How many puzzles are hidden in ancient world history. Dinosaurs are one of them. They reigned on Earth for more than 160 million years, from the Triassic period (approximately 225 million years ago) to the end of the Cretaceous (about 65 million years ago). Today, scientists can recreate the appearance of these animals, their lifestyle and habits, but many questions have not yet been answered. How did dinosaurs come about? Why did they disappear? Although these dinosaurs disappeared from the face of our planet almost 65 million years ago, the history of dinosaurs, their origin, life and sudden death is of undoubted interest to researchers. Let's look at the main stages of reptile development.
origin of name
Dinosaurs are called the only group of reptiles. This name refers only to those of them who lived in the Mesozoic era. Translated from Greek, the term "dinosaur" means "terrifying" or "scary pangolin." This name was introduced by British explorer Richard Owen in 1842. So he proposed to name the first discovered fossilized remains of ancient dinosaurs to emphasize their unprecedented size and grandeur.
The beginning of the era of dinosaurs
As you know, the whole history of the planet is traditionally divided into successive eras. The time in which dinosaurs lived is usually attributed to the Mesozoic. It, in turn, includes three periods: the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous. The Mesozoic era began about 225 million years ago, and it ended about 70 million years ago. The history of dinosaurs begins during the first period - the Triassic. However, they received the greatest distribution in the Cretaceous.
Long before dinosaurs appeared, reptiles lived on the planet. They were like lizards familiar to a modern person in that their paws were on the sides of the body. But when global warming began (300 million years ago), an evolutionary explosion occurred among them. All groups of reptiles began to actively develop. So the archosaurus appeared - it differed from its predecessors in that its paws were already located under the body. Presumably, the emergence of dinosaurs also relates to this chronological segment.
Triassic dinosaurs
At the very beginning of the Triassic period, many new species of lizards appeared. It is believed that they already moved on two legs, because their forepaws were shorter and much less developed than their hind legs. In this they differed from their predecessors. The history of the dinosaurs says that one of the first species was a stavricosaurus. He lived about 230 million years ago where Brazil is now located.
In the early evolutionary stages, a large number of other reptiles existed: these were the zaurons, cynodonts, ornithosuchids, and others. Therefore, the dinosaurs had to endure a long rivalry before occupying their niche and achieving prosperity. It is believed that they have gained a dominant position over all other inhabitants of the planet at the end of the Triassic period. This is associated with the large-scale extinction of animals that then inhabited the Earth.
Jurassic Dinosaurs
By the beginning of the Jurassic period, dinosaurs became sovereign masters of the planet. They spread over the entire surface of the Earth: in the mountains and plains, swamps and lakes. The history of dinosaurs of this period is marked by the emergence and spread of numerous new species. An example is the allosaurus, diplodocus, stegosaurus.
Moreover, these lizards most radically differed from each other. So, they could be of completely different sizes, have a different lifestyle. Some of the dinosaurs were predators, others were completely harmless herbivores. It is interesting that it was during the Jurassic period that the winged dinosaurs — pterosaurs — flourished. Majestic reptiles reigned not only on land and in the sky, but also in the deep sea.
Cretaceous dinosaurs
During the Cretaceous, the number and variety of dinosaurs reached their maximum level. On the other hand, some scientists do not share the point of view of a sudden and significant increase in the number of reptiles. In their opinion, representatives of the Triassic and Jurassic periods are much less studied than the inhabitants of the Cretaceous.
There were a lot of herbivorous reptiles at this time. This is due to the appearance on the planet of a large number of new plant species. However, there were plenty of predators. The emergence of such a famous species as the tyrannosaurus belongs to the Cretaceous period. By the way, he turned out to be one of the most famous dinosaurs. The most massive of all carnivorous reptiles, it weighed up to eight tons, and its growth could reach 12 meters. The appearance of such famous species as iguanodon and triceratops also belongs to the Cretaceous period.
The mysterious death of dinosaurs
Dinosaurs disappeared about 65 million years ago. This event occurred at the very end of the Cretaceous. Today, there are many different theories about how and why this happened. However, scientists and now can not come to a consensus.
In particular, the causes of their death, and whether it was slow or fast, raise questions. It is known for certain that it became one of the parts of the “great extinction” of that time. Then not only dinosaurs, but also other reptiles, as well as mollusks and some algae, disappeared from the face of the Earth. According to one point of view, the "great extinction" was triggered by the
fall of the asteroid.After that, giant clouds of dust rose into the air, covering the sun for months, which caused the death of all living things. Some scientists are of the opinion that a star exploded near the Earth, as a result of which the entire planet was covered with deadly radiation for its inhabitants. Also a common point of view is that the dinosaurs became extinct as a result of the cooling, which began at the end of the Cretaceous. One way or another, the reptile era is over. And how this happened, science has yet to find out.
Dinosaur study history
The history of dinosaurs began to interest people relatively recently. Their study began only at the beginning of the 19th century. This is largely due to the fact that people did not perceive the bones found in the Earth as traces of dinosaurs. It is interesting that in antiquity they believed that these were the remains of heroes from the times of the Trojan War.
In the Middle Ages and before the 19th century - the giants who died in
the Great Flood. Only in 1824 they were first identified as the remains of giant dinosaurs. In 1842, the British scientist Richard Owen, drawing attention to the main distinguishing features of these reptiles, brought them into a separate suborder and gave them the name "dinosaurs". Since then, there has been a constant accumulation of knowledge about them, new species have opened up. The life story of dinosaurs has become more and more complete. Now the study of these reptiles continues with even greater zeal. Modern researchers have nearly a thousand species of dinosaurs.
Dinosaurs in popular culture
World art has given people a huge number of books and films dedicated to these dinosaurs. For example, they appear in the work of Arthur Conan Doyle's “The Lost World”, which was subsequently repeatedly filmed. Based on the work of Michael Crichton, they shot the famous painting Jurassic Park. The history of dinosaurs for children is presented through numerous animated films and colorful illustrated books. Of these, the child can get acquainted with these amazing and majestic animals.
Despite the fact that so much time has passed since the last dinosaurs disappeared from the surface of the Earth, the history of the origin of these majestic dinosaurs, their life and the mystery of their disappearance still excite people's hearts and minds. However, most of their riddles are likely to remain unanswered.