Cretaceous

The Cretaceous Period, spanning from 145 to 66 million years ago, was the longest and final period of the Mesozoic Era. It was a time of exceptionally warm global climates, high sea levels, and vast shallow inland seas. Dinosaurs reached their peak diversity and size, with iconic species like Tyrannosaurus rex and Triceratops dominating the landscape. In the oceans, massive marine reptiles like mosasaurs ruled, while pterosaurs patrolled the skies. A major biological revolution occurred on land with the appearance and rapid diversification of flowering plants, which co-evolved with new insect pollinators like bees. The Cretaceous, and the Mesozoic Era itself, came to a sudden, catastrophic end when a massive asteroid struck Earth near Mexico, triggering a global impact winter that wiped out roughly 75 percent of all living species, including all non-avian dinosaurs.