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Time machine

Scroll or drag sideways to travel through time. Each dinosaur sits where it lived. Watch what happens at the very end…

Dinosaurs lived for over 165 million years. Humans: only 0.3 million so far!
66 myaAge of mammals →PermianEarly TriassicMiddle TriassicLate TriassicEarly JurassicMiddle JurassicLate JurassicEarly CretaceousLate CretaceousBefore the dinosaurs300–252 myaTRIASSIC252–201 myaJURASSIC201–145 myaCRETACEOUS145–66 mya300290280270260250240230220210200190180170160150140130120110100908070million years ago →
💀 The Great Dying
Biggest extinction ever — about 9 in 10 sea species vanish.
🥚 First dinosaurs
Small, fast, two-legged animals like Eoraptor appear.
🐭 First mammals
Tiny, shrew-like and mostly active at night.
🌋 Triassic extinction
Huge volcanoes; dinosaurs take over afterwards.
🌍 Pangaea splits
The supercontinent starts breaking into pieces.
🐦 First birds
Archaeopteryx: a feathered dinosaur that could flap.
🌸 First flowers
Flowering plants appear and spread fast.
DimetrodonDimetrodon: 295–272 million years agoCoelophysisCoelophysis: 216–203 million years agoPlateosaurusPlateosaurus: 214–204 million years agoIchthyosaurusIchthyosaurus: 200–190 million years agoDilophosaurusDilophosaurus: 196–183 million years agoLiopleurodonLiopleurodon: 166–162 million years agoMamenchisaurusMamenchisaurus: 161–150 million years agoKentrosaurusKentrosaurus: 155–150 million years agoApatosaurusApatosaurus: 152–151 million years agoDiplodocusDiplodocus: 154–149 million years agoAllosaurusAllosaurus: 155–145 million years agoBrachiosaurusBrachiosaurus: 155–145 million years agoCompsognathusCompsognathus: 152–148 million years agoStegosaurusStegosaurus: 155–145 million years agoArchaeopteryxArchaeopteryx: 151–148 million years agoRhamphorhynchusRhamphorhynchus: 151–148 million years agoBaryonyxBaryonyx: 130–125 million years agoAmargasaurusAmargasaurus: 129–122 million years agoIguanodonIguanodon: 126–122 million years agoRepenomamusRepenomamus: 125–123 million years agoYutyrannusYutyrannus: 126–122 million years agoMicroraptorMicroraptor: 125–120 million years agoPsittacosaurusPsittacosaurus: 126–101 million years agoDeinonychusDeinonychus: 115–108 million years agoBorealopeltaBorealopelta: 112–110 million years agoGiganotosaurusGiganotosaurus: 99–97 million years agoSpinosaurusSpinosaurus: 99–93 million years agoArgentinosaurusArgentinosaurus: 97–93 million years agoPteranodonPteranodon: 86–84 million years agoElasmosaurusElasmosaurus: 81–80 million years agoCorythosaurusCorythosaurus: 77–75.7 million years agoCentrosaurusCentrosaurus: 76.5–75.5 million years agoMaiasauraMaiasaura: 77–75 million years agoEuoplocephalusEuoplocephalus: 76.5–75 million years agoStegocerasStegoceras: 77.5–74 million years agoStyracosaurusStyracosaurus: 75.5–74.5 million years agoParasaurolophusParasaurolophus: 76.5–73 million years agoMosasaurusMosasaurus: 82–66 million years agoOviraptorOviraptor: 75–71 million years agoProtoceratopsProtoceratops: 75–71 million years agoVelociraptorVelociraptor: 75–71 million years agoCarnotaurusCarnotaurus: 72–69 million years agoGallimimusGallimimus: 71–69 million years agoTherizinosaurusTherizinosaurus: 71–69 million years agoEdmontosaurusEdmontosaurus: 73–66 million years agoSaltasaurusSaltasaurus: 71–67 million years agoPachycephalosaurusPachycephalosaurus: 70–66 million years agoAnkylosaurusAnkylosaurus: 68–66 million years agoQuetzalcoatlusQuetzalcoatlus: 68–66 million years agoTriceratopsTriceratops: 68–66 million years agoT. rexTyrannosaurus rex: 68–66 million years ago

What ended the dinosaurs?

66 million years ago, a space rock about 10 km wide — bigger than a mountain — smashed into Earth near Mexico. Dust blocked the Sun, plants died, and most dinosaurs died out. But some small feathered dinosaurs survived… and became today's birds! 🐦

The Chicxulub impactor (~10 km across) struck the Yucatán Peninsula about 66.0 million years ago. Evidence includes a worldwide clay layer rich in iridium, shocked quartz, tektites and the buried 180 km crater. Soot and sulfate aerosols caused an “impact winter” that collapsed food chains. The Deccan Traps volcanism in India was also under way and may have stressed ecosystems; scientists still debate its role. All non-avian dinosaurs, pterosaurs, plesiosaurs and mosasaurs vanished, while birds, mammals, crocodiles and turtles survived.

Dinosaurs never fully disappeared

Every pigeon, penguin and parrot is a living theropod dinosaur.

Meet the theropods →