Mesozoic that would move into their current positions during the next era. The climate of the Mesozoic was varied, alternating between warming and cooling periods. Overall, however, the Earth was hotter than it is today. Dinosaurs appeared in the Late Triassic and became the dominant terrestrial vertebrates early in the Jurassic, occupying this position for about 135 million years until their demise at the end of the Cretaceous. Birds first appeared in the Jurassic, having evolved from a branch of theropod dinosaurs. The first mammals also appeared during the Mesozoic, but would remain small—less than 15 kg (33 lb)—until the Cenozoic.
Cretaceous Dawn Cretaceous Dawn Cretaceous Dawn is a science-fiction novel by sibling scientists Lisa M. Graziano and Michael S. A. Graziano, published in 2008 by Leapfrog Press (initially published as 'Hell Creek: 65 Million Years in the Past, the Journey Begins' under Trafford Publishing in 2006. The book contains 304 pages. Its story is set to a modern time and also to the prehistory of 65 million years ago (at the end of the Cretaceous era). It starts in the physics laboratory, where long-extinct beetles start to appear. Four people and a dog are then hurled 65 million years through the deep