When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth The Mesozoic Era When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth

The Triassic World

Mesozoic Era 1. Triassic 2. Jurassic 3. Cretaceous Began around 245 million years ago after a mass extinction in the Paleozoic Era and ended because of another… *Mass Extinction After mass extinction there is lots of new area open for animals to live in Pangaea begins to crack

Still dominant during the Mesozoic Era… Reptiles Turtles, Crocodiles/Alligators, Lizards, etc. 3 types of animals: ~ Leftover from before the extinction ~ New groups that lasted only a short time ~ New groups that lasted a long time

First small mammals and birds appear

In the TRIASSIC period we see the … Earliest Dinosaurs Pisanosaurus Length:3 feet Height:1 foot Weight:15 pounds Eoraptor: Length:3 feet Height:1 feet Weight:20 pounds Lesothsaurus: Length:3 feet Height:1 foot Weight:15 pounds

Triassic Plant Life Mosses Scale Trees (like palm trees) Ginkos

The Jurassic World

The Jurassic Period 206 - 144 Million Years Ago Oceans full of fish, squid, sharks, etc.

Jurassic Plant Eating Dinosaurs Many had armor to protect themselves Triceratops; Ankylosaurus Many very large (larger than a Rhino/Hippo) Some were extremely large (as long as a city block): Diplodocus Diplodocus Ankyloasaurus

Jurassic Carnivorous Dinosaurs Carnivorous = meat-eaters *Some were very large: Allasaurus *Some were smaller: Raptors, and many more **All had sharp teeth, claws, and speed

Jurassic Marine Dinosaurs Most with similar shapes as a dolphins or sharks Ate fish and other marine animals Some were VERY large All could swim VERY fast Ichthyosaurus

Jurassic Pterosaurs Pterodactyls and Pterosaurs Most had trouble ‘walking’ Were very good flyers Had hollow bones Small (~ 1 foot) and very large (~ 16 feet)

The Cretaceous World

The Cretaceous Period 144 - 66 million years ago First flowering plants The kinds of mammals increased T- REX time! First plants with flowers Their appearance was very rapid They appeared at the same time as the number of insects increased… Could insects have helped the flowering plants evolve?

The Cretaceous Mass Extinction Around 60% of all species went extinct. Affected many land animals/plants Affected fewer marine animals

What organisms went extinct? All dinosaurs All pterosaurs All ichthyosaurs Many terrestrial plants Many marine animals

What organisms survived? MAMMALS (!) Birds Many plants (ferns were the most successful plant for a while) Trees with flowers Small lizards/crocodiles/alligators/turtles Fish, squids, sharks, etc.

What caused the extinction? Meteorite impact theory 66 million years ago, a ~6 mile wide meteorite struck the Earth near what is now Mexico.

Meteorite Impact This is an EXAGGERATED view of a meteorite impact

How? A METEORITE What did it do? Shock waves, tidal waves, and sent a tremendous amount of dust into the atmosphere As the dust heated the atmosphere causing HUGE forest fires Over time, could have blocked sunlight and cooled the Earth Plants, animals, etc went extinct due to climate change & competition between organisms

EXIT TICKET What do you think would be the most successful traits/adaptations to have in order to avoid becoming extinct during the meterorite of the Mesozoic Era? And why??