Scientists have discovered fossils in southern Africa that date back 250 million years, just before the “Great Dying.” The findings, published in August 2025, shed light on life during the Permian period and provide clues about how ecosystems collapsed during the largest extinction in Earth’s history.

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• Fossils from Tanzania and Zambia, 250 million years old
• Found before “Great Dying” that wiped out ~70% land, most marine species
• Published in Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, Aug 2025
• 14 peer-reviewed studies detail new fossil species
• Fossils include saber-toothed gorgonopsians, burrowing dicynodonts, amphibians
• Specimens preserved in southern basins, high quality, rare detail
• Research expands knowledge beyond South Africa’s Karoo Basin
• Team from University of Washington, Field Museum, 17 years of fieldwork
• Fossils give global perspective on survival, extinction patterns
• Show ecosystems shifted after Great Dying, paving way for new species