1. Middle and Recent Earth History
Chapter 14 Lesson 3

2. The Mesozoic Era 248 mya to 65 mya Dinosaurs roam the Earth
Tremendous plate movement occurs breaking Pangaea up

3. Breakup of Pangaea
Beginning of Mesozoic all land was joined as the Supercontinent Pangaea
During the Triassic Period- two large landmasses have formed
Laurasia (law RAY zhuh)
Gondwanaland ( Gahn DWAH nuh land)
Reptiles dominate species
By the end of the Mesozoic Era- continents in current places

4. Dinosaurs Height less than 1 m to Tyrannosaurus size
Small species occurred in the Triassic Period
Larger dinosaur species appeared in the Jurassic and Cretaceous Period
Many were fast moving- possibly reaching speeds of 65 km/h
Many may have been warm- blooded

5. Dinosaurs nurtured their young
Fossil records indicate that dinosaurs built nest near each other .
Dinosaurs traveled in herds
Some dinosaurs may have nurtured their young.

6. Birds Appeared during the Jurassic Period
May have evolved from small meat eating dinosaurs
Archaeopteryx was the first bird

7. Mammals Appeared in the Triassic Period
Small rodent or mouse like creatures
Warm blooded
Feed their young milk
Vertebrates- possess a backbone

8. Plants Mesozoic Era- Gymnosperms appear
Gymnosperms are plants that produce seeds but no flowers
Angiosperms- flowering plants appeared in the Cretaceous period
Angiosperms are the most diverse plants and abundant plants today

9. End of the Mesozoic Era Dinosaurs disappear
Major extinction of land and marine species
Asteroid collided with Earth???
Causing a huge cloud of smoke that blocked out the Sun
However, not all organisms died out- the ones that could survive are the ancestors for all the organisms presently surviving on Earth

10. Cenozoic Era Began 65 mya and continues today
Mountain ranges in North and South America as well as Europe formed during this time
Alps in Europe formed, Andes Mountains in S America formed
Cooler climate
Ice ages occurred

11. Mammals of Cenozoic Era
Expanding grass lands favored grazing animals
Horses, camels, deer, and elephants
Whales and dolphins evolve to live in oceans
Man appeared about 140, 000 years ago