Besano Formation, Italy, 242 Million Years Ago

    Dawn's light breaks into the morning sky, revealing lightly clouded air. Reddish-orange shines in the backdrop of darkened blue. The growing radiance slowly reveals the part of the world we know as Italy.

    In our modern day, this is where the famous European Alps would appear. Their snow-capped peaks and jagged cliffs would tower over the vast meadows. Stretching nearly 750 miles, it will end up being one of the longest mountain ranges in the continent of Europe.

    Those days, however, are distant from this point in time. Here in the Middle Triassic, these Alps have yet to form. In their place is a vastly different environment. The land here is a dry, semi-arid one, made up of hot, reddish sands, something commonly seen across the supercontinent of Pangea. Sparsely covering them are the occasional ferns, cycads, and ancient conifer trees.

    Long estuaries split up the ground here, allowing the salt water of the Panthalassa Ocean to bleed in. The presence of this azure blue liquid allows for the formation of muddy coastal areas where land meets the sea. Groups of tidal rocks are here as well, occasionally stretching out from the shore for miles into the ocean blue. Both the coastal stones and sands are regularly bathed in the passing waves of the sea.

    This coastal world helps in supporting just some of the vast ecosystems here. Some are so small that even something unassuming like a tidal pool can support them. Thankfully, such minuscule habitats are in large abundance in this coastal area.

    One of these tidal organisms is a type of small seasnail. They gather in the pools in massive clusters, clinging to the rocks and crevices around them. Much of their time is spent eating algae and going up and down their respective rocks to coincide with the tide. This stone scraping also has the benefit of deepening the high tide of their pools over time. They withdraw into their shells whenever the current is less active to avoid drying out.

    They share these puddles with other organisms. Barnacles, too, cling to the rocks, constantly opening and closing their mouths to consume floating bits of algae. Young fish and prawns reside here too, feeding on whatever bits of plankton and other dead organisms get carried in by the ocean. This area may be small and secluded, but they are the perfect place for them to feed and grow without worrying about the large threats lying in deeper waters. Plus, the abundance of seaweed-like algal plants provides them with excellent shelter.

    However, even these green underwater structures don't last forever. Sea urchins are sometimes carried in by the current too, which feeds on structures such as this. With coral having yet to evolve again in this post-Great Dying world, this is their best option for sustenance.

    Even so, the urchins still have competition in the form of one of their closest relatives. Ancient starfish feed on the algal structures as well as the seasnails. Like their modern relatives, these starfish have five appendages that allow them to move across land and the sea floor. They're somewhat different in appearance, being much thinner and more flexible. Although their movements are slow, these coastal predators can crawl freely through the shallow, thin water connecting each pool in their hunt for prey.

    Life has found its way to thrive on this Middle Triassic coast, especially with small areas such as these tidepools. However, it isn't to say the small residents of these puddles are completely safe. Larger residents roam these Italian shores, some being adapted for life entirely on land. To them, tidepools are an excellent way to find small organisms to feed on, even the predatory starfish.

    One common animal seen eating from these puddles is a Eusaurosphargis. This is a type of small, 8-inch-long reptile that's common along this coast. Its slender, flattened body bulges out in the middle, similarly to that of a bearded dragon. Sprawling out from this body are four short limbs that each end in curved claws. A short tail juts out from the back, starting wide before tapering to a much narrower point. Its head is elongated with a pointed, dwindled snout. Rows of small, sharp teeth line the inside of its jaws. Its scaly skin is primarily sandstone with rows of gray lines along its back. There are also smaller, spike-like scales colored in white on much of its body, a row on each side of its belly, three running along its back, and one row lining the back of its head.

    Eusaurosphargis are just one of many reptiles that not only have begun to litter Pangea, but also densely populate this Italian coast. Compared to their contemporaries, they're extremely small and thus rely on smaller prey. This prompts them to gravitate to the many abundant tide pools here. In these puddles, they're able to find many organisms on which to feed, whether it be small fish, sea snails, prawns, or even parts of a starfish. Often, it's the more secluded pools that these reptiles gravitate to, which are more common during low tide. Without access to deeper waters for their prey to swim to, feeding from them is the equivalent of shooting fish in a barrel.

    Although, these small reptiles aren't the only terrestrial carnivores on these shores. One much larger predator treads across the land, one which the Eusaurosphargis back away from upon laying eyes on it. It strides across the hot sands and rocks of its habitat, casting a long shadow over its smaller contemporaries.

    This is the top predator of the ancient shores of Italy, a Ticinosuchus. It's one of the earliest members of a fearsome group of reptiles known as the rauisuchians. These predators resemble a weird form of crocodile, but are a distant evolutionary offshoot of the lineage that will one day give rise to their modern relatives. Rauisuchians may have only recently evolved in this post-Great Dying world, yet they're already on track to becoming the top predators in nearly every part of Pangea they reside in. Before the dinosaurs evolve, these will be the T-rexes of the Triassic.

    Ticinosuchus is rather small compared to most other rauisuchians, only being about 10 feet long. Even so, it still shares a common aspect amongst its kind, four long, powerful limbs positioned vertically under its large, muscular body. Such adaptations allow it to run at staggering speeds if the time calls for it. Stretching from its strong, barrel-shaped torso is a long, thick, tapering tail that helps to balance its overall form. Its neck is slightly longer and thinner than most rauisuchians, supporting a robust, relatively broad head with a pronounced snout. Thanks to its eyes being high and set to the sides, it has a wide field of vision with which to spot prey. When breathing, its gaping jaws reveal rows of sharp, serrated teeth lining them. Its skin is made up of tough, rugged scales. Their color is primarily grayish brown with clusters of small, black spots mottled on the top of its body and black, vertical bands running down its tail.

    Gently, the Ticinosuchus treads the shore, leaving tracks in the soft sand beneath its feet. Constantly, it turns its head back and forth in search of its next meal. All, the predator's eyes spot are Eusaurosphargis stepping out of its path. Fortunately for these smaller reptiles, they're not what this land croc is after. Its sights are instead fixated on a larger, yet vulnerable target.

    Another type of small reptile is present at the cluster of tidepools. From a distance, their more specific details are harder to make out. Their appearance is similar to a long-necked monitor lizard, no more than three feet in length, and with black scaly skin that blends with the rocks around them. They too are preoccupied with snatching prey from the various puddles, in the process leaving them unaware of the danger staring directly at them.

    Promptly, the Ticinosuchus sprints toward the elongated reptiles. Within just seconds, he manages to traverse tens of feet across the ancient shore. Before long, the predator's prey grows close to its grasp, motivating it to gradually open its jaws.

    Suddenly, the Ticinosuchus' rapid approach is brought to a stop. A long neck springs out from behind a larger rock surrounding the small reptiles. Its loud hisses prevent the predator from coming any closer.

    This is the adult form of the small reptiles, Nothosaurus. Its streamlined, torpedo-shaped body is supported by four elongated limbs. Each one ends with a wide, flipper-like, webbed foot. A long, tapering tail grows out from its back, being slightly flattened with a paddle-like shape. A Lengthy neck supports an elongated, narrow head with a pointed snout and large eyes set on the sides. Its most imposing feature is its jaws lined with conical teeth, so long that they stick outside of its mouth even when closed. The scaly skin of this reptile is smooth and sleek, primarily dark grayish-blue with scattered horizontal lines on top and a silver underbelly.

    Like snakes, the Nothosaurus erects its neck above the Ticinosuchus. Standing atop the larger rock allows it to tower over the land croc as it looks down at it. At 13 feet long, this female outsizes the predator, even if slightly. Outmatched, the Ticinosuchus backs off, letting out a grumbling hiss as it walks away.

    With the threat now gone, the adult Nothosaurus steps off of the rock pedestals. Her attention immediately turns to her young, a male named Dante, and a female named Daria. Each of them is only 6 months old and only a third of their full size. Despite this, they are already big enough to take on the next big phase of their lives. However, it's not one that the youngsters will take here on the coast. Thus, the mother nudges them along, prompting them to leave the tidepool system with them and into a different part of the Italian coast.

***

    Soon, the Nothosaurus family reaches one of many rocky outcrops that grow from the edges of the coast. This one is unique in that it has a 50-foot-wide pool of seawater in the middle. Only a narrow crevice in the outcrop connects the pool to the wider ocean.

    This natural formation of stone acts as a home for not only the family of four Nothosaurus, but a massive colony of them. A few dozen of these long-necked reptiles bask on the wet, algae and barnacle-covered rocks. This provides them with direct access to the sun to warm up their bodies, but also sprinklings of ocean water to cool off and prevent overheating. Additionally, there are holes in this massive, circular stone that act as miniature caves, providing shade whenever it's needed.

    Nothosaurus aren't the only reptiles that rest out here. They share this outcrop with another type of reptile called Cyamodus. At up to five feet long, they're much smaller than their long-necked neighbors. However, they make up for this with a more unique feature, a turtle-like carapace of armor on its back. These thick, bony plates completely cover the top of their robust, yet slightly flattened bodies. Although such adaptations aren't unlike turtles of our modern day, these reptiles are unrelated, only sharing these traits due to convergent evolution. Their legs are short yet sturdy, paddle-like with broad flat surfaces. Long, tapering tails grow out from their back ends, having a flattened, paddle-like shape. Short necks are hidden by broad, somewhat compressed heads with wide, blunt snouts and jaws filled with robust, conical teeth. Their scaly skins and back armor are primarily a dark, sea green, almost blending in with the algal plants around them.

    For much of the time, both the Cyamodus and Nothosaurus colonies can live peacefully on this massive sea stone, despite gathering in large numbers. This outcrop even serves as a great spot for each species to raise their own young. Additionally, the two reptile groups fill different predatory niches, meaning they don't have to compete for food or worry about the other eating their offspring.

    Unfortunately, such peace is often temporary in what would otherwise be a stone sanctuary. Male Nothosaurs, in particular, have a habit of arriving from other colonies to establish themselves as a new alpha, or "beach master." Since these males are often much smaller, they're easily scared off by the colony's resident alpha. Otherwise, encounters between the beach master and his rivals can turn quite brutal.

    For these reptiles, the sea stone is just one part of this coast they have access to. The rest is something that Daria and Dante are about to explore for the first time in their lives. It all starts with their mother slipping her body into the water.

    From the rocks above, the youngsters are unable to see their mother. Everything in the expanse of turquoise blue is hidden by light sparkling on its otherwise crystal-clear surface. Initially, both siblings hesitate, taking glances at each other. Between them, Dante is the first to take his plunge with Daria following not long after.

    As they penetrate the surface, the youngsters enter a whole new world. Here, they're able to find a further extent of the middle of their stone sanctuary, tinted in the light blue of the sea. Most of the sounds they hear are muffled by pops, rushing, and bubbling.

    Even with such immediate changes, the young Nothosaurs adapt almost immediately. Their legs pull backward and their tails waver back and forth, propelling them through the liquid blue. For the first time in their lives, Dante and Daria are swimming. Even the Cyamodus join, similarly treading through the waters.

    One day, later species of reptiles will further adapt to their new aquatic world. These changes will effectively allow them to abandon the dry earth entirely and populate even the open ocean. For now, they're content with living between land and sea.

    One by one, each of the Nothosaurs and Cyamodus squeezes themselves through the crevice and into the waters beyond. On the other side, the young siblings find much less of the stone they've been accustomed to. Instead, there are vast plains of white sand mixed with green algal plants and a thick fog of blue concealing what lies in the distance. Light penetrates the surface, casting a luminescent glow over everything below it.

    In these shallows, life still flourishes in a great variety. As is with the shore, barnacles and sea urchins thrive in mass on the sea floor. Prawns scuttle along the underwater plains as well, being much larger than the younger ones on land. Hard-shelled organisms like these are the preferred diet of the Cyamodus who easily crush them in their jaws.

    There are also other forms of life unseen even in the tidepools on the coast. One of them immediately catches the eyes of both Dante and Daria. It has a round, bulbous body that pumps it through the water. Long, thin tendrils hang from it, flowing with the ocean current. In our modern day, we know them as jellyfish. However, these soft-bodied organisms are among the oldest forms of multicellular life, evolving long before even the reptiles.

    Instinctively, Daria keeps a considerable distance from this odd creature. In contrast, Dante begins to move closer. Doing so results in one of the tendrils touching his skin. He experiences a painful sting, causing him to dart away immediately. Even in the Triassic, jellyfish are not to be messed with.

    Their attention quickly shifts to another type of animal that roams all over these waters: fish. They appear in a plethora of colors as well as shapes and sizes. Some are darker colored, while others have much louder coloration. Short, deep-bodied forms exist alongside much narrower ones. Many match or even exceed the size of Dante and Daria, yet others are much smaller.

    It's the more diminutive variety the siblings focus on, chasing after them with great speed. Meanwhile, the adult Nothosaurs around them catch the fish in their jaws. The teeth of these reptiles are perfectly built such in a way that their prey can easily be caged within their mouths.

    With their swimming speed and trap-like jaws, the Nothosaurs are one of the most effective hunters in these waters. Even so, they're far from the only ones that hunt fish here. In these shallows exist a few forms of competition.

    One comes in a form vaguely familiar to life seen today. It is Chieseiceras, a member of the famous ammonite branch of ancient cephalopods. As relatives of octopus, squid, and cuttlefish, they have soft, fleshy bodies from which many long tentacles sprout. These hide a sharp beak with which they crush and tear apart their prey. What makes them stand apart from many other cephalopods is a large, coal-black, spiral shell that they are housed within, a feature shared with other ammonites. Such a trait only survives in the modern day in the form of the nautilus, the closest living relative of all ammonites.

    Another type of reptile chases after the fish and even the soft bodies of the Chieseiceras. They're called Mixosaurus and are 5-foot-long members of the fish-like ichthyosaur order. Unlike Nothosaurus, they've fully adapted to life in the water, their only tie to land being their lungs with which they breathe air.

Their sleek, torpedo-shaped bodies are equipped with four limbs that have adapted into flipper-like appendages. Long, slender, vertically oriented tails propel them through the water, shaped similarly to that of a shark, but upside-down. Their heads are stream-lined and elongated, similar to that of a modern dolphin. They have pointed snouts with sharp, narrow jawlines equipped with conical teeth. Large eyes positioned to the sides of their heads offer a wide field of vision to spot prey. Their smooth, scaleless skin is dark brown on top, yellowish in the middle and creamy beige on the bottom.

One more type of reptile snatches up some of the fish too, but rather than swimming to get them, they lurk from the sea floor. They are the bizarre Tanystropheus. These too are semi-aquatic like Nothosaurus, but are drastically different in appearance.

Their bodies are relatively short and robust, with small, sturdy legs adapted for swimming and maneuvering. Long, slender tails that taper to a point balance their forms. By far the most striking feature is their lengthy, 10-foot-long necks, making up half their entire length. Proportionately small, narrow heads rest at the end of these necks, having an elongated snout with sharp teeth ideal for catching small fish. Their smooth, scaly skin is primarily dark blue with black spots mottled all over the top.

With so many different predators after the same fish, Dante, and Daria have a lot of competition. Thus, they are brisk with moving through the water, snatching up whatever small fish they can. Some are caught by other animals before the twins can catch them while many more manage to swim away, escaping into the thick blue beyond. Between them, the youngsters are still able to catch a few fish.

With this many species chasing after similar food, trying to catch anything has become like navigating a minefield for Dante and Daria. But within the blink of an eye, it all changes. The sea predators begin to retreat. Mixosaurus and even Chieseiceras vanish into the dense blue around them.

Meanwhile, the Cyamodus and other Nothosaurs start to swim back to their rocky sanctuary, now joined by the Tanystropheus. Seeing this exodus, Daria soon follows. However, Dante begins to be preoccupied with a few of the fish who, too, have begun swimming away. The young female turns to see his brother faltering from the path before darting in his direction.

As they travel further away, more of the sand plains are revealed to the siblings. On the sea floor, Daria finds something peculiar. It appears to be a Tanystropheus, lying still and motionless, its feet pulled backward. She also spots a red mist emanating from the front. Gently, the young female dives towards its source.

Upon arriving, she finds the source of this mist. It's blood, rising from a massive open wound. The head and neck are also, seemingly being ripped off, but by what?

As she stares at the Tanystropheus corpse, a shadow passes over Daria. She darts her head around, finding nothing at first but Dante chasing after a small fish. Finally, he traps the little creature before swallowing.

Suddenly, a massive animal appears out of nowhere, rushing toward Dante. Before he can swim away, a pair of jaws slams into him. The young male subsequently disappears in an erupting cloud of crimson. As the cumulus disappears, the predator reveals itself as it swallows Dante's body.

The attacker is a Besanosaurus, the top predator in the Italian waters. Like Mixosaurus, it too is an ichthyosaur, but at 26 feet in length, it's far larger. Its body is streamlined, with a similar shape to its smaller relative, but much more robust. The limbs are also flipper-like, but longer and broader. Its long tail has a similar shape to Mixosaurus, but is more powerful. The head of similar to those of other ichthyosaurs, yet with an even longer snout filled with sharp, conical teeth. Its smooth skin is primarily silver-gray with a white underbelly.

Upon swallowing Dante, the Besanosaurus turns around, ready for its next meal. He floats around through the water, his eyes finding nothing but the sea sand and occasional rock. Still, he persists, slowly moving in a constant circle, its form appearing like a shadow against the light peering in from the water's surface.

Below, something lies hidden by a larger rock. It's Daria, taking shelter from the massive predator. As long as she stays here, she remains unseen by the danger above.

Unfortunately, she won't be able to stay for long. Like any marine reptile, she breathes air, something her lungs are dangerously low on. If she doesn't go to the surface soon, she will drown. But doing so may alert the large ichthyosaur to her presence.

Despite the risk, Daria doesn't hesitate to rise upward. As she gets closer and closer to the surface, the oxygen in her body quickly drains. The world as she sees it starts to become increasingly blurry. Finally, she pierces the water, taking a few large breaths.

Daria dives back down only to be greeted with an unwelcome sight. The Besanosaurus has started racing toward her, its jaws slowly opening up. In a split second, she swerves away as the predator zooms by. The ichthyosaur then pivots back around, its tail creating a splash as it bursts through the surface.

With no options left, Daria begins to race toward her only source of safety: the sea stone. Doing so won't be easy as there's well over 50 feet of water between her and the narrow crevice from which she left. Such a distance is one that the Besanosaurus will easily be able to quickly travel.

With such a fast predator tailing her, Daria attempts to swim toward the sanctuary as fast as her body will allow. Meanwhile, the ichthyosaur gradually becomes closer to the young Nothosaur. It attempts to clamp its jaws onto its would-be prey, only for Daria to swerve to the side. This action only repeats as the youngster grows ever more exhausted and subsequently slower.

Despite this, Daria's focus remains on the crevice entrance to the sanctuary. Just a few more feet and she'll be safe. In that same distance, she can easily become the Besanosaurus' next meal.

At the surface above, a great splash erupts. White foam spouts from outside the walls of the coastal outcrop, trickling into the other side. As the geyser of water dissipates, a cloud of red reveals itself. The Besanosaur emerges from it, retreating into the deeper waters.

Such a sight is not unseen by those resting on the surface of the sea stone, especially the Nothosaurs. They turn their heads to the sea, letting out loud hisses. One of these reptiles, Daria's mother, scans the water for any sign of her daughter. her eyes fail to find any sign of the little female.

Suddenly, a light plop occurs. It doesn't come from the outside of the sanctuary, but from the pool in the middle. In it, the Nothosaurus spots Daria climbing into one of the many holes on top of the outcrop. Now out of the water, she lays her body down, ready for a rest. Her mother arrives too, welcoming her daughter back by curling around her.

Outside of the sanctuary, the Besanosaurus breaches the surface for air. In doing so, it reveals the costs of its hunt. A large gash remains on the top of its head, blood leaking from it and into the water. Needless to say, this ichthyosaur's hunt was more than just a failure.

At this point in time, the ocean is a frontier that these cold-blooded animals have only recently begun to fully explore. With time, the many lineages of marine reptiles will adapt further and become one of the dominant forces in the world's seas, a reign that will only end with the Mesozoic. Doing so won't be easy as the marine world is not without its dangers. This factor won't deter even Nothosaurs like Daria. She'll no longer face such challenges with his brother, but losing him has ensured whenever she returns, she won't be oblivious to the dangers that lie beneath the waves.