Dinosaurs had a hard time long before the meteor impact – Wel.nl

About 66 million years ago, the largest and most powerful animal species the Earth had ever known came to an end. A devastating meteorite impact eventually killed the dinosaurs. But they have been struggling for a long time.

For millions of years, they struggled for survival, according to new research on the evolutionary trends of six major types of dinosaurs, including Tyrannosaurus and Triceratops. “We looked at dinosaurs throughout the Cretaceous period, which ranged from 160 to 66 million years ago,” said study leader Fabian Condamine.

The problems started 10 million years before the deadly meteor impact, and “About 76 million years ago, the dinosaurs experienced a sudden decline,” Condamine says. “Their extinction rate has increased and in some cases the rate of emergence of new species has decreased.”

The researchers explained that the main reason is the low temperature on the planet. The temperature was only 7 degrees Celsius at the time, while dinosaurs need much higher temperatures. Plant eaters in particular had a hard time, making the entire ecosystem unstable and other dinosaur species extinct as well.

The meteor was the final blow. “This was a key moment in the evolution of life,” Condamine concludes. Dinosaurs dominated the world for more than 160 million years. As they refused, other groups began to become more dominant, including mammals.”

Bronn (nen): Scientists

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *