Marine life quickly recovered after global mass extinction

Reptiles rapidly invaded the seas soon after a global extinction wiped out most life on Earth, according to a new study. The oldest marine reptile fossils appeared 248.81 million years ago, the most precise date yet, according to the study. These pioneering marine reptiles, including the dolphin-like ichthyosaurs and sauropterygians, went on to rule the Mesozoic seas during the era of the dinosaurs.