The Triassic Period is generally regarded as the beginning of the Age of the Dinosaurs. For paleontologists, however, the Triassic is a time when the first modern land ecosystems appear, reflecting a major shift from the animal and plant communities of the Paleozoic to those of later periods.Over the past three decades, extensive field studies have led to the discovery of many new Triassic animals and plants, and these discoveries now suggest that faunal turnover was more protracted, beginning in the Middle Triassic. The Late Triassic is a pivotal time in the evolution of life on land, and this comprehensive reference is the first to detail life on land during the Triassic in its entirety. Aimed at advanced students and researchers, the book surveys the most significant assemblages of Triassic land animals and plants and their geological context. Hans-Dieter Sues and Nicholas C. Fraser, both noted vertebrate paleontologists, enhance their descriptions with illustrations illuminating the paleoenvironmental and paleoecological context of plants and animals.