow, and an Eunotosaurus africanus basks on a rock. The latter is possibly a stem-turtle, but not without uncertainties - a more recent study classified it further away from tortoises and other living reptiles in general.

In the background, on the left, a group of Tapinocephalus atherstonei stars a heavyweight combat: a young male challenges the alpha of the pack, which despite being bigger, has the disadvantage of its age and poor health. Tapinocephalids had massive skulls adapted for headbutting, being one of the first groups (if not the first itself) to develop this behavior. On the opposite side, some pareiasaurs, Bradysaurus baini, rest in the shade of a tree. The tree is the seed fern Glossopteris sp., which is in season to lose its leaves (hence its dry appearance). Other plants in the scene are the horsetails Schizoneura sp., which appear on the banks of the river, and the probable Araucariaceae Agathoxylon sp. that covers the background in front of the Gondwanides mountains.

New artwork for Tales from the Phanerozoic, a project by João Macêdo. Check it out: https://sites.google.com/view/talesfromthephanerozoic/