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The Cretaceous Period
The Cretaceous period marks the end of The Age of the Dinosaurs.
Big and small dinosaurs lived in great
forests of cycads, conifers and ferns. There were great marine
reptiles in the seas and great flying reptiles in the skies.
Some things happened in the Cretaceous period that were important to life on earth. 
One of these was the development of flowering plants. By the end of the period, there were many that we would recognise today, such as magnolias and waterlilies.
The number
of different insects increased during this period too. The beginnings
of many modern insects were at this time: ants, grasshoppers,
butterflies, aphids and termites among them.
At the end of the Cretaceous period there was a great extinction of many species, including dinosaurs. Birds, small reptiles and mammals, many marine creatures and plants survived.
Scientists
believe a giant meteor hit the earth, causing massive destruction,
tidal waves, acid rain, and huge clouds of dust that blocked the
sun's rays from reaching the earth to light and warm it. The dinosaurs
were among the many species that were wiped out. Following the
great extinctions, there was a slow recovery and evolution of
new species.
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Some
dinosaurs of the Cretaceous period
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Back to Animals
updated August 2006
