DINOSAURS

Dinosaurs first emerged during the Triassic Period. This was the time when evolution determined the basic form that defined the dinosaurs. The first dinosaurs all looked pretty much the same whether they were herbivores or carnivores - two legged, small heads with pointed snouts, speedy and light. Dinosaurs such as Eoraptor, Pisanosaurus, and Lesothosaurus are among the earliest found and all are about 225 million years old.

There were also certainly transitional creatures that had some dinosaur characteristics. These would have possibly taken the form of a primitive small reptile that was beginning to run on its hind legs and develop a longer neck. Fossils of this creature have yet to be found, but we do know that the appearance of the first dinosaurs changed life on Earth forever.

Nothing could compete with dinosaurs Dinosaurs were faster and smarter than any other land animals. They could hunt and kill most of the other creatures that inhabited this primeval world, and if the other animals were too large, they could steal their eggs or snatch the young away from the parents. If you weren't a dinosaur then this was the time when only the small survived. As dinosaurs got larger they probably ignored the very small creatures. The Mammal-Like Reptiles that had been the largest herbivores and carnivores for many millions of years evolved into smaller and smaller forms as a way to survive. Eventually, they became tiny mammals that lived with the dinosaurs for over 160 million years, waiting for their opportunity to flourish.