A Comprehensive Dinosaurs Timeline to Extinction Guide

Way back before, terrible lizards, or what we call dinosaurs today, existed. During the geologic era, these creatures roamed Earth for millions of years. Fossils found by paleontologists have proved the dinosaurs’ existence. Although they became extinct about a million years ago, many are still interested in discussing their history. If you’re one of them, this guidepost is for you. Discover the complete dinosaur period timeline, specifically what happened in each distinct period. Furthermore, we have also provided a tool to help you make a creative and comprehensive timeline for your needs. Without any further discussion, proceed to the next part.

• Part 1. Dinosaur Timeline
• Part 2. Bonus: Best Timeline Maker
• Part 3. FAQs About Dinosaur Timeline

Part 1. Dinosaur Timeline

The timeline of dinosaurs spans a vast range of the history of Earth, covering millions of years. These dinosaurs lived in the Mesozoic Era. It is categorized into three periods: the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous. Check out below the sample of the timeline of dinosaurs diagram that you can check.

Get a detailed dinosaur timeline.

Each of these periods has its own distinct characteristics. So here’s a detailed explanation we’ve prepared for you.

1. Triassic Period (Approximately 252-201 million years ago)

The Triassic Period marks the start of the Mesozoic Era and the age of dinosaurs. This period began after the worst-ever extinction event destroyed life. During the early Triassic, the climate conditions were extremely hot and arid. And so, it results in a widespread desert and landscape. Yet, as the period progressed, the weather became mild and humid. Besides, it is dominated by mammal-like reptiles like Lystrosaurus.

Around 240 million years ago, the first dinosaurs appeared in the fossil record. These are the Herrerasaurus and Eoraptor. And so, the dinosaur evolution timeline begins. They were relatively small in this period, and they were not as big as they would become in later periods. They also have a mouth extended from ear to ear and sharp zigzag teeth. Also, some of the reptile groups, such as the codons and therapsids, are prominent. While non-dinosaurian archosaurs continued to be prominent, the dinosaurs quickly diversified. Soon after, the dinosaurs have already divided into two main groups. These were Saurischia and Ornithoscelida.

By 201.3 million years ago, another mass extinction event happened when the climate changed. Thus, the Triassic period ended.

2. Jurassic Period (Approximately 200-145 million years ago)

The Jurassic Period is the second of the three periods of the Mesozoic Era. It is often associated with lush and tropical environments. More importantly, it is where the dinosaurs existed, such as Brachiosaurus and Allosaurus. Animals and plants lived on land, and the seas recovered after the extinction. The climate was generally warmer and more stable than in the Triassic period. There are also abundant forests and shallow seas.

When the Jurassic period began, there were two main continents. They are Laurasia and Gondwanaland. By 200 million years ago, pterosaurs appeared. They are the earliest vertebrates to evolve powered flight. These reptiles have long, jointed tails, no feathers, and they can only fly by soaring.

Then, on land, the dinosaurs roamed in the Jurassic period. They marked a literally big way. The Apatosaurus, also known as Brontosaurus, weighed up to 30 tonnes with a long neck up to 22 meters. Then, the Coelophysis are the carnivore dinosaurs. They walk on two legs, measuring 2 meters long and weighing 23 kilograms. The first feathered dinosaur, the Archaeopteryx, also made its way to the earth. The plant-eating Brachiosaurus is up to 16 meters tall and weighs over 80 tonnes. At the same time, the Diplodocus was 26 meters long as well.

3. Cretaceous Period (145 to 66 million years ago)

There was a minor extinction event that ended the Jurassic period. In this extinction, many species of dominant reptiles died. And it marks the beginning of the third era of the Mesozoic Era, which was around 145 million years ago. In fact, it is the last yet the longest era among the three periods before the extinction of the dinosaurs.

The Cretaceous period was the rise of the famous and largest dinosaur species. It includes the Tyrannosaurus rex and Triceratops. The tyrannosaurus rex is a giant, carnivore dinosaur who is also possibly a scavenger, and they can run up to 40 km/h. While the Triceratops had two horns above its eyes and a smaller horn at the tip of its muzzle. The climate during that time was generally warm and continued dominance of flowering plants. But, towards the end of the period, temperatures began to fluctuate.

The Cretaceous period also ended with one of the most famous mass extinction events. It is the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) extinction, which wiped out most dinosaurs and many other species.

Part 2. Bonus: Best Timeline Maker

If you want to create your own dinosaur-era timeline diagram, try the best tool to make one– MindOnMap.

When you search for a timeline maker on the internet, you will find many of them. Yet, among these, MindOnMap is the software you can rely on. Now, what is MindOnMap all about? It is a web-based tool that lets users create their desired timeline following their requirements. You can navigate to its online tool on almost all popular web browsers. It also offers a downloadable app version for Windows 7/8/10/11 computers. Aside from that, when it comes to its functions and features, it provides a wide range of options. With MindOnMap, you can choose from templates such as treemap, fishbone, flowchart, and many more. Not only that, you have the freedom to select and add shapes, color fills, texts, etc., you need for your work. Additionally, you can insert links and pictures if you wish to.

One notable feature of MindOnMap is the auto-saving. It gives you the confidence that all changes will be saved whenever you leave your current work on the tool. Another one is its collaboration feature. Using it, you can share your work with your friends, colleagues, and others to collaborate with them. So, we can definitely say that MindOnMap is the best tool you can have and use today.

Part 3. FAQs About Dinosaur Timeline