Early Cretaceous

dinosaur era · ancient Earth · Mesozoic

Dinosaur golden age. During the Early Cretaceous, from about 143 to 100 million years ago, dinosaurs were at their peak with many new species evolving, including long-necked sauropods and fast theropods roaming every continent.

Flowering plants arrive. For the first time in Earth's history, flowering plants began to appear during the Early Cretaceous, changing forests from a world of ferns and conifers into something much closer to what we see today.

Continents were drifting. The supercontinent Pangaea had already broken apart, and the continents we know today were slowly moving into their current positions, creating different climates and ecosystems across the globe.

New predators and prey. Early Cretaceous dinosaurs included speedy hunters like Spinosaurus and gentle giants like Argentinosaurus, which was one of the largest animals to ever walk the Earth.

Warm and wet world. The Early Cretaceous had higher sea levels and warmer temperatures than today, with vast shallow seas covering much of what is now North America and Europe.