The Mesozoic Era

By: Alex Reyer

248-65 Million Years Ago…

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/m esozoic/mesozoic.html

• Mesozoic means “middle animals” and is referred to as the Age of the Dinosaurs • There are 3 major subdivisions of the Mesozoic Era Triassic (245-208 Million Years Ago), the Jurassic (208 146 Million Years Ago), and the Cretaceous (146-65 Million Years Ago)

Triassic Period

• One supercontinent: PANGAEA • • Animals: The first small, fast dinosaurs, the first mammals and marine reptiles like the trilobite appeared in this period. Frogs, turtles, lizards and snakes also first appeared here. Plants: Ferns and conifers dominated the land, with some evergreens and palm tree like plants • Climate: Hot and Dry http://www.dinotreker.com/Late_Trias sic_Globe.jpg

End of the Triassic

• • • The end of the Triassic period was marked by a mass extinction where 35% of all animals died out. This was brought on by massive volcanic eruptions between 208 213 million years ago.

At this time, Pangaea began to break apart The extinction allowed for dinosaurs to flourish and rule for the next 150 million years http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/20 07/07/070719143512.jpg

Jurassic Period

• As Pangaea began to break apart it separated into Laurasia and Gondwana by the end of the Jurassic http://anthro.palomar.edu/earlyprimate s/images/map_of_earth_at_125_millio n.gif

• • Animals: More diverse mammals, sea life was abundant (coral, fish, sharks, squid and rays), and dinosaurs dominated. First birds appeared Plants: Remained the same from the Triassic • Climate: Hot and dry, with strong seasonality at first, changing to warm and moist with no polar ice and vast flooded areas.

Cretaceous Period

• The supercontinent was well on it’s way to breaking up and formed the continents we know today about 130 million years ago • • • Animals: DINOSAURS!!! The first placental mammals appeared as did more species of birds Plants: The first flowering plants began in the Cretaceous Climate: No polar ice-caps, more seasonality, sea-levels rose, greater extremes between equatorial and polar temperatures. http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/dinosa urs/mesozoic/cretaceous/

Large Dinosaurs in the Jurassic http://www.windows.ucar.edu/to ur/link=/earth/geology/images/m esozoic_jpg_image.html

Dinosaur Facts

• Dinosaurs are most recognizable by their size, teeth, claws and scary features!

• They evolved from reptilian ancestors 230 million years ago, after the Permian Triassic extinction where more than 95% of all life on earth went extinct • They varied greatly in size from 2 feet long and 6 lbs, to 100+ feet long (and/or tall) weighing 100 tons

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinosaur

• •

End of the Cretaceous: What Killed the Dinosaurs?

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/e volution/extinction/dinosau rs/ed_pop.html

The Cretaceous Period ended with a mass extinction about 65 million years ago, wiping out the dinosaurs and most animals (except birds). Theories about the cause of the extinction include asteroid impact, high- volcanic activity, climate changes, or disease.

The Age of the Dinosaurs was over and the Age of the Mammals began… http://www.cartoonstock.com/lowres/wpr0075l.jpg

Educational (and fun!) websites!

• • • • http://www.kidsdinos.com/dinosaur games/index.php

www.kidsdinos.com

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/diapsids/ext inction.html

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subject s/dinosaurs/