MESOZOIC ERA

The Mesozoic era is often referred to as the Age of Dinosaurs. However, it was not only the dinosaurs that prospered during the time period. It is an interval of geological time from about 252 to 66 million years ago.

The era is subdivided into three major periods: the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous, which are further subdivided into a number of epochs and stages.

During the Mesozoic, or “Middle Life” Era, life diversified rapidly and giant reptiles, dinosaurs and other monstrous beasts roamed the Earth. The period, which spans from about 252 million years ago to about 66 million years ago, was also known as the age of reptiles or the age of dinosaurs.

Earth during the Mesozoic Era was much warmer than today, and the planet had no polar ice caps. During the Triassic Period, Pangaea still formed one massive supercontinent. Without much coastline to moderate the continent’s interior temperature, Pangaea experienced major temperature swings and was covered in large swaths of desert.