Tyrannosaurus Rex lived during the Cretaceous Period.
The Cretaceous Period
What do you already know about the Cretaceous Period?
The Cretaceous Period started 145 million years ago and ended 66 million years ago. It lasted for 79 million years, the longest period by far! This was the last part of the Mesozoic Era, as at the end of the Cretaceous period all the dinosaurs, as well as all of the marine and flying reptiles and many other creatures became extinct, never to exist again. It is thought this was caused by a massive asteroid hitting Earth.
The Cretaceous Period was when the most dinosaurs lived. There were so many different types of dinosaurs, and much more than at any other time! They are also the dinosaurs we know most about as more fossils have been found of these dinosaurs than any other. There were lots of dinosaurs then. Big scary meat eating dinosaurs lived like T-Rex, as well as smaller theropods that attacked in packs, such as Velociraptor. Herds of small plant eaters and dinosaurs which had body armour like Triceratops also roamed the Earth.
Many other creatures lived during the Cretaceous Period. There were still flying reptiles around, including Pteranodon and giant marine reptiles too, such as Ichthyosaurs. Reptiles that we still have today were also were around during the Cretaceous, such as crocodiles, lizards, snakes, and turtles. Mammals were also living then, but they were quite small creatures, and insects increased in number.
Triceratops
Velociraptor
During the Cretaceous Period the land on Earth continued to move apart and split. Just like the Jurassic Period, as the land moved apart there would have been lots of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. By the end of the Cretaceous the land was getting close to how it looks now.
It was very warm during the Cretaceous Period, just like during the rest of the Mesozoic Era, but there was also plenty of rain so plants continued to grow. Trees such as conifers and fern like plants still grew, while different types of plants also started to appear. For the first time flowers grew, becoming very common by the end of the Cretaceous Period.
What the Earth looked like at the beginning and at the end of the Cretaceous Period, compared to the Earth today.
What we've learnt...
Cretaceous Period was 145 – 66 million years ago. It lasted for 79 million years!
During the Cretaceous Period the Earth was completely dominated by dinosaurs, of shapes and sizes.
We know more about the dinosaurs of the Cretaceous then any other period because we have found so many fossils from this final part of the Mesozoic Era.
The Cretaceous Period ended with as massive event that caused all the dinosaurs to become extinct.
During the Cretaceous Period the land on Earth continued to split apart and more creatures and plants were living on it, including flowers growing for the first time.
Test your knowledge...
The Cretaceous Period Quiz
If you click the correct answer the box will turn green. If its the wrong answer it will turn red and then show you what the correct answer was. Make sure you read/listen to the questions carefully!
#1. In which period did the most dinosaurs live?
#2. Which was the longest period of the Mesozoic Era?
#3. Why do we know so much about the dinosaurs of the Cretaceous?
#4. Was the Cretaceous Period…
#5. Why is it thought the dinosaurs became extinct?
Results
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Question Time...
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The photos on this page are mainly of dinosaur models. They are used to give you a idea of what the dinosaurs would have looked like, but I can’t guarantee they are 100% accurate!
Creative Commons Images used with thanks…
Tyrannosaurus Rex and Triceratops by Marcin Chady – CC BY 2.0
Other photos and illustrations on this page are Whizzbots or Public Domain Images.
Other images on the site may be Shutterstock Images or Unsplash Images, which are credited appropriately and used with thanks.