The Mesozoic Era began around 250 million years ago and ended about 65 million years ago. Both it's beginning and end are marked by major extinction events. The Mesozoic Era is often called the age of the dinosaurs because they were Earth's dominant animals during this era. It's also the era when the first mammals and birds appear in the geologic timeline. The Mesozoic Era is divided into three periods: the Triassic, the Jurassic, and the Cretaceous.
If you haven't already, be sure to check out my other posts about geologic history:
Learning About Geologic History- The Paleozoic Era
Learning About Geologic History- Fossils
Animals of the Mesozoic:
Triassic- The end of the previous geological period is marked by a widespread extinction event that resulted in the loss of around 90% of Earth's species. The Triassic Period began with Earth as a sparsely populated planet with low biodiversity.
The two groups of animals that dominated the early Triassic were the Archosaurs and the Therapsids. By the mid Triassic the Therapsids were extinct and one lineage of the Archeosaurs had evolved into the first true dinosaurs.
You can learn more about the earliest dinosaurs and the other animals of the Triassic Period with these resources:
-When Dinosaur Look-Alikes Ruled the Earth video from PBS Eons
-Why Triassic Animals Were Just the Weirdest video from PBS Eons
-Triassic Dinosaurs from Active Wild is a list of Triassic Period dinosaurs with facts and pictures.
-Triassic Animals from Active Wild is a list of animals that lived alongside the Triassic dinosaurs with facts and pictures.
Jurassic- The Jurassic Period began 201 million years ago. During this period the super continent began to drift apart and Earth's climate shifted from hot and dry to humid and tropical.
By the mid Jurassic period many of the more well know dinosaur species, like Stegosaurus and Brachiosaurus, began to appear. Pterosaurs and early mammals also evolved during the mid Jurassic.
You can learn more about the animals of the Jurassic Period with these resources:
-Pterosaurs 101 video from National Geographic
-Steogosaurs: Tiny Brains & Thagomizers video from PBS Eons
-Jurassic Period Facts from Live Science
-Jurassic Animals from Active Wild is a list of non dinosaur animals of the Jurassic Period with facts and pictures.
-Jurassic Dinosaurs from Active Wild is a list of Jurassic Period dinosaurs with facts and pictures.
Cretaceous- The Cretaceous Period began 145.5 million years ago. During the Cretaceous Period dinosaurs continued to be the dominant animals on Earth.
Dinosaurs of the Cretaceous Period include Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus rex, Ankylosaursus, Spinosaurus, Velociraptors, and Saltasaurus.
Early birds branched off from a lineage of theropod dinosaurs. They are the only lineage that survived the extinction event that occurred 66 million years ago at the end of the Cretaceous. The event wiped out around 75% of Earth's species.
You can learn more about the animals of the Cretaceous Period with these resources:
-The Ferocious Predatory Dinosaurs of Cretaceous Sahara from TED-Ed
-The Toughest of All Dinosaurs: Triceratops from Discovery UK
-The Birds That Lived in the Age of the Dinosaurs video from SciShow
-When Birds Had Teeth video from PBS Eons
-Cretaceous Period: Animals, Plants, & Extinction Event from Live Science
-Cretaceous Period from Active Wild is a list of Cretaceous Period dinosaurs with facts and pictures.
-Cretaceous Period Animals That Weren't Dinosaurs from Active Wild
Learn more about the extinction event with this video from SciShow: What Really Killed the Dinosaurs
Activity Ideas
Mesozoic Timeline- Make a timeline with the 3 periods of the Mesozoic Era and mark when different animals lived.
Make a Lapbook or Display Board- Display what you've learned about the Mesozoic Era in a lapbook or on a display board.
How Big is a T-Rex?- A T-Rex could grow up to 40 feet long! Get a tape measure and some chalk and measure it out on the driveway or sidewalk.
Dinosaur Shadow Drawing- Set up a piece of paper on a clip board or other hard but portable surface. Then take it outside to a sunny place or set up a lamp or flashlight so that you can cast a shadow over the paper. Set a plastic dinosaur on the paper and then trace its shadow. Then take your traced image to the table and add details and color with colored pencils.
Salt Dough Dinosaur Fossils- Make your own dinosaur fossils with salt dough, I have detailed instructions here: Salt Dough Fossils.
Dinosaur Sorting Activity- Cut a piece of white paper into 8 equal sections. On each section write the name of and draw a picture of a different type of dinosaur. If you're not artistically inclined, you can trace dinosaurs out of a book or use clip art dinosaurs instead of freehand drawing them. On the back side write a few facts like what time period the dinosaur lived in, whether it was a carnivore or an herbivore, etc...
If you have a laminator I recommend laminating your cards to make them last longer.
If you want to add more dinosaurs, repeat with another piece of paper and different dinosaurs.
Have your child sort the dinosaur cards based on things like which time period they lived in and whether they were carnivores or herbivores.
This same activity can be done with plastic toy dinosaurs instead of cards if you can find enough different species.
Dinosaur Report- Have your child choose a type of dinosaur to write a report about. You could also have your child draw a picture and label it's anatomical parts.
Dinosaur Origami- Make dinosaurs by folding paper with these tutorials:
Mesozoic Vocabulary Words- Make a list of new words you come across while studying the Mesozoic Era. Some words you could include are:
-Tetrapod: tetrapod means "4 footed" and refers to all land living vertebrates including birds and humans.
-Carnivore: an animal that eats meat
-Herbivore: an animal that eats plants
-Omnivore: an animal that eats both plants and animals
-Endotherm: an animal that maintains a constant internal body temperature and that generates its own body heat
-Ectotherm: an animal that relays on its environment for heat
-Bipedal: an animal that walks on two legs
-Biodiversity: a measure of variation of species or genetics within an ecosystem or population
Dinosaur Garden- Make a tiny dinosaur garden for sensory play. We made ours with a small plastic bin filled with sand and potting soil. Then we added some small succulents, some rocks, and a few plastic dinosaurs.
Additional Resources
-The Age of Reptiles in Three Acts video from PBS Eons is a really great video about the entire Mesozoic Era.
-Here are a few of our favorite books about dinosaurs and the other animals of the Mesozoic Era:
National Geographic Kids: Everything Dinosaurs by Blake Hoena
National Geographic Kids- Absolute Expert Dinosaurs by Lela Nargi
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Great idea! I've seen so many people looking for dinosaur units lately. :)
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