Silurian

The Silurians (: Doctor Who and the Silurians), more properly known as the Eocenes (: The Sea Devils, : White Darkness), are a fictional species created by Malcolm Hulke for the sci-fi television series Doctor Who.
A race of sapient reptilian humanoids which evolved on the planet Earth in prehistory, the Silurians have placed themselves in hibernation chambers millions of years ago, in order to escape a catastrophic event that threatened their civilisation. They are evolutionarily related to the aquatic Sea Devils, both species being collectively known as Earth Reptiles.
==History==
The Silurians figure among many species known to have worshiped the Great Old Ones long before the rise of humankind (: All-Consuming Fire). By the time the Great Old Ones placed themselves in stasis, following a great war that left the Earth's biosphere in ruins, the "reptile men" had already done so as well (: White Darkness).
The occultist Aleister Crowley owned an unexpurgated copy of the Necronomicon with at least one passage written in the Eocene language, containing instructions on how to raise the dead (: White Darkness).
==Behind the Mythos==
The time period this species originates from is the subject of contradicting evidence in Doctor Who. The Doctor himself has stated that the name Silurian is a misnomer, as they are not from the Silurian period, suggesting Eocene as a more accurate name. In truth, neither the Silurian Period nor the Eocene Epoch are compatible with the fact that this species is known to have coexisted with Mesozoic dinosaurs, and that their representation of the world shows the supercontinent Pangaea, perhaps suggesting the Triassic as the most likely candidate. Further complications arise from the fact that they apparently coexisted with early hominids as well, and that the Doctor has speculated that the disaster they went into hibernation to escape from was the formation of the moon, which in the real world is believed to have happened long before the Earth was capable of harbouring complex life.
==External links==
Category:Sapient Species
Category:Earth-Native Species
Category:Species Originating From Mythos-Adjacent Works