The Cretaceous is a geologic period spanning approximately 145 to 66 million years ago, forming the final period of the Mesozoic Era. It is characterized by high eustatic sea levels, extensive epicontinental seas, and a warm greenhouse climate with minimal polar ice. Tectonically, it saw continued breakup of Pangea, expansion of the Atlantic Ocean, and major episodes of oceanic plateau and large igneous province formation. Biologically, it is marked by diversification of angiosperms, complex marine plankton communities, and dominant non-avian dinosaurs, and it terminates at the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary, defined globally by a mass extinction horizon and an iridium-rich layer.
In the aftermath of the giant asteroid that crashed into the Yucatan Peninsula about 66 million years ago, approximately 75% of all species on Earth were wiped out, including the dinosaurs. Among those thought to have perished ...
In the age of dinosaurs—before whales, great whites or the bus-sized megalodon—a monstrous shark prowled the waters off what's now northern Australia, among the sea monsters of the Cretaceous period.
Paleontology & Fossils
Dec 28, 2025
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A dinosaur fossil discovery by a researcher from The University of Texas at El Paso may expand the known range of a species that roamed Earth approximately 115 million years ago.
Paleontology & Fossils
Nov 4, 2025
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In amber some 99 million years old, LMU researchers have discovered the oldest known mosquito larva. The Cretaceous fossil comes from the Kachin region in Myanmar and was preserved in excellent condition. Described as a new ...
Evolution
Oct 28, 2025
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In the Cretaceous period, Earth was plagued by widespread volcanic activity, oceanic oxygen depletion events, and mass extinctions. Fossils from that era remain and continue to give scientists clues as to what the climate ...
Paleontology & Fossils
Sep 11, 2025
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In a first for Canadian paleontology, a Cretaceous fossilized dragonfly wing, uncovered in Alberta's Dinosaur Provincial Park, has been identified as a new species. It's also the first known dragonfly fossil from Canada's ...
Evolution
Aug 14, 2025
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A University of Portsmouth student has discovered a new species of prehistoric mammal dating back 145 million years to the Berriasian age, providing fresh insights into the diversity of early mammals that lived alongside ...
Paleontology & Fossils
Jul 10, 2025
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Yale University ecologists reveal a lizard lineage that rode out the dinosaur-killing asteroid event with unexpected evolutionary survival traits. Night lizards (family Xantusiidae) survived the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K-Pg) ...
