Mesozoic Life

Plant life

Plant life changed drastically as the cool climate of the Paleozoic ended during the Mesozoic. As the climate warmed, the large swamps drained. During the Jurassic ginkgos, pine trees and other conifers. Flowering plants appeared during the cretaceous

Fossils

Terrestrial Animals Mammals appeared around the same time as

dinosaurs, during the Triassic.

The most dominant Mesozoic animals were reptiles. Reptiles can lay their eggs on dry land, as opposed to amphibians, who eggs must be laid in the water.

Their eggs, called amniotic eggs allowed reptiles, including dinosaurs to roam wildly

Archosaurs Archosaurs are reptiles, including dinosaurs and

crocodillians

Archosaurs had a unique skeletal structure, which was better for speed and flexibility of movement. Unlike lizards and turtles, which have a sprawling posture, the legs of archosaurs were held underneath the body, allowing some of them to walk with an upright posture

MesozoicExtinction in the Mezzy era.

Extinction At the end of the Mesozoic, like most eras, a massive extinction

occurred. Many scientists agree that it was because of volcanism, and a meteorite that was so large that it killed almost all of the life that surrounded it on impact. The dust that was shot in the air was the harmful part however. This was because the Sun was blocked and vegetation could not grow which greatly disturbed the life cycle. At this point in our past, there were terrestrial dinosaurs, marine reptiles, plants, and many other organisms, all of which had massive percentages lost after the volcanism and meteorite.

Cenozoic Life

Ice Age Mammals When the ice ages began,

the earth’s climate began to cool and new animals evolved in the northern latitudes.

The two most famous mammals of the late Pleistocene are the wooly mammoth and the saber-tooth cat

Humans The most defining

characteristic of humans is their upright locomotion.

The fossil record, while incomplete shows that the first bipedal humanlike primates appeared about 6 million years ago during the late Miocene

Human Migrations The ice ages definitely influenced

the migrations of early humans.

For example, scientists believe that the Bering Strait, which now separates Russia and Alaska, was exposed during the late Pleistocene because much of Earth’s water was frozen in glaciers.

It is likely that humans who walked across this strait were North America’s first inhabitants

Cenozoic

Extinction in the Cenzy era.

Extinction! For the animals that survived the deadly meteorite at the end of the

Cretaceous, another major problem was about to arise. The Ice Age. Around this time, many new mammals began to evolve because of the decrease in temperature. Two very distinct mammals that made their debut at this time were the woolly mammoth, and the saber-toothed cat. Humans are thought to have first starter in Miocene almost 195,000 years ago. Like all Ice Ages, many species died from the lack of ability to adapt to different climates.