Dinosaurs of the Jurassic Period
Dinosaurs of the Jurassic Period
Nicole Jones
Park University
Abstract
This paper examines the Dinosaurs of the Jurassic Period. The paper considers the holistic view of the Jurassic period in addition to the Dinosaurs that roamed the Earth during this period. Finally, historical consideration evidence leading to the demise or disappearance of the dinosaurs. Analysis is based upon research conducted from ten academic reference sites. The paper provides an understanding of the different species that lived during the Jurassic period and the environmental and climatic conditions that supported them. Also discussed is a significant amount of information regarding palaeontologists’ discoveries of great dinosaur faunas, such as the Jurassic Morrison Formation. Why did the dinosaurs flourish during the Jurassic period and what evidence is there to support it? How did the environment and climatic conditions impact the evolution of the species? What ultimately resulted in the extinction of the species?
The Jurassic Period, also known as the Age of Reptiles, and is marked from the end of the Triassic period to the beginning of the Cretaceous period; the time frames within this period are broken down into Early, Middle and Late Jurassic. There are three main extinction events in the life of the dinosaurs, none of which took place during the Jurassic period; however, the beginning of the Jurassic period is identified by the Triassic-Jurassic extinction. The term Jurassic was linked to the Jura Mountains of Switzerland, a small range north of the Swiss Alps dividing the Rhone and Rhine rivers (Palmer, 2002). In the Jurassic period, there were many vertebrates living in the oceans, including, fish and marine reptiles; these included that of coiled ammonites, ichthyosaurs, marine crocodiles, and long-necked plesiosaurs. Herbivores roamed the earth, feeding on the lush growths of palm-like cycads and ferns, while being preyed upon by smaller but vicious carnivores; and
Nicole Jones
Park University
Abstract
This paper examines the Dinosaurs of the Jurassic Period. The paper considers the holistic view of the Jurassic period in addition to the Dinosaurs that roamed the Earth during this period. Finally, historical consideration evidence leading to the demise or disappearance of the dinosaurs. Analysis is based upon research conducted from ten academic reference sites. The paper provides an understanding of the different species that lived during the Jurassic period and the environmental and climatic conditions that supported them. Also discussed is a significant amount of information regarding palaeontologists’ discoveries of great dinosaur faunas, such as the Jurassic Morrison Formation. Why did the dinosaurs flourish during the Jurassic period and what evidence is there to support it? How did the environment and climatic conditions impact the evolution of the species? What ultimately resulted in the extinction of the species?
The Jurassic Period, also known as the Age of Reptiles, and is marked from the end of the Triassic period to the beginning of the Cretaceous period; the time frames within this period are broken down into Early, Middle and Late Jurassic. There are three main extinction events in the life of the dinosaurs, none of which took place during the Jurassic period; however, the beginning of the Jurassic period is identified by the Triassic-Jurassic extinction. The term Jurassic was linked to the Jura Mountains of Switzerland, a small range north of the Swiss Alps dividing the Rhone and Rhine rivers (Palmer, 2002). In the Jurassic period, there were many vertebrates living in the oceans, including, fish and marine reptiles; these included that of coiled ammonites, ichthyosaurs, marine crocodiles, and long-necked plesiosaurs. Herbivores roamed the earth, feeding on the lush growths of palm-like cycads and ferns, while being preyed upon by smaller but vicious carnivores; and
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