TEAM WORLDWONDERINGS:- Hello, friends About 100 million years ago, Earth looked completely different. With no humans, some scary animals were ruling over this planet. Dinosaurs. Dinosaurs so big, that they were taller than buildings. With jaws so strong, that they could have crushed your bones within a second. They were so fast, that they ran at around the speed of 90km/hr.
They were truly fear-arousing creatures. They ruled over Earth for more than 170 million years. But then one day, something happened, That completely wiped them off the planet. What happened exactly? And how? Come, let’s understand this in today’s video. “As it gets closer to the planet, Earth’s gravitational pull gets stronger.
The Rise and Fall of Dinosaurs
Dinosaurs first appeared about 230 million years ago during the Mesozoic Era. They were the dominant land animals for over 160 million years. Their reign was marked by diverse species, from the massive Argentinosaurus to the small, feathered Microraptor.
They now can’t see what’s headed their way.” Friends, the word ‘Dinosaur’ originated from Greek. From the words Denios and Sauros. Denios means Terrible. And Sauros means Lizard. A terrible lizard. This is the literal meaning of the word Dinosaur. The word was used for the first time in 1841. When dinosaur fossil was discovered for the first time.Richard Owen, a British scientist used the word dinosaur. Back then, people did not know much about dinosaurs or their appearance.
Leading Theories on Dinosaur Extinction
So the initial drawings of how dinosaurs might have looked Are vastly different from what we know now. Megalosaurus was one of the first fossils to be discovered. Look at the initial drawings of it.Decades later, as the researchers discovered more information about them, The drawings were modified. Trying to make them more realistic. So the depictions look like this now. Today, more than 10,000 dinosaur fossils have been unearthed by palaeontologists worldwide, And more than 900 distinct have been identified.
Asteroid Impact Theory
You might be excited by the prospect of discovering more fossils. But interestingly, from 2003 to 2022, On average, each year, about 45 new species of dinosaurs have been identified. The work of palaeontologists is far from over. Look at the photos of the new species of dinosaurs discovered last year. Of them, this is a bizarre dinosaur discovered in Chile, with a weapon that looks like a blade on its tail, And a beak for a mouth, It was named Stegouros Elengassen.
Volcanic Activity Theory
Overall, we know a lot about dinosaurs today. But come, let’s start this story at the beginning. Let’s dive into the past. Millions of years ago. Scientists estimate that the first dinosaur emerged about 230-240 million years. Because the oldest dinosaur fossils that we have found till now Is from 231.4 million years ago in Africa.
Back then, Earth was much different than it is today. The continents that you see now, Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, All continents were joined together. There was only one supercontinent. That we call Pangaea. Scientists believe that Pangaea looked somewhat like this. You can even see the placement of the continents that we know.
Climate Change Theory
Then the climate of Earth was dry and arid with only a little rain. This time period has been named the Triassic Period. The era when the dinosaurs had started emerging. Dinosaurs were slowly populating the Earth due to evolution. The dinosaurs of this era, aren’t anything like the ones you imagine.
They were quite small in size.The common dinosaurs of the time, Were generally around 2 meters long only. For example, Eoraptor, was a dinosaur that existed in that period. In fact, this dinosaur is known as the ancestor of other dinosaurs. The dominant animals of the era Were giant reptiles. Some of these reptiles looked cute Like this one, that’s believed to be the ancestor of all turtles.
Evidence Supporting Each Theory
They couldn’t withstand the temperature changes. But the dinosaurs were warm-blooded like humans. It was easier for the dinosaurs to tolerate the temperature changes. The volcanic eruptions and climate change continued for about 600,000 years. Due to this, almost all the other species became extinct. The only animals remaining on Earth were the dinosaurs, crocodiles, turtles, and early mammals.
This event is known as the Triassic-Jurassic Extinction Event. As I said, after this, the Triassic period ended. And the Jurassic period began. If this sounds like a familiar name, This is the inspiration for the name of the Jurassic Park films. The word Jurassic refers to this Jurassic Period. The Jurassic period lasted from 201 million ago to 145 million years ago.
Recent Discoveries and Ongoing Research
We can alter its path. This might sound like science fiction. But this idea was already successful. In September 2022, a test was launched On an asteroid that was not on the path towards Earth, NASA sent a spacecraft to it, The spacecraft collided with the asteroid, and its path was altered.
If they could successfully do it to that asteroid, It can be done to any asteroid on the way to Earth in future. But that doesn’t mean that there’s no danger at all. Humans are the danger here. The asteroid strike that killed the dinosaurs, Is known as the 5th extinction event in Earth’s history. After this, scientists believe that the 6th extinction event, Has already begun.
This isn’t due to any volcano or asteroid, It is caused by humans. This is named the Holocene Extinction Event. Over the last 100-200 years, We have seen the loss of biodiversity at an unprecedented scale. Animals and plant species are rapidly going extinct due to humans, Biologists agree that it is a mass extinction.
Deforestation by humans Pollution in oceans and atmosphere, Due to this, the normal rate is more than 100-1,000 times more than the current rate of extinction. Habitats of the animals that exist now, Are being destroyed. Thousands of mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians, Are now in the endangered category Or have already gone extinct due to humans.