Dinosaurs are terrestrial vertebrates that dominated Earth during the Mesozoic era - for more than 160 million years, from the Late Triassic period (about 225 million years ago) until the end of the Cretaceous period (about 65 million years ago), when most of them became extinct at the junction of the Cretaceous and Tertiary periods during the large-scale extinction of animals and many plant species in a relatively short geological period of history.
Dinosaur fossils have been found on all continents of the planet. Nowadays, paleontologists have described more than 500 different genera and more than 1000 different species, which are clearly divided into two groups - ornithisch and lizard-haired dinosaurs.
The death of dinosaurs is a centuries-old mystery. Scientists are still trying to figure out what happened 65 million years ago - why did dinosaurs become extinct? There are a great many possible reasons - these are catastrophes, for example - a cold snap or fall of an asteroid, and volcanic eruptions, and many other various hypotheses.
The hypothesis of a global flood or a decrease in sea level is untenable, because many sea lizards died in the same way as the terrestrial ones. And vice versa. Even more implausible is the version of the destruction of dinosaurs by primitive people. It has been proven that the first people appeared millions of years after the death of giant lizards.
There are several more stupid versions:
- all carnivorous dinosaurs ate herbivores and could not find food for themselves;
- dinosaurs died due to their sluggishness (although there were small and very fast individuals among dinosaurs);
- mammals ate all dinosaurs (doubtful, especially considering the size of some dinosaur species and the fact that many reptiles escaped the same fate).
Promotional video:
According to a number of researchers, the death of the dinosaurs occurred as a result of a giant volcanic eruption caused by a collision with an asteroid. Studies by American researchers confirm this version, since a similar volcanic eruption under the Indian Ocean several million years before the death of the dinosaurs had the same devastating impact on the environment. However, in the case of dinosaurs, there is no evidence of an asteroid impact at the time in question.
Other researchers believe that the cause of the death of the dinosaurs should be considered climate change, in particular - the cooling, the onset of the ice age. Another interesting suggestion has been linked to dinosaur diseases. It turns out that cancer is not only a disease of our time. Scientists examining the remains of a tyrannosaurus discovered a fossilized brain tumor. Although … In animals, tumors are rare, and considering that they usually arise in soft tissues, it is unlikely that the tumor can turn to stone. The mass death of dinosaurs would hardly have happened for this reason.
Something difficult to explain happened on Earth 65 million years ago. As a result of some formidable and, apparently, sudden event, entire species of the animal world became extinct. Dinosaurs, flying lizards have disappeared forever. The era of extinction lasted for about 200 years. The sedimentary rocks of the oceanic sediments that formed at that time provide us with documentary evidence of the transience of those dramatic events - entire cemeteries of dinosaurs.
A supernova explosion at a relatively short distance from the solar system. The emission of particles could reach the Earth and infect inhabiting creatures. However, there is no evidence that the planet was exposed to massive radiation during that time period. But even if this happened, it would affect all animals without exception. Moreover, genetically crocodiles or birds are located close to dinosaurs.
But maybe there was no instant extinction? More and more evidence is emerging that the extinction of many groups of dinosaurs did not happen instantly, but lasted for millennia. And it is possible that some groups of dinosaurs have disappeared already in "historical" times, in the memory of mankind - let us recall the notorious dragons. And some of the dinosaurs could survive to this day … One way or another, but dinosaurs will present science with more than one surprise.