Did Dinosaurs Go Extinct?
The Leading “Asteroid Impact Theory”
The reason for the extinction of dinosaurs has long been a subject of debate among scientists, with various theories proposed, including volcanic eruptions and tectonic shifts. If you include more far-fetched ideas, such as aliens taking them back to their home planet as pets, there are over 100 theories that have circulated publicly.
However, the most widely accepted theory today is the Asteroid Impact Theory. This theory suggests that about 65 million years ago, a massive asteroid, roughly 10 kilometers in diameter, collided with Earth. The resulting environmental changes, such as a shift in climate, are believed to have driven the dinosaurs to extinction.
The “Asteroid Impact Theory” is said to have driven the dinosaurs to extinction.
The discovery of a huge crater in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, which is believed to be the impact site, seemed to solidify the asteroid theory as the consensus.
Did Dinosaurs Decline Gradually?
However, another theory emerged, suggesting that the diversity of dinosaurs gradually decreased toward the end of the Cretaceous period, while the diversity of smaller mammals increased. This evidence-based research has been widely accepted.
Furthermore, some studies have shown that the Yucatán crater may be about 300,000 years older than the mass extinction event, meaning it may not be direct evidence of the cause. Yet, in 2004, a new theory was published suggesting that the extinction happened in a matter of weeks following an impact, causing the asteroid theory to resurface. The debate over whether the extinction was sudden or gradual will likely continue.
Dinosaurs Live On as Birds
What must not be forgotten is that not all dinosaurs went extinct.
Following a series of feathered dinosaur discoveries since the late 1990s, it has become widely accepted that one lineage of dinosaurs evolved into birds by the Late Jurassic period at the latest, expanding their habitat to the sky. As new discoveries continue to blur the line between dinosaurs and birds, it is now appropriate to conclude that dinosaurs live on as birds today.
Dinosaurs live on as birds.
Modern birds number around 10,000 species, boasting a population more than twice that of mammals. The age of dinosaurs, with the sky as its main stage, has continued to this day.
