Greetings, intrepidarians!

I love dinosaurs!

Here is an article on my favorite dinosaur era: the Cretaceous.

The Cretaceous Period is the period in Earth’s history when the most ferocious and unique creatures dominated the planet. In the seas Mosasaurs reigned supreme while the massive Argentinasaurus strolled down prehistoric South America. Spinosaurus, the world’s largest land-based carnivore, was fishing away in Africa while the giant Quetzalcoatlus soared over North America.

It seemed that the Earth was to be theirs forever. But the end was on its way.

The Cretaceous lasted for nearly eighty million years. Species came and went. The famed ichthyasaurs were dead and gone, Mosasaurs had taken to the sea and became apex predators within the span of 6 million years. Nature, it seemed, churned out monsters continually.

Their days were numbered, however.

What caused this mass extinction? What could wipe out the biggest creatures in existence?

The answer to the question lies in the Yucatan Peninsula. A massive crater measuring 180 km wide  and partially submerged reveals a massive asteroid struck the earth around this time. The prevailing theory is that this six-mile wide asteroid smashed into sulfur deposits and covered the Earth in sulfuric dust. This dust and ash rained down and caused fiery devastation. The devastation was followed by an impact winter that killed off the dinosaurs as well as half of the Earth’s fauna.

I believe that, if the theories are all correct, mammals would not have evolved without this event. Dinosaurs would have ruled the Earth; the ecological niches held by mammals today would probably be class Dinosauria. Perhaps a special branch of dinosaur would have attained intelligence and occupy the same niche humans hold presently.

What would today look like if these species HADN’T been wiped out?

Still, it would have been a glorious sight to have seen all those creatures, wild and free, beneath a setting sun.

To see some cool theories of the disastrous event that wiped out the dinosaurs check out the links below!

Links

Dinosaurs documentary – When did dinosaurs became extinct – National geographic

The Day the Mesozoic Died: The Asteroid That Killed the Dinosaurs — HHMI BioInteractive Video