Timezgadiouine Formation, Morocco, 222 Million Years ago

    In the northwestern tip of Africa, lies the country of Morocco. Today, it is home to the famed Atlas Mountains that stretch into nearby Algeria and Tunisia. This, along with the glowing sands along the coast of the Mediterranean, is what the land is best known for.

    In Late Triassic Morocco, these are nowhere to be seen. At this time, it lies in the middle of the supercontinent of Pangea. The famed Atlas Mountain range is also absent as the tectonic shifts that create them have yet to occur. Cut off from the ocean, it's just one part of an expansive mass of dry land.

    And dry it is, as much of what's seen for miles is reddish scorched dirt. The 86-degree temperatures of the Triassic add to the intense drought here. All that's seen for miles is this same parched earth, dusty rocks, and gusts of windblown sand. These same images are also seen distorted by the radiating heat of the horizon and the backdrop of the late afternoon sun.

    Such baking, shriveled conditions are far from uncommon at this time. Even nearly 30 million years after the volcanic cataclysm of the Great Dying, superheated conditions permeate much of the land of Pangea. Few areas are safe, such as those closer to the coast.

    Though once in a while, mother nature presents a gift to this nearly inhospitable land. A gift that rejuvenates it for all its inhabitants. One that transforms the landscape seemingly overnight. It's the lifeblood of the natural world... water.

    In the middle of this dry landscape is a flowing river. Its brown liquid gushes and rushes through an extensive canal. Short, muddy cliffs surround the edges of this vast stream.

    Indeed, the world of the Triassic is permeated with what is known as the dry season. At the end of it is one that brings the opposite, the wet season. It's a period of less intense heat and more frequent episodes of rainfall. It is such precipitation that allows for the revitalization of bodies of water like these. Such events are seen across the Pangean supercontinent, including here in Morocco.

    With this influx of aqua comes a surge in returning life. The most prevalent are the many plants that grow around the edges of the river. These mainly consist of ferns, seed ferns, and primitive conifer trees. Stained by drops of clear liquid, they add an array of vibrant greens to this dynamic ecosystem. Although, some parts of this vegetation are thicker than others. While other batches have become impenetrable to the naked eye, others are still short and growing, showing the dried landscape that still lies beyond.

    Outside of the variety of greenery, the area around the river is alive with other, more active, organisms. The most abundant of these are aerial insects such as flies, dragonflies, and damselflies. They float, hover, and zoom around the water and plants, adding various droning and buzzing noises to the ambiance of the area. Often, they are the victims of some of the many small, lizard-like reptiles that prowl the edges of the canal. They'll regularly jump at any insects touching the ground to rest or spring into the air, attempting to catch any flying above them.

    Of course, these reptiles have competition in this area. Roaming the river's edge are 7-foot long Diodorus. They are a type of silesaurid, a reptile that resembles and is closely related to dinosaurs despite not being true members of the clade.

Their sleek, slender bodies are carried by four long limbs. While the hind limbs are taller and well-muscled, their forelimbs are shorter, yet still robust. Their form is counterbalanced by a long, tapering tail. Held up by flexible, moderately long necks are small, triangular heads with a pointed snout and large, alert eyes set towards their sides. These heads also have a mouth full of small, sharp teeth. Their smooth, scaly skin is primarily a grayish brown with an assortment of taupe brown spots and mottling all over, except for their underbellies.

Like the many small, lizard-like reptiles here, they too feed on the many insects. Although, that's just one part of their varied diet. These are, in fact, omnivores. Thus, their days here are not only spent feeding on insects but also plants and even the smaller reptiles.

There are also even larger reptiles here that solely focus their feasting on vegetation. These are Azendohsaurus, a type of stocky mid-sized reptile that grows up to 10 feet long. Their muscular bodies are supported by four, sturdy columnar limbs, each ending in strong, hoof-like claws. The back legs are sprawled out like those of many other reptiles, but the front ones are held more upright. This posture raises its front end off the ground, allowing it to more easily reach higher vegetation. Their forms end in a long, dwindling tail that partly drags on the ground. Lengthy, flexible necks support a broad, deep head with a short, blunt snout and a mouth full of serrated, leaf-shaped teeth. Their smooth, scaly skin is primarily a reddish-brown with bits of solid gray mottling.

Even these reptiles aren't the only forms of complex life here. There is also something large and rather strange that visits streams like this. They're not reptiles but are part of a strange lineage unseen in our modern day.

Arriving from the vast, sunbaked sands is a herd of an animal called Moghreberia. Neither reptiles nor even dinosaurs, they are instead a type of dicynodont therapsid, ancestors of mammals. Although far from the largest of this famous clade, they are still quite big, growing up to 10 feet long and weighing nearly half a ton.

Their broad, heavily built bodies are supported by four columnar legs, held in a spread-out position like those of most reptiles. These legs also end in broad, hoof-like feet that are well-suited for bearing their massive weight. Their short, thick tails don't even need to counterbalance their overall form due to how stable their stances are. Robust, stocky necks are barely visible behind their massive heads. They have two, high-set eyes, a beak-like mouth, and a pair of small tusks protruding from their upper jaw. Their thick, rough, leathery skin is a dark, muddy gray which fades to a pale pink color underneath. Small, barely noticeable hairs are also seen, but more visible with light striking behind them. By contrast, the calves, which are only a fourth of their adult size, have smoother skin with lighter colors.

Like Azendohsaurus, Moghreberias are also herbivores. However, upon arriving at the stream, they don't gravitate to the plentiful vegetation around them. Instead, they focus on the water, submerging their bodies in it.

The intense heat of the Triassic provides many risks. These include overheating, dehydration as well as infections and parasites that thrive in such dry conditions. While the occasional winds here can reduce the effects of such swelter, it will always be water that will more greatly serve the purpose.

Here at the newly arrived brook, the Moghreberias welcome the arrival of this crucial liquid with gentle dips and even great splashes. They don't swim in this canal but are content with simply drinking and soaking in it to hydrate and cool off.

Spending time in rivers like this also has social benefits for them. By simply wading while communicating with one another, bonds between family and herd members are further enforced. Such chatter comes in the form of various grunts, honks, relaxed wheezes, and the occasional snort when surfacing for air.

For some members, such social interactions are a bit rougher. Calves, particularly males, will often tussle with one another using their barely sprouted tusks. In their case, it amounts to nothing more than a playful practice.

By contrast, adult males are violent. Each herd like this one is led by a dominant bull. It is often in bodies of water like this that rival males within the herd or outside it challenge the alpha for his position. Now that he's in the water, the elderly lead male faces a challenge from a younger rival that has followed the herd here. The other members immediately back away, leaving a wide space between them and the two contenders. Females are especially cautious, having their calves close by them. In such brawls, youngsters can easily become casualties if they're caught in the crossfire.

The two males begin their clash, erupting the water with massive splashes. They begin with powerful pushes and shoves. These gestures quickly turn into scratches and scrapes from their tusks. Before long, their tusks become locked together, prompting both bulls to try thrusting the other away. Back and forth the males go, breaking the surface of the water with their shoves and pulls. Soon, their lock is broken and the younger intruder is successfully pushed away.

At last, the alpha is successful in defending his status. Defeated, the youthful rival lumbers away through the water. The battle was brief but left a few wounds on this male in the form of cuts and gashes. Such injuries cause blood to drip from his face, mixing in with the brown water beneath him. This is also seen in the victor among his other scars, but to a lesser extent.

With the brawl now over, the rest of the Moghreberia herd is free to resume their normal business. One calf takes advantage of this returned calm to gain a new view of the river. A view, not from above the water, but below it.

Upon dunking his body under the water, he floats down seeing a world tinted by brown liquid. Light penetrates the surface, shimmering through much of this underwater area. These rays show clumps of algae floating freely through the water. Deeper parts in the middle are so dark that they're impenetrable to the naked eye.

It's also below the stream's surface that an entirely different part of the ecosystem is present. The smallest members of it are the many worms. They wiggle and writhe their way through the water but also dig through the silt at the bottom of the river and near its edge. These squirming invertebrates are also food for another prevalent form of aquatic life here: fish. Many types float and dart through these waters in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Some are shorter, deep-bodied bony fish while others are thick, elongated lungfish. In between, there are herring-esque ray-finned fish and many-finned coelacanths.

These are the primary prey of one water-going resident here. Swimming through, sucking up any fish they find are a multitude of Dutuitosaurus. They are a type of temnospondyl, a branch of salamander-like amphibians with no modern descendants.

Their robust, somewhat flattened bodies have short legs that each end in webbed feet. Long, laterally compressed, and muscular tails act as propellers to move them through the water while their legs are held close to their bodies. Short, yet sturdy necks support a broad, flat head. Their eyes rest on the top of these heads, allowing them to see above the water while remaining mostly submerged. Wide mouths filled with small, sharp teeth aid them greatly in catching the many fish that flow through the river. Their smooth, moist skin is mottled green with brown spots scattered all over.

On land, the Dutuitosaurs move quite slowly when navigating the underbrush and muddy terrain. In the water, where they spend much of their lives, they move with grace and ease. Although they are predators, small animals like fish and insects are their only focus of prey. Thus, the young Moghreberia is safe from the hungry jaws of the amphibians.

However, there are still other predators that lurk in the depths of the canal. Not simply just content with eating fish, but can easily make a meal of the little calf. This aquatic hunter lurks from below in the cover of murky darkness.

It is a Parasuchus, a false croc. This carnivore is part of a strange group of reptiles known as phytosaurs. Superficially, they resemble and live similarly to modern crocodilians. However, these reptiles such as Parasuchus are completely unrelated to crocodilians, only bearing such likeness thanks to convergent evolution.

This female's body is robust and streamlined with strong, muscular, and flexible limbs that end with clawed, webbed feet. Her body tapers toward a long, powerful, and laterally compressed tail, acting as her primary mode of moving through the water. Like a modern gharial, her elongated head has a long, tubular snout, and a mouth filled with sharp, conical teeth. Unlike crocodilians, both her eyes and nostrils are in similar positions high on her head. Such adaptations allow her to both breathe and see above the water while remaining submerged below it. Her skin is scaly with rows of bony scutes on her back that provide her protection. This armor and the rest of her skin are primarily dark, brownish-beige.

In the cover of the murky depths, the Parasuchus eyes her potential prey. She gently floats downward, preparing to strike. With little hesitation, she thrusts upward at astounding speed. Her jaws open, ready to clasp onto her meal.

At the surface, the Parasuchus bursts out from the water, charging at the Moghreberia calf. A great white splash rises around the predator as it breaches the surface. The youngster escapes to land, only narrowly evading the false croc's slamming maw.

Through a short burst of speed, the little dicynodont reaches its mother, clinging to the side of her body. She starts to wave her tusks around, a sign of aggression toward the aquatic predator. Outmatched, the false croc retreats into the river.

Parasuchus, like many other phytosaurs, are efficient hunters that dominate their niches. However, this female, Zahra, can't afford to injure herself, especially for a meal as small as a Moghreberia calf. Inside of her body are over twenty eggs, just hours away from being laid. Once they're laid, all her time and energy will be invested in protecting her unborn offspring. Since her young will need to gestate for two months before hatching, it will be an egregious time she'll need to go without eating. With the wet season having arrived again, now's the perfect time for her to do so.

Unfortunately, Moghreberia won't be on her plate for the time being. Instead, she's content with eating fish and the occasional Dutuitosaurus. Even in failure, the influx of arriving species ensures that Zahra has plenty of potential prey. Thankfully, she won't need that large of a meal to sustain her for the coming months. As a reptile, her metabolism is quite low, allowing her to go much longer without eating.

Having deterred the unsuccessful Parasuchus, the Moghreberia herd returns to the water, resuming their soak. Despite this, they're still far from secure. Unbeknownst to them, another predator lurks in the river waters. One that has its sights set on a Moghreberia outside of the herd.

Tens of feet away from the rest of his kind, the young male wades in the stream, still recovering from his failed battle with the herd's alpha. His blood drips and leaks into the water, creating clouds of red in the otherwise brown, murky waters. For the area's largest predator, this is a lure.

Suddenly, a pair of long, narrow jaws burst from the water, creating an eruption of white water. They snap onto the injured Moghreberia, teeth sinking into his body. He bellows and struggles to break free, but quickly gets dragged under the surface. The young male repeatedly splashes out, gasping and wheezing for air, only to be swallowed into the river.

A thick cloud of impenetrable scarlet emerges in place of the Moghreberia. Fish swim and scatter away from the crimson cumulus. From it, the young male's killer steps onto land, prey lifeless in its jaws.

This is an Angistorhinus, another predator that prowls the river's waters. It too is a phytosaur, sharing the same croc-like appearance as a Parasuchus. However, at 26 feet long and nearly half a ton in weight, it's much larger than even Zahra.

Its appearance also differs from hers, being much bulkier, her chest especially being much wider. The limbs and tail serve the same purpose but are both stronger and more muscular. Even its snout is broader and more robust with similar yet larger teeth. It has the same type of skin and back armor as a Parasuchus, but mainly dark gray mixed with a greenish-blue tint.

Now on land, the Angistorhinus starts to feed on its bounty. The other Morghreberia keep their distance from the larger predator, relying on numbers as their primary form of protection. As for Zahra, she begins to move upstream. Having filled up her stomach with fish, she has other, more important business to attend to.

***

Late afternoon has arrived at this lone canal. Much of the land and sky is tinted in the light of the sun, shifting from yellow to orange on its descent. The growth of the river's waters has also slowed, stagnating as the last bit of rainwater flows in.

Despite this, the height of the muddy cliffs around this brook has decreased with the rising water. Such change allows Zahra to climb to her destination, dry land.

With a lumbering gait, she slowly moves through the dense foliage. In the middle, she finds a single clearing of exposed dirt. This is what Zahra had been searching for, a spot to lay her eggs. It's not far from the water's edge but is still at a safe enough distance to avoid potential flooding.

Before the mother-to-be can deposit her vital cargo, she'll first need to build a nest. She starts by positioning herself in the middle of the dirt clearing. Then, she uses her limbs to scrape away the dry earth. Dozens of shoveling strokes of her feet help to make a small hole, just big enough for a clutch of eggs. Now, all there's left to do is stand over the hole and lay her unborn offspring before burying them in a mound of dirt.

Unfortunately for Zahra, she's not the only animal to have found this spot. Another animal crawls into the clearing, hissing and grumbling at the Parasuchus, an Angistorhinus. It, too, is a female looking for a spot to lay her eggs.

Despite the arrival of the much larger predator, Zahra doesn't back down. She lets out her hisses and grumbles as she stands over her future nest. With how rare a spot like this is in the area, she won't give it up easily.

For a short while, their competition is no more than hisses and gaping of their maws. That is until Zahra starts with a mock charge, quickly thrusting only a couple of feet across the dirt. The Angistorhinus flinches, stepping back a few inches. It charges forward, snapping its jaws onto the right front leg of the Parasuchus.

Suddenly, a part of the ground starts to break away from under the larger predator. This, in addition to the incline Angistorhinus stands upon, causes it to slip backward. Since her leg is caught by her larger rival's jaws, Zahra too is sent sliding down the riverside.

They turn and tumble along the steep incline, wrestling with one another. Both blood and mud stain the surface of each other's scaly skin. With a massive, erupting splash, the two phytosaurs crash into the river water. Zahra attempts to escape back onto land only to be dragged back under the surface. Soon, she becomes hidden by the many splashes against the water's surface. Only the heads as well as tails of the Parasuchus and Angistorhinus are seen in this aquatic chaos. In addition to the white foam of their splashes, the edge of the canal begins to fill with a cloud of crimson. With a brawl as brutal as this, only one of the two will emerge from the water as the victor.

***

Nearly two months have passed since the arrival of the river. In that time, the foliage around it had grown much in density. Resting in the middle of this thick vegetation is a single, large mound of dirt. The only colors seen on it are the brown of the earth around it, the dotted black shadow cast by the mid-day sun, and the area's greenery. Nestled inside are over twenty eggs, nearly ready to hatch.

Unfortunately for the nest, it's not alone. Gathered around it is a trio of Dutuitosaurus. As amphibians, being on land is a rare event for these predators. However, they'll occasionally crawl up on land and scavenge for any easy food opportunities, including an unguarded nest. So, they dig away at the large dirt structure, creating brown clouds as their feet shovel bits of it away.

Suddenly, they freeze in motion. A loud gurgling hiss fills the air around the nest. The Dutuitosaurus jerk their heads to the right, the source of the frightening sound. They quickly scatter away as the noise grows louder.

Emerging from the foliage around the nest is the resident mother, Zahra. She had succeeded in planting the seeds of the next generation. Such a victory has not come without its costs. Her body is littered with scars, remnants of the bites the Angistorhinus had left months prior. The most obvious injury is seen in her front right foot. Half of it is missing with only a healed nub and a single toe remaining.

In spite of such injuries, Zahra had been able to maintain her duties as the guardian of her future offspring. Such protection is necessary where plenty of predators won't hesitate in feasting on her unborn young, even other Parasuchus. Even if she does, another set of watchful eyes lies hidden in the foliage around it.

Now that the coast is clear, Zahra begins scraping dirt back onto the nest. This dug-up earth doesn't just shield the eggs from visibility, it also acts as a natural incubator. It's not constant with the changing temperatures throughout the day, so this mother digs at the nest regularly to maintain the temperature inside. Doing so will not only ensure that her eggs will hatch and that the young reptiles inside will be healthier when they do. In addition, the temperature of the nest will determine what sex the babies are born as, just like many other reptiles.

Having restored the nest, Zahra ceases her digging. She then places herself in front of it, her body curling around it as she lies down. Her eyes steadily close as she begins to slumber for the first time in a long while.

Suddenly, vibrations in the ground pull Zahra from her slumber. Her eyes spring open as they begin to dart around. She looks all around the greenery, searching for the source of the rumbling.

It isn't long before she finds the origins of such earthly shaking. A small herd of Moghreberias charge in from the river. The sounds of their panicked honks and their pounding footsteps are nearly deafening. Twigs and ferns snap and crush under their trampling feet.

Instinctively, Zahra clings her body close to the nest, hissing at the Moghreberias. They may not consume eggs as part of their diet, but their stampede provides a deadly risk to them as they could potentially be crushed. Her attempts at intimidation don't stop the herd, but they do veer away from the nest as they storm through.

At last, the Moghreberias have left the vicinity of the clearing. Zahra checks the nest finding little to no damage was done to it. Though just as a precaution, she leaves it to scope out the area for more potential dangers.

Little does she know that yet another predator is lurking not far away. As Zahra leaves the clearing, a different animal begins to emerge in her place. It slowly treads across the soft earth, leaving its croc-like footprints into it.

Once again, the Angistorhinus has come across this grove. Like Zahra, it too bears the scars of their last encounter, healed-up gashes, and tooth marks on its face. This time, however, her presence isn't fueled by maternity, but rather by hunger. And what better way to satisfy an appetite than with the eggs of a rival predator?

Ploddingly, the Angistorhinus steps toward the nest, sinking its feet into the soft dirt. Its mouth draws agape as it creeps closer. Grumbling hisses escape its jaws as it gets ready to dig at the mound.

Not far away, Zahra continues her regular patrol. All that she observes is the same foliage she had grown accustomed to and the usual small reptiles. If she doesn't eat them immediately, she successfully scares them away.

Abruptly, she pauses, hearing two different loud hisses. She jerks her around, focusing in on the sounds. One is a noise she had grown all too familiar with, but also wary. She rushes back in the direction of the nest, but only as fast as her slower body will allow.

It isn't long before she returns to the clearing. Right away, she spots the Angistorhinus, but it's not alone. It's hissing and growling at a different animal from Zahra, an unexpected guardian, a male Parasuchus. He stands before the nest, hissing, growling, and snapping his jaws at the Angistorhinus.

Immediately, Zahra joins the male's side and attempts to scare off the Angistorhinus. For a time, all three stand on their respective grounds, unflinching from the noises of one another. The Angistorhinus may still be larger, but a pair of protective Parasuchus still proves to be a formidable defense against it. Even her last encounter with just one has her wary of what may happen. Thus outnumbered, the Angistorhinus retreats from the clearing and back into the water from whence it emerged.

Now alone, Zahra directs her focus to the male Parasuchus. Normally, she'd still be fiercely protective, even against others of her kind. However, she appears tolerant of this guardian.

It appears that his arrival has come just in time. Squeaks and chirps, akin to those of baby crocodiles, appear from the nest. These sounds are muffled under all the dirt encasing the nest, but they're easily heard by the mother. At last, the young are beginning to hatch. With their birth, Zahra's job is now over, prompting her to march away from the mount she had protected for so long.

In her place, the male approaches the nest. He scuffs his foot across its surface, flinging dirt away in the process. This action is repeated until a small hole is formed in the mound.

From it, the residents of the nest crawl out, exposed to the mid-day light for the first time. The baby Parasuchus are much like the adults in appearance, but with a few drastic appearances. Their base skin color is much lighter with darker spots and streaks unseen in their mother. At only 6 inches long, they're also drastically smaller, making them highly vulnerable to the dangers of the world they're entering.

Fortunately, these youngsters won't be facing such dangers alone. The adult Parasuchus is not just any male, but rather their father, Ahmed. He mated with Zahra nearly four months ago and has since taken a more distant approach when guarding the nest.

Even so, guarding the eggs has been a duty that primarily falls on the mother. Now that hatchlings have emerged, it's Dad's turn to uphold the duties of ensuring their safety. Such a task begins by lowering his body to the ground. This allows the newborns to climb on top of their father and gain safe transport to the waters of the river. Unlike modern crocodiles and alligators, the mouths of Parasuchus aren't wide enough to carry their young in. So, this is their best compromise.

These youngsters won't be the only ones who will be given such transport. This brood is one of many along this stream that Ahmed had helped to father. With this clutch having hatched, he will travel between nests to greet his many offspring and carry them with him. Not only does this help in protecting the next generation, but it also shows his suitability as a potential partner for females Ahmed has yet to mate with.

With the yearly arrival of this river comes many opportunities for those who live in it. For some, it's a way to cool off and hydrate in the harsh, scorching world of the Triassic. Others, such as Parasuchus, see it as a way to feed after the long dry season. However, it is also the best time for breeding. As long as seasonal changes like this continue, there will always be a chance to sire and raise the next generation of the false crocs.