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The
Mesozoic Era
Millions of years ago, the continents of the earth were connected.
The air was warm and dry, perfect for the plant-eating and meat-eating
animals called dinosaurs. This era had three periods.
The
Triassic Period
210 Million Years Ago
The first dinosaurs appeared in the late Triassic period. During
this time, herds of prosauropods were common.
The
Jurassic Period
150 Million Years Ago
The earth’s climate became wetter, helping plants to
grow in more places. The continents began to separate. Many
more kinds of dinosaurs appeared, including the giants.
The
Cretaceous Period
70 Million Years Ago
The continents continued separating, and the climate began
to cool. This cooling is one possible reason dinosaurs became
extinct, with none of them surviving past this period.
Mesozoic
Plants
Ferns and cycads (palmlike plants) made up most of the low-growing
vegetation. Tall evergreens and tree ferns created huge tropical
forest habitats.
Mesozoic
Animals
Dinosaurs weren't the only animals alive during the Mesozoic
era. Small mammals, snakes and amphibians such as turtles appeared,
along with the first bird, Archaeopteryx. Many of the era's flying
reptiles were small, but some were large, like the pterosaurs.
Mesozoic
Sea Life
Marine reptiles such as plesiosaurs and dolphinlike ichthyosaurs
dined on fish and crustaceans.
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