The emergence and extinction of the dinosaurs
PublicThe emergence of the first dinosaurs
In the Middle Triassic, the first primitive dinosaurs appear, small and swift bipedal reptiles.
The Triassic–Jurassic mass extinction
A large-scale extinction wave removes many competing reptile species, allowing dinosaurs to become the dominant land animals.
the rise of the giants: sauropods in the Jurassic
Enormous herbivorous sauropods such as Diplodocus and Brachiosaurus dominate the landscapes of the Jurassic.
The first birds appear
Archaeopteryx, a transitional form between dinosaurs and birds, develops in the Late Jurassic.
The rise of flowering plants
In the early Cretaceous, the first angiosperms appear, drastically changing vegetation and ecosystems.
Diversification of dinosaurs in the Cretaceous
Species such as Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops and Ankylosaurus dominate a rich and diverse ecosystem.
The Chicxulub asteroid impact
A massive asteroid strikes near what is now the Yucatán Peninsula, causing worldwide devastation.
The mass extinction at the end of the Cretaceous
Most dinosaur species become extinct as a result of the climatic effects of the asteroid impact.
The survival of the birds
A small group of feathered dinosaurs survives the mass extinction and evolves further into modern birds.
The mass extinction at the end of the Cretaceous
Within a few years of the impact, ecosystems worldwide collapsed due to a lack of sunlight and food. Large non-avian dinosaurs, which depended on stable food chains, could not adapt and disappeared entirely. This catastrophic event marks the end of the Mesozoic and the beginning of the Cenozoic, the age of mammals.