The World of the Dinosaurs
Fun Fact!
During the Mesozoic Era, Earth’s average temperature was so warm that even the polar regions were covered in forests instead of ice! Dinosaurs like Edmontosaurus may have lived near the Arctic Circle year-round.
After the Dinosaurs
Fun Fact!
During the Ice Ages, giant animals called megafauna. Like woolly mammoths, saber-toothed cats, and giant ground sloths—roamed the Earth, thriving in the colder climates before eventually going extinct.
The Modern Environment
Fun Fact!
Humans have only been around for about 300,000 years, which is a tiny fraction of Earth’s 4.5 billion year history, yet we have changed the planet’s environment faster than almost any natural event in the past.
Looking to the future
Fun Fact!
The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere today is higher than at any time in at least the last three million years, which is speeding up climate change and reshaping ecosystems worldwide.
During the Mesozoic Era, when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, the environment looked very different from today. The continents were still joined in massive landmasses, the climate was much warmer, and there were no polar ice caps. Lush forests of ferns, cycads, and conifers stretched across much of the planet, and flowering plants were just beginning to appear. The air contained higher levels of carbon dioxide, which made the world hotter and supported enormous reptiles on land, in the seas, and in the skies.
When the dinosaurs went extinct about 66 million years ago, the Earth slowly began to change. Mammals, birds, and flowering plants spread and adapted to new environments. Over millions of years, tectonic plates shifted and split the continents into the shapes we recognize today. The climate also cooled compared to the dinosaur age, which allowed grasslands, deciduous forests, and new ecosystems to develop. Ice ages came and went, shaping landscapes with glaciers and carving valleys.
Today, Earth looks nothing like it did in the age of dinosaurs. The continents are fully separated, with oceans dividing them. Polar ice caps exist at both the North and South Poles, and the climate is much cooler overall compared to the Mesozoic. Humans have had a major impact on the environment, building cities, farming the land, and altering ecosystems worldwide. Many animals that lived alongside dinosaurs have long gone extinct, while new species, such as humans, have become the dominant force on the planet.
The environment is still changing, but now much of that change is influenced by people. Human activities such as burning fossil fuels, cutting down forests, and polluting the air and water are altering the climate and ecosystems faster than natural processes alone. Understanding how the Earth has changed from the time of the dinosaurs to now helps us see how fragile and interconnected our environment really is.