Cretaceous

The **Cretaceous** time period was a time period in Earth's history and the third and final time period of the Mesozoic Era. It was preceded by the Jurassic and followed by the Paleocene Epoch. It began 145 million years ago and ended 65 million years ago, lasting about 80 million years. This period is notable as its end marked the end of the reign of the dinosaurs. During the Cretaceous, reptiles were by far the dominant group, with them ruling the land, sea, and skies.

## Facts

Throughout the entire 80 million years of the Cretaceous Period, dinosaurs were more across the world than ever before, living one every part of the planet.

### Wildlife

#### Early Cretaceous

Known for being an extraordinary period in the Earth's history, the Cretaceous was a remarkably diverse world. The mountains in the Himalayas, even Mount Everest itself, had not yet existed and the Atlantic Ocean was only half as wide compared to today. There wasn't any grass, only conifer woodlands as well as fern grasslands. Following the beginning of the Cretaceous, the movement of the continents was not only breaking up the giant northern and southern landmasses, but it continued to push up sea levels. This had opened new seaways and coastlines. In most parts of the world, where once there was solid land, now there were ragged cliffs, which often buzzed with various species Pterosaurs.
This is the list of animals that lived during the Early Cretaceous Period:

* *Acrocanthosaurus*
* *Argentinosaurus*
* *Deinonychus*
* *Baryonyx*
* *Hypsilophodon*
* *Iguanodon*
* *Istiodactylus*
* *Limaysaurus*
* *Mapusaurus*
* *Neovenator*
* *Polacanthus*
* *Sauropelta*
* *Sauroposeidon*
* *Skorpiovenator*
* *Tenontosaurus*
* *Zephyrosaurus*

#### Late Cretaceous

* Ankylosaurus
* Anzu
* Dakotaraptor
* Edmontosaurus
* Mononykus
* Nanuqsaurus
* Ornithomimus
* Pachyrhinosaurus
* Torosaurus
* Triceratops
* Troodon
* Tyrannosaurus
* Xiphactinus
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Towards the Late Cretaceous, since this was a world before grass, volcanoes dominated the landscapes. Near the end of the Cretaceous period, the continents had already started to take on their modern appearance. But the ceaseless movement of the Earth's crust had also begun to produce a surge in volcanic activity across the entire world. Massive eruptions that lasted for centuries had laid waste to landscapes and filled the air with poisonous gasses and debris. This desolate world was still ruled by dinosaurs, as it always had been for the past 160 million years, but they were nearing the end of their rain. Life on Earth was literately choking to death.
This is the list of animals that lived during the Late Cretaceous Period:

##### Dinosaurs

* *Alaskacephale*
* *Alioramus*
* *Ankylosaurus*
* *Anzu*
* *Chasmosaurus*
* *Dakotaraptor*
* *Daspletosaurus*
* *Deinocheirus*
* *Dromaeosaurus*
* *Edmontosaurus*
* *Euoplocephalus*
* *Gallimimus*
* *Gorgosaurus*
* *Lambeosaurus*
* *Latenivenatrix*
* *Maiasaura*
* *Mononykus*
* *Nanuqsaurus*
* *Ornithomimus*
* *Pachycephalosaurus*
* *Pachyrhinosaurus*
* *Parasaurolophus*
* *Prenocephale*
* *Quetzalcoatlus*
* *Saurolophus*
* *Stegoceras*
* *Styracosaurus*
* *Tarbosaurus*
* *Tarchia*
* *Thescelosaurus*
* *Therizinosaurus*
* *Torosaurus*
* *Triceratops*
* *Troodontid*
* *Tyrannosarus*

##### Fish

* *Cretoxyrhina*
* *Xiphactinus*

##### Sea Reptiles

* *Archelon*
* *Dolychorynchops*
* *Elasmosaurus*
* *Platecarpus*
* *Tyolosaurus*