Dinosaurs In The Cretaceous Period
Many great changes took place in the Cretaceous period. It included the splitting up of the earth's surface and formation of oceans and seas that provided habitat to aquatic animals and also a niche to mountains. The formation of oceans and seas provided humidity to the landscapes, and brought changes in the temperature that directly affected the booming of plants and animals. |
The flourishing of many different and unique varieties of flowers was the foremost quality of this period. The land also became populated with animals and filled the gap of extinction of dinosaurs and hence, balanced the ecological chain.
This period saw evolution of many new varieties of dinosaurs such as Sauropods, which were mainly found in Southern continents; ornithischians such as Iguanodon found ubiquitously except Antarctica; three-horned triceratops found in the northern continents; tyrannosaurus rex, a theropoid and carnivorous dinosaur, found in the north; and the spinosaurus, a great meat eater.
Other animals also thrived such as frogs, salamanders, turtles, crocodiles, and snakes. Aquatic birds, cormorants, pelicans, sandpipers also appeared in this period. Rays and modern shark, modern shark, starfish, coral reefs also marked their existence. Diatoms, a type of shelled plankton, became the first one to live in ocean.
The scattering of flowering plants due to movement of insects such as bees, wasp, ants and beetles stole their beauty. Soon magnolia, ficus and sassafras became larger in number than ferns, conifers, gingkoes and cycads.
Till the end of the period, this rich life consisting of many species vanished. It included disappearance of all dinosaurs, pterosaurs, pliosaurs and ammonities.
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