Evolution following the Cretaceous Thermal Maximum (IMAGE)
Caption
The piece illustrates the disparity of the Northern and Southern hemisphere’s evolution of terrestrial Cretaceous faunas after the Cretaceous Thermal Maximum. On the left, End Cretaceous Southern Hemisphere (Western Gondwana) became dominated by Megaraptorids theropods and titanosaur sauropods. The centre of the piece summarises the extinction event of terrestrial fauna at the Cretaceous Thermal Maximum, where the apex predators the carcharodontosaurids allosaurs went extinct and tyrannosauroids (including megaraptoran and the ancestors of Tyrannosaurus rex) were small. On the right, the end Cretaceous Northern Hemisphere fauna dominated by Tyrannosaurids (such as Tyrannosaurus rex), hadrosaurs and ceratopsian ornithischian dinosaurs. The environment also became more mesic represented by the landscape compared to the more semi-arid seasonal environment earlier in the Cretaceous.
Credit
Pedro Salas and Sergey Krasovskiy
Usage Restrictions
Credit must be given to the creator. Adaptations must be shared under the same terms.
License
CC BY-SA