Insects, such as cockroaches, flourish. The first reptiles evolve. Permian Period 290-248 million years ago A single supercontinent, Pangaea, forms as Earth's landmasses collide and merge. Pangaea extends across all climatic zones and nearly from one pole to the other. This supercontinent is surrounded by an immense world ocean.
Extensive glaciation persists in what is now India, Australia, and Antarctica.
Hot, dry conditions prevail elsewhere on Pangaea, and deserts become widespread. Invertebrate marine life is rich and diverse at the beginning of the period. Toward the end of this period, mass extinctions occur among large groups of corals, bryozoans, and other invertebrates. The last of the trilobites becomes extinct. Amphibians decline in number, but reptiles undergo a spectacular evolutionary development of carnivorous and herbivorous, terrestrial and aquatic forms.