It took nature nearly 30 million years to recover from the biosphere catastrophe, known as the Triassic Extinction, ushering in the Mesozoic Era, second of Earth’s three major geologic eras.

The Mesozoic was the rebirth of nature, where the ancestors of major plant and animal groups that exist today first appeared, and was more popularly referred to as the age of the dinosaurs, whom ruled Earth for the next 160 million years. The following documentary, courtesy of Undeniable Truth, takes a comprehensive look at the Mesozoic Era, a critical time in our planet’s evolution.