The Mesozoic is a period of time, from 252 to 66 million years ago (approx.), sub-divided into Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous times.
Sandwiched between the Paleozoic ("ancient life") and the Cenozoic ("new life"), the Mesozoic (unsuprisingly, "Middle Life") is often referred to as "The age of dinosaurs", which is true. But dinosaurs weren't the only critters that lived during this time.
Sandwiched between the Paleozoic ("ancient life") and the Cenozoic ("new life"), the Mesozoic (unsuprisingly, "Middle Life") is often referred to as "The age of dinosaurs", which is true. But dinosaurs weren't the only critters that lived during this time.
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M E S 0 Z 0 I C |
Triassic |
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Early (Lower) Jurassic |
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Middle Jurassic |
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Late (Upper) Jurassic |
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Early (Lower) Cretaceous |
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Late (Upper) Cretaceous |
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Oops! Extinction event! |
66 - now. You can't undo an extinction. Sorry. |
(Middle Life)Etymology
Mesozoic is derived from the Greek "meso" (between) and "zõon" (living being).
References
• Luis M Chiappe (2003) "Mesozoic Birds: Above the Heads of Dinosaurs".
• Olivier Rieppel (2021) "Mesozoic Sea Dragons: Triassic Marine Life from the Ancient Tropical Lagoon of Monte San Giorgio".
• Gregory S. Paul (2022) "The Princeton Field Guide to Mesozoic Sea Reptiles".
• Michael J. Benton (2015) "When Life Nearly Died: The Greatest Mass Extinction of All Time".
