1. Long Ago
Although dinosaurs lived during all three periods of the Mesozoic era, the species present in each period were very different.
1.2 What was life like when the dinosaurs existed?
During the Mesozoic era, life on earth was very different from what it is like today. During this time, dinosaurs dominated the Earth. It is believed that at this time, besides the dinosaurs not many other forms of life existed. Many living things had gone extinct during the world’s largest “mass extinction”.This depleted state, was followed by an abundance of many new life forms, which included dinosaurs and mammals and later on, came the birds and flowering plants.
During the Mesozoic era, life on earth was very different from what it is like today. During this time, dinosaurs dominated the Earth. It is believed that at this time, besides the dinosaurs not many other forms of life existed. Many living things had gone extinct during the world’s largest “mass extinction”.This depleted state, was followed by an abundance of many new life forms, which included dinosaurs and mammals and later on, came the birds and flowering plants.
1.3 What was the earth like?
The climate was warm, the seasons were very mild, the sea level was higher, and there was no polar ice. Even the shape of the continents was different! In fact, all the continents were connected together forming one continent known as the “supercontinent” Pangaea.
1.4 What kinds of food were available?a. Mesozoic Animals: small, quivering animals, mouse sized, and cat-sized.
b. Birds or pterosaurs: prehistoric birds c. Fish, sharks, and marine reptiles d. Insects: small, easy to find bugs e. Cycads: first plants on dry land f. Ginkgoes: 30 ft. high trees that grew in thick forests g. Conifers: first trees, cone-bearing trees h. Flowering plants |