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Cretaceous

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An artist's depiction of a Velociraptor, a fast and agile dinosaur that lived millions of years ago.

The Time of Dinosaurs

The Cretaceous was a very old time, from about 143 million years ago to 66 million years ago. It was the last and longest part of a time called the Mesozoic Era. This time had warm weather, which made the seas rise and fill many places.

In these warm seas, many amazing sea creatures lived, like swimming reptiles and spiral-shelled ammonites. On the land, big dinosaurs were the main animals. Some of the most famous dinosaurs lived during this time.

Many plants and animals that we see today first appeared in the Cretaceous. Early mammals and birds showed up, and flowers began to spread all over the world. This was a very important time for the start of many modern life forms.

The name Cretaceous comes from a Latin word for chalk. Chalk is a soft, white rock that we still find today in places like England. This rock was made from tiny sea creatures that lived millions of years ago.

During the Cretaceous, the world looked very different. Big landmasses split apart to become the continents we know now. Huge seas filled parts of what is now North America. These changes made new homes for many animals and plants.

Even though a sad event happened at the end of this time, the Cretaceous left us with many clues about Earth's past. Scientists find fossils in rocks and seas to learn more about this amazing time long ago.

Images

An ancient map showing how Earth looked 105 million years ago during the Albian Age.
Illustration of a Mosasaurus hoffmannii skull, showcasing this fascinating prehistoric marine reptile.
A well-preserved fossil of a young Scipionyx samniticus dinosaur on display at the Natural History Museum in Milan, Italy.
A map showing how North America looked during the time of the dinosaurs, with a large sea splitting the continent.
Fossil of Archaefructus liaoningensis, one of the earliest known flowers from the Early Cretaceous period, displayed at the Beijing Museum of Natural History.
Fossil plant display from the Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin, Germany.
An artistic reconstruction of the Tyrannosaurus rex, a large carnivorous dinosaur from the late Cretaceous period.
Illustration of a young Triceratops dinosaur, showing its distinctive three horns and bony frill.
An artist's depiction of Quetzalcoatlus, a giant flying reptile from prehistoric times, soaring through the sky.
A scientific artist's reconstruction of Ichthyornis dispar, a primitive seabird that lived millions of years ago during the Late Cretaceous period in what is now North America.
Fossilized skeleton of Priosphenodon, an ancient reptile from the time of the dinosaurs.
Fossil of Philydrosaurus proseilus, an ancient reptile with preserved skin remains, displayed in a museum.
Illustration showing how space impacts can affect Earth, helping us learn about past events in our planet's history.
Illustration of a prehistoric bird, Confuciusornis sanctus, soaring through the air during the Mesozoic era.

Related articles

Mesozoic
Ammonites
Birds
Latin
Chalk
England

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Cretaceous, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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