Blogger's humorous guide to surviving Permian extinction goes viral
A blogger posted a humorous video offering a «survival guide for the Permian extinction,» which has drawn 442,000 views and 51,000 likes. Here’s what she tells her followers.
Valeria Odintsova, known online as lerroy999, with 58,000 followers on Instagram*, shared a comedic clip explaining «how to survive the Permian extinction.»
The Permian extinction was the largest ecological catastrophe in Earth«s history. Occurring 252 million years ago, it wiped out about 95% of ocean dwellers and 70% of land animals. In Siberia, hundreds of giant volcanoes erupted simultaneously, releasing carbon dioxide; lava covered an area the size of a whole country, making the planet unbearably hot. Oceans warmed, depleting oxygen in the water, causing marine life to suffocate, and collapsing food chains, leading to mass die-offs of plants, insects, and large animals.
The event is called the Permian extinction because it happened during the Permian Period, named after fossils found near Perm and in the Perm Governorate, which were thoroughly studied and described there.
«Don»t leave your burrow without a protective layer of mud«
«A guide to surviving the Permian extinction. First, run from Siberia, seriously—legs in hand,» Valeria jokes. «Because the Siberian Traps have opened up, the ground is literally turning into liquid lava.»
She also advises holding your breath for a couple of million years, since volcanoes spew carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases, making the atmosphere like a sauna—but with acid splashed on the stones instead of aromatic oils.
«Forget seafood, no sashimi,» Valeria continues. «Because the oceans have acidified and heated up to a soup-like state, everything has spoiled, all expired.»
She clarifies: if you«re a trilobite living in water, she feels sorry for you. But if you»re a small, inconspicuous «rat,» you have a better chance of survival because you can hide in your little burrow. You«ll have to eat whatever you find: dried moss and burnt ferns.
«Protect the ozone layer: volcanoes have literally burned through it,» Valeria explains. «It»s severely damaged. If you«re a little rat, you don»t have SPF (sunscreen), so smear yourself with mud. Mud is your protection against strong radiation because the ozone layer is damaged. If you don«t want to get scorched, shield yourself from the sun. Don»t leave your burrow without a protective layer of mud, and develop your lungs because oxygen will become scarce.«
Subscribers delighted in comments
The video has been watched 442,000 times and liked 51,000 times. In the comments, viewers and followers joke and show support:
— Thanks for the detailed instructions! Honestly, the advice to become a small rat and smear yourself in mud is quite relevant even today.
— I started seeing your videos yesterday. Now I love this format! Please keep going! I need a survival guide for Mars, can«t wait!
— I increasingly feel like a trilobite hanging out in the water during the Permian extinction.
«What to do if you»re on Mercury«
Valeria has a whole series of videos on such topics: «Guide to Defeating Poseidon,» «What to Do on Mercury,» «What to Do If You»re a Slipper Ciliate,« »What to Do in a Labyrinth with the Minotaur,« and »What to Do in the Bermuda Triangle.«
Nearly every one of her videos on these themes gathers from 400,000 views. Her most popular clip, «Guide to Surviving the Triassic Period,» has reached 2 million views. Celebrities like Maxim Lutchak and Alexander Gudkov, along with several well-known companies, commented on it, praising her and joking around.
Among Valeria«s followers is acclaimed theater and film actress Valentina Rubtsova, who played Tanya in the series »SashaTanya« (16+), though she hasn»t commented on or liked the videos or photos.
*Owned by Meta, designated as extremist and banned in the Russian Federation.
Earlier, we reported on 10-year-old blogger Vova from Gubakha, who travels with his family and shares his experiences.
