Mesozoic Era

Mesozoic Era

  The Mesozoic Era is a period of geological time that began from the Permian Extinction 250 million years ago to the Cretaceous–Tertiary mass extinction event a little more than 65 million years ago. The Permian Extinction is known as the great dying because it is the greatest mass extinction of Earth’s history. The following Mesozoic Era is often called the age of the reptiles because the dinosaurs became the most dominant animals on land. But in this era there were also big changes in many other plants and animals. They evolved into new forms. The flowering plants became dominant plants on land as animals evolved to spread their pollen and seeds. Warm blooded (endothermic) mammals and birds started to appear in the fossil record. Sharks and rays evolved into the modern fish we see today. Crocodiles also appeared and spread all across the warmer parts of the world.

 

  The world of the dinosaurs along many other species came to end because of the Cretaceous-Tertiary mass extinction. It was most likely caused by a huge extraterrestrial impact on Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula resulting in the Chicxulub crater. Along with massive volcanic eruptions that created Deccan Flats in India. These and possibly other catastrophic events sent massive amounts of ash, dust, and toxic volcanic gas into the atmosphere reducing sunlight for months or years disrupting and severely damaging the biosphere. 

   

  Nearly all of the organisms that have ever lived have gone extinct as new species take their place. But catastrophic damage to the Earth’s biosphere for any reason will cause wide spread extinction to many if not most of dominant animals, plants, and other organisms all at once as measured in deep geological time. This makes the life forms that did survive the cataclysm flourished then rapidly evolved and diversify to replace them. After the dinosaurs died out began the age of mammals and birds Earth has today.