After climate change, volcanic activity, and fireball strikes brought the Jurassic period to an end, the Cretaceous Period started. During this time, life in the Mesozoic Era reached its peak; the dinosaurs had diversified quite a bit, and had continued their rule of the land. Many new families of dinosaurs, such as titanosaurs, tyrannosaurs, ceratopsids, and hadrosaurs had taken advantage of the niches left behind older dinosaurs, and modern crocodiles had swam around in the shallow swamps and rivers. Meanwhile, most pterosaurs had grown to impressive sizes; however, they no longer ruled the skies alone, for the birds had evolved a period earlier, and had diversified a lot since then. In the oceans, giant marine reptiles such as mosasaurs were the main predators, and were outcompeting modern sharks. Even the mammals had diversified a bit; however, they still remained small. As well as this, the landscape had become more beautiful, as flowering plants and angiosperms had diversified, and grass had evolved. This sheer charm would not last for long, as a huge, powerful meteor would slam into the Gulf of Mexico, killing all dinosaurs and pterosaurs, ending the Mesozoic Era, and giving rise to the Cenozoic Era.
Lasted from 145-66 mya
Early Cretaceous Animals (note that those are not all the ones that exist)[]
- Leptocleidus
- Hippodraco
- Gastonia
- Utahraptor
- Iguanacolossus
- Cedarosaurus
- Sarcosuchus
- Iberomesornis
- Pelecanimimus
- Concavenator
- Hypsilophodon
- Eotyrannus
- Polacanthus
- Neovenator
- Baryonyx
- Iguanodon
- Psittacosaurus
- Istiodactylus
- Yanornis
- Ouranosaurus
- Suchomimus
- Confuciusornis
- Repenomamus
- Sinosauropteryx
- Sinornithosaurus
- Yutyrannus
- Microraptor
- Tupandactylus
- Guidraco
- Koolasuchus
- Kronosaurus
- Acrocanthosaurus
- Deinonychus
- Tenontosaurus
- Nigersaurus
- Leaellynasaura
- Australovenator
- Scapanorhynchus
- Enchodus
- Onchopristis
- Ptychodus
- Xiphactinus
- Sauroposeidon
- Tapejara
- Tropeognathus
- Longirostria
- Squalicorax
- Sauropelta
- Cretoxyrhina
- Muttaburrasaurus
- Patagotitan
- Steropodon
Late Cretaceous Animals (note that those are not all the ones that exist)[]
- Andesaurus
- Carcharodontosaurus
- Paralititan
- Giganotosaurus
- Spinosaurus
- Argentinosaurus
- Rugops
- Ichthyornis
- Kaprosuchus
- Dolichorhynchops
- Aquilolamna
- Mapusaurus
- Macrogryphosaurus
- Protosphyraena
- Tylosaurus
- Pteranodon
- Nyctosaurus
- Enchoteuthis
- Styxosaurus
- Eonatator
- Prognathodon
- Hesperornis
- Protostega
- Aeolosaurus
- Elasmosaurus
- Mosasaurus
- Deinosuchus
- Archelon
- Dromaeosaurus
- Daspletosaurus
- Austroraptor
- Struthiomimus
- Corythosaurus
- Proteothrinax
- Parasaurolophus
- Edmontonia
- Ornithomimus
- Euoplocephalus
- Stenonychosaurus
- Nasutoceratops
- Styracosaurus
- Oviraptor
- Byronosaurus
- Saurornithoides
- Velociraptor
- Protoceratops
- Citipati
- Pinacosaurus
- Zhuchengtyrannus
- Pachyrhinosaurus
- Edmontosaurus
- Didelphodon
- Carnotaurus
- Sinoceratops
- Shantungosaurus
- Albertosaurus
- Pycnonemosaurus
- Deinocheirus
- Mononykus
- Saurolophus
- Gallimimus
- Tarbosaurus
- Therizinosaurus
- Opisthocoelocaudia
- Zalmoxes
- Magyarosaurus
- Saltasaurus
- Rahonavis
- Beelzebufo
- Masiakasaurus
- Majungasaurus
- Rapetosaurus
- Pachycephalosaurus
- Thescelosaurus
- Ankylosaurus
- Quetzalcoatlus
- Triceratops
- Tyrannosaurus
- Anzu
- Acheroraptor
- Hatzegopteryx