Late Cretaceous Period
125 Million years ago · Prehistoric
The Late Cretaceous (100.5-66 million years ago) was the final epoch of the Cretaceous Period. Dinosaur diversity peaked, with Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops, and hadrosaurs dominating terrestrial ecosystems. Flowering plants proliferated and continental drift continued separating landmasses. The epoch ended with the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event, linked to the Chicxulub asteroid impact in the Gulf of Mexico, which eliminated all non-avian dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and large marine reptiles.
Locations
Antarctica
Topics
dinosaursmesozoicperiodslife
Connected Events — 2 Connections
The Late Cretaceous Period represents the final subdivision of the broader Cretaceous Period, inheriting its continental configurations and dinosaur lineages while witnessing their ultimate diversification into iconic forms like T. rex Cretaceous Period
Late Jurassic ecosystems and continental positions provided the evolutionary foundation from which Late Cretaceous dinosaurs diversified, with many lineages tracing back through the intervening Early Cretaceous Late Jurassic Period
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