Cretaceous Apex Predators
This famous, massive T. Rex rival, featuring a sail on its back, was one of the largest carnivorous dinosaurs.
Spinosaurus
The Cretaceous period was a game-changer for plant life because these flowering plants, or angiosperms, first diversified.
Angiosperms
Famous for its large frill and three prominent horns, this herbivore used its facial features to defend against T. Rex.
Triceratops
The long-necked plesiosaur was largely replaced by these giant, snakelike marine predators in the oceans.
Mosasaurs
The mass extinction that wiped out all non-avian dinosaurs is widely agreed by scientists to have been caused by one of these hitting Earth.
An Asteroid
Nicknamed the "flesh-eating bull," this South American predator had distinctive horns above its eyes.
Carnotaurus
This type of plant food, beloved by grazing animals, evolved alongside flowering plants right around the late Cretaceous Period.
Grass
This heavily armored, club-tailed "living tank" slowly wandered North America eating low-lying vegetation.
Ankylosaurus
Soaring above the Cretaceous seas, this specific giant creature had a wingspan estimated to be up to 36 feet—about the size of an F-16 fighter jet.
Quetzalcoatlus
The massive crater left behind by the extinction-causing impact is located off the coast of this modern-day country.
Mexico
This giant predator from Africa and South America had curved teeth designed for slicing, belonging to a group of sharks that rivaled the T. Rex in size.
Carcharodontosaurus
Early species of this modern sweet-making pollinator insect buzzed into existence during this period alongside ants and butterflies.
Wasps
Named for the bird-like, hollow shape of its arms, this bipedal carnivore was notoriously fast and is famous for its feathers.
Velociraptor
Reaching 40 feet in length, this iconic, large-headed marine predator is technically a giant prehistoric lizard, not a dinosaur.
Mosasaurus
The famous asteroid impact left a distinct global layer in the rock record made primarily of this rare, metallic chemical element (Ir).
Iridium
Discovered in the Hell Creek Formation, this dinosaur’s name means "tyrant reptile" and ruled Asia during the Late Cretaceous.
Tarbosaurus
Modern deciduous trees such as figs, planes, and this tall, flowering member of the Magnolia family became dominant during this time.
Magnolia
Known as the "Elvis of dinosaurs," this herbivore had a striking bony, dome-shaped head that it may have used for head-butting.
Pachycephalosaurus
These ancient sea creatures, famous for their intricately coiled spiral shells, were highly abundant until they vanished in the K-Pg extinction.
Ammonites
Besides the asteroid, this massive series of volcanic eruptions in modern-day India is believed to have heavily disrupted the global climate.
Deccan Traps
Feared in the Early Cretaceous, this giant theropod from North America was an apex predator before the arrival of the Tyrannosaurs.
Acrocanthosaurus
The rapid, mysterious explosion of this plant life group in the mid-Cretaceous troubled Charles Darwin, who called it an "abominable mystery."
Angiosperms
This distinctive herbivore had a large, backward-curving crest on its head and is sometimes called the "duck-billed" dinosaur.
Parasaurolophus
This fast-swimming, dolphin-like marine reptile was highly successful until it died out well before the end of the Cretaceous Period.
Ichthyosaur
This geological boundary layer, named for the periods it separates, marks the absolute end of the Cretaceous Period.
K-Pg Boundary