When dinosaurs evolved - the triassic, jurassic, cretaceous
 
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Dinosaur Jungle   >   Dinosaur Facts   >   Timeline

Dinosaur Timeline



Scientists believe the earth was formed around 4,600 million years ago. By about 4,000 million years ago, the earth had cooled sufficiently for liquid water to appear, and the first life appeared soon after.

For nearly 3,500 billion years, all life was single-celled, but eventually multi-celled life evolved.

During the Palaeozoic era (530 to 248 million years ago), which is itself divided into various periods (Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Carboniferous, Permian), the first fish, and later amphibians, reptiles and mammal-like reptiles, all appeared. At the the end of the Palaeozoic era, there was some terrible disaster (the "Permian mass extinction") when many creatures became extinct.

Next came the Mesozoic era (248 to 65 million years ago), which is itself divided into three periods:
  • Triassic period: 248 to 213 million years ago

  • Jurassic period: 213 to 144 million years ago

  • Cretaecous period: 144 to 65 million years ago
Dinosaurs and other archosaurs (which means "ruling reptiles"), including crocodiles and pterosaurs, first evolved in the Triassic period, and remained the dominant land-creatures for the rest entire Mesozoic era.

During the early part of Mesozoic era, those mammal-like reptiles who had survived from Palaeozoic era dramatically declined, apparently out-competed by the dinosaurs, however they did give rise to the first mammals, which were mostly tiny mouse-sized creatures.

Birds first appear in the fossil-record during the Jurassic period. It is believed that they evolved from dinosaurs (see family tree).

At the end of the Mesozoic era, another great disaster occurred (the Cretaecous-Tertiary mass extinction), where the dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and many other creatures were wiped out. The period since the dinosaurs extinction is known as the Cenozoic and is divided into 2 periods: Tertiary and Quaternary.

During the Mesozoic era, when dinosaurs ruled the earth, not all dinosaurs lived at the same time. The different times that differerent dinosaurs lived at, is shown in the following chart:

  
AlbertosaurusAlbertosaurus was a carnivore (meat-eater) that lived from 76 to 74 million years agoAlbertosaurus was a carnivore (meat-eater) that lived from 76 to 74 million years ago
AllosaurusAllosaurus was a carnivore (meat-eater) that lived from 154 to 135 million years agoAllosaurus was a carnivore (meat-eater) that lived from 154 to 135 million years ago
AnkylosaurusAnkylosaurus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 74 to 65 million years agoAnkylosaurus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 74 to 65 million years ago
Apatosaurus
(Brontosaurus)		Apatosaurus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 157 to 146 million years agoApatosaurus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 157 to 146 million years ago
BaryonyxBaryonyx was a carnivore (meat-eater) that lived about 125 million years agoBaryonyx was a carnivore (meat-eater) that lived about 125 million years ago
BrachiosaurusBrachiosaurus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 156 to 140 million years agoBrachiosaurus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 156 to 140 million years ago
  
CamarasaurusCamarasaurus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 155 to 145 million years agoCamarasaurus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 155 to 145 million years ago
CamptosaurusCamptosaurus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 155 to 145 million years agoCamptosaurus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 155 to 145 million years ago
CeratosaurusCeratosaurus was a carnivore (meat-eater) that lived from 156 to 145 million years agoCeratosaurus was a carnivore (meat-eater) that lived from 156 to 145 million years ago
CoelophysisCoelophysis was a carnivore (meat-eater) that lived from 225 to 220 million years agoCoelophysis was a carnivore (meat-eater) that lived from 225 to 220 million years ago
CompsognathusCompsognathus was a carnivore (meat-eater) that lived from 155 to 145 million years agoCompsognathus was a carnivore (meat-eater) that lived from 155 to 145 million years ago
CorythosaurusCorythosaurus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 80 to 65 million years agoCorythosaurus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 80 to 65 million years ago
  
DiplodocusDiplodocus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 155 to 145 million years agoDiplodocus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 155 to 145 million years ago
Euoplocephalus
(Scolosaurus)		Euoplocephalus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 70 to 65 million years agoEuoplocephalus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 70 to 65 million years ago
GallimimusGallimimus was an omnivore (ate meat and plants) that lived from 75 to 70 million years agoGallimimus was an omnivore (ate meat and plants) that lived from 75 to 70 million years ago
GorgosaurusGorgosaurus was a carnivore (meat-eater) that lived from 76 to 68 million years agoGorgosaurus was a carnivore (meat-eater) that lived from 76 to 68 million years ago
HeterodontosaurusHeterodontosaurus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived about 205 million years agoHeterodontosaurus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived about 205 million years ago
HypsilophodonHypsilophodon was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 125 to 120 million years agoHypsilophodon was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 125 to 120 million years ago
  
IguanodonIguanodon was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 135 to 125 million years agoIguanodon was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 135 to 125 million years ago
KentrosaurusKentrosaurus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 156 to 150 million years agoKentrosaurus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 156 to 150 million years ago
LambeosaurusLambeosaurus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 83 to 65 million years agoLambeosaurus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 83 to 65 million years ago
MaiasauraMaiasaura was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 80 to 65 million years agoMaiasaura was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 80 to 65 million years ago
MamenchisaurusMamenchisaurus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 156 to 145 million years agoMamenchisaurus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 156 to 145 million years ago
MassospondylusMassospondylus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 208 to 204 million years agoMassospondylus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 208 to 204 million years ago
  
MelanorosaurusMelanorosaurus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 227 to 221 million years agoMelanorosaurus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 227 to 221 million years ago
MonocloniusMonoclonius was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 76 to 73 million years agoMonoclonius was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 76 to 73 million years ago
OrnithomimusOrnithomimus was an omnivore (ate meat and plants) that lived from 76 to 65 million years agoOrnithomimus was an omnivore (ate meat and plants) that lived from 76 to 65 million years ago
OuranosaurusOuranosaurus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 115 to 100 million years agoOuranosaurus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 115 to 100 million years ago
PachycephalosaurusPachycephalosaurus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 76 to 65 million years agoPachycephalosaurus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 76 to 65 million years ago
ParasaurolophusParasaurolophus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 76 to 74 million years agoParasaurolophus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 76 to 74 million years ago
  
ProtoceratopsProtoceratops was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 85 to 80 million years agoProtoceratops was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 85 to 80 million years ago
PsittacosaurusPsittacosaurus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 120 to 100 million years agoPsittacosaurus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 120 to 100 million years ago
RiojasaurusRiojasaurus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 225 to 219 million years agoRiojasaurus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 225 to 219 million years ago
SaurolophusSaurolophus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 74 to 70 million years agoSaurolophus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 74 to 70 million years ago
SpinosaurusSpinosaurus was a carnivore (meat-eater) that lived from 95 to 70 million years agoSpinosaurus was a carnivore (meat-eater) that lived from 95 to 70 million years ago
StegosaurusStegosaurus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 155 to 144 million years agoStegosaurus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 155 to 144 million years ago
  
StyracosaurusStyracosaurus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 76 to 70 million years agoStyracosaurus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 76 to 70 million years ago
TarbosaurusTarbosaurus was a carnivore (meat-eater) that lived from 68 to 65 million years agoTarbosaurus was a carnivore (meat-eater) that lived from 68 to 65 million years ago
TrachodonTrachodon was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 77 to 73 million years agoTrachodon was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 77 to 73 million years ago
TriceratopsTriceratops was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 72 to 65 million years agoTriceratops was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 72 to 65 million years ago
TorosaurusTorosaurus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 70 to 65 million years agoTorosaurus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 70 to 65 million years ago
TroodonTroodon was a carnivore (meat-eater) that lived from 74 to 65 million years agoTroodon was a carnivore (meat-eater) that lived from 74 to 65 million years ago
  
Tyrannosaurus RexTyrannosaurus Rex was a carnivore (meat-eater) that lived from 67 to 65 million years agoTyrannosaurus Rex was a carnivore (meat-eater) that lived from 67 to 65 million years ago
VelociraptorVelociraptor was a carnivore (meat-eater) that lived from 84 to 80 million years agoVelociraptor was a carnivore (meat-eater) that lived from 84 to 80 million years ago
YangchuanosaurusYangchuanosaurus was a carnivore (meat-eater) that lived from 166 to 140 million years agoYangchuanosaurus was a carnivore (meat-eater) that lived from 166 to 140 million years ago



 		  










































     
 
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