By Caroline Mora
The Mesozoic Era, the age of dinosaurs, can be defined by three major periods: the Triassic, Jurassic and the Cretaceous extinction 65.5 million years ago. I’ve always been fascinated by paleontology, and what dinosaurs might have looked like back then.
I am rating the Mesozoic periods up until the Cretaceous extinction based on how likely it is that I would survive in each period. I will base this on the number of viable food options, my current knowledge, the apex predators and the climate of the time.
The Triassic (252-201 million years ago)
The Triassic period came after the Permian-Triassic extinction (the Great Dying). This was a mass extinction event in which 90% of life on Earth died and caused the re-establishment of Earth’s ecosystem, with all types of new life emerging.
The continents as we know them today didn’t exist, the whole world was conjoined in a single supercontinent called Pangea. This meant that the interior of this supercontinent was dry and desert-like, while only the areas close to the coast were humid. 30-foot-tall conifers grow in places where the climate is more humid, and forests of ferns pop up in dryer areas. But good luck finding shelter since the “forests” were more like tree groups, not forests. The air was composed of about 12% oxygen and held ten times more carbon dioxide than today, which would make every day feel like you’re hiking Mount Everest while chain-smoking. Temperatures often ranged from about 50℉ to 80℉ in the interior and 86℉ to 104℉ near sea level, making this an ideal retirement community for those over 65.
Synapsids, a reptile-like mammal that feasted on insects, became a new dominant predator after the Great Dying. These creatures eventually evolved into our modern-day mammals, but these cold-blooded, scaly creatures were, frankly, nightmare fuel. I would not want to be stuck in a cave with one of these early mammals. The most common land animal was a herbivorous (plant-eating) synapsid called the Lystrosaurus. The Lystrosaurus was, on average, about 3 feet in length, walked close to the ground and had a beak-like mouth and short protruding tusks. If I wanted a dog-like companion during the Triassic period, this is the animal I’d pick.
Frogs, salamanders and caecilians thrived in freshwater. Fresh water was rare due to the sheer size of Pangea, storms couldn’t pass through the seemingly never-ending desert. New to the marine scene then, ichthyosaurs were reptiles that later dominated the oceans because of their razor-sharp teeth and powerful tails. Just another creature during this period that could rip me to shreds within seconds. Sounds like fun, no?
There are two main types of dinosaurs, the saurischians (lizard-hipped) and the ornithischians (bird-hipped). If a saurischian attacked me, I would wack at least one of its legs, making it immobile, since they’re bipedal (walk on two legs) and ornithischians are quadrupeds (walk on four legs).
About 201 million years ago, almost all of the Triassic archosaurs (except for dinosaurs, pterosaurs and crocodilian species) died in a massive mass extinction named after the period–the Triassic extinction. Though, of course, I’d probably survive this too. In what would have been the Atlantic Ocean, there was massive volcanic activity that released so much carbon dioxide or sulfur dioxide thought to have led to huge climatic disruptions. The sea levels rose and the oceans became more acidic.
The Jurassic (201.3-145 million years ago)
201.3 million years ago, Pangea began splitting into two giant landmasses known as Laurasia and Gondwana that were divided by the prehistoric Tethys Ocean. This effectively created more tropical areas and freshwater available due to the continental shifting. The average temperature of the earth was around 61.7℉, with the air being drier in the west and more humid in the east. The air had up to 35% oxygen and 30 times more carbon dioxide.
The Jurassic was the age of the gymnosperms, a group of seed-producing plants that had cones similar to pinecones that protected the developing seeds, and, when they were ready, opened and dispersed the seeds. There were no flowering plants or fruits during this time, so trees and ferns were still the most common plants.
The Archeopteryx is another one of Jurassic’s marvels. This animal was the first fossil discovered that supported Darwin’s theory of evolution. The archaeopteryx had feathered wings but shared other distinct dinosaur traits. This animal is often believed to have been the first primitive bird. It likely fed on mammals, small reptiles and insects and grew to be about the size of an adult raven (almost two feet tall). This specific animal wouldn’t be a threat to me, and I would probably try to domesticate it like a witch who adopts a crow as her friend. I would train it like a homing pigeon and have it do my bidding.
The ocean was teeming with life, from prehistoric sharks to cephalopods and to beautiful coral structures. All these animals worked together to create a delicate ecosystem much like the one we have today, but these animals were probably a lot larger than today’s marine life. The oceans were warm, and prey was abundant, leading to larger body sizes in an environment that favored large animals. This means that I could have a jumbo seafood boil for free if I can manage not to get eaten by a pliosaur.
There wasn’t an abrupt event that caused the shift from the Jurassic to the Cretaceous, and oftentimes the exact time of this shift is relatively murky. This is good news for me because I wouldn’t need to worry about the impending “doomsday”; just rapid climate change and my army of Archeopteryx. Paleontologists theorize that a collection of environmental events could have occurred, and the combination of them caused the extinctions of the Jurassic and the ushering in of the final era of the Mesozoic: The Cretaceous.
The Cretaceous (145.5-66 million years ago)
By the end of the Cretaceous, the continents were almost where they are today—like a game of continental musical chairs just about finished. No polar ice caps, but plenty of temperate rainforests with a mix of coniferous and deciduous trees. Open landscapes ruled, with ferns as the ground cover (sorry, no lawns yet). Polar forests spent four months in total darkness each winter, but hey, they had seasons—an upgrade from the Triassic’s endless summer.
Flowering plants (angiosperms) started to dominate, along with fruits and nuts. Finally, a planet catering to balanced diets! Oxygen levels were super high at 25-35%, and CO₂ was up to 10 times higher than today, making the air a bit spicier. Winters were a cozy 59°F, and summers hit a heated 87°F, the perfect weather for a dinosaur cookout.
Speaking of dinos, the Iguanodontia were culinary trailblazers, chewing their food like champs with serrated, replaceable teeth. Forget forks and knives—these guys brought dental batteries to the buffet. Meanwhile, the Sauroposeidon towered 59 feet tall, proving that being big was totally in style. Scientists think they grew so large because of high oxygen levels or a prehistoric arms race between predators and prey. Either way, everything over a meter tall was a dinosaur.
Then came the asteroid—Earth’s ultimate end to the dinosaur age. It hit near Mexico, causing acid rain, tsunamis, and a sun-blocking debris cloud. Food chains collapsed, and over 32,000 years, 65% of species vanished. On a human timeline, that’s forever, but in geological terms? Just a bad weekend.
When could I survive?
Based on what I know about all three periods of the Mesozoic, I think it is safe to say that I would be best suited for the Cretaceous period. The Triassic is just too hot for me. It would be hot girl summer all year long and I just don’t think I could give that energy for 365 days. Then the Jurassic is a close second to the Cretaceous but, I just cannot stand the idea of listening to the wind blow through the plates of a stegosaurus. They’d be nice to look at, but that high-pitched whistle– no, please. The Cretaceous is the most survive-able period.
First off, the oxygen levels would be perfect seeing that modern levels close to sea level are around 21%. I could breathe with ease, and the carbon dioxide levels wouldn’t matter much to me because it all gets blown up by an asteroid and tsunamis so there is no point in worrying about global warming if you know you get wiped out anyways. Knowing the coming extinction event I think would encourage me to live my life to the fullest, ride a dinosaur, tame a velociraptor, or just do something crazy for once.
There would be plenty of food for me, since, yay, fruit is now a thing. I could build a hammock between two large trees and just migrate around with a pack of herbivorous Sauropods. The temperature would be perfect, sure, maybe I’d get sunburned but I’m sure I could find a nice lake or pond to splash around in for some relief. I could find a nice fuzzy pterosaur skin during the winter months and use that as a blanket or sweater. I would collect teeth from dinosaur carcasses and use them as weapons if I get attacked. I would also begin to breed protoceratops to be my guardians and protect me. I believe that by using these strategies, I would be able to survive in the Cretaceous period.
