Dinosaurs first existed more than 200 million years ago. They ruled over Earth for about 155 million years. However, around 65 million years ago (when dinosaurs were at the height of their reign), an asteroid hit Earth in what is now Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. The impact caused significant damage to land and sea life, including the dinosaur population. Heat from the explosion blanketed much of North America with ash, which buried dinosaur vegetation and drastically cooled global temperatures (and thus inhibiting plant growth).
What was left after that?
After this asteroid hit Earth, most land animals larger than a squirrel eventually died, due to a lack of food. For the next several thousand years life on earth was very different. For thousands of years the Earth resembled a wasteland, rather than the rich and thriving ecosystem that had existed before the asteroid.
Some paleontologists believe that before this mass extinction event occurred, dinosaur populations had already dropped down to an all time low due to several events like volcanic eruptions, climate change and sea level changes. They argue that the meteorite hitting the Earth was only the final straw.
Other paleontologists point out that dinosaurs ruled the Earth for almost three times as long as they have been extinct. Which suggests that had this meteorite not hit the Earth, it is likely that the dinosaurs would still be ruling today.
Not all the dinosaurs went extinct though. Some actually still walk the Earth and live among us. In fact, if you go outside, you are sure to see a few dinosaur descendants flying around. That is because birds evolved from dinosaurs and are their descendants.
What did dinosaurs look like?
Dinosaurs had many shapes and sizes! Their skin and bones had many colors and they looked very different from each other. Recent fossil evidence shows that many of them had feathers and beaks.
