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| Pangaea, the super-continent that formed in the Mesozoic Era |
The Mesozoic Era, also known as the "Age of the Reptiles", lasted from 251 to 65 mya. Dinosaurs are the most well-known reptiles of the era and dominated for approximately 150 million years. During the Mesozoic Era, reptiles were not the only creatures that evolved. It is believed that flowering plants as well as birds made their appearance during this era. Higher levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are thought to have caused the world temperature gradient from north to south to become almost flat: temperatures were about the same across the planet. Average temperatures were also higher than today by about 10°C. In fact, by the middle Cretaceous, the ocean may have been too warm for sea life, and land areas near the equator may have been deserts despite their being so close to the water. At the end of the Mesozoic era, dinosaurs as well as many other plant and animal species suddenly became extinct. Scientists have theorized that the cause for this mass extinction may be a giant meteor that hit the Earth.
Events that happened during the Mesozoic Era
First Dinosaurs appear: 230
First mammals appear: 200
First flowering plants 144
Extinction of the dinosaurs: 66
