What dinosaurs lived in the Late Cretaceous?

T. rex, Triceratops, Velociraptor, Ankylosaurus, Pachycephalosaurus, Parasaurolophus, Edmontosaurus, and hundreds of other species all lived during the Late Cretaceous.

How did the Late Cretaceous end?

An asteroid about 6 miles wide struck the Yucatan Peninsula 66 million years ago. The impact triggered wildfires, tsunamis, and a years-long winter that collapsed food chains worldwide, wiping out all non-bird dinosaurs.

Were dinosaurs already declining before the asteroid?

Scientists debate this. Some evidence suggests diversity was declining slightly in some groups. But many species were thriving right up to the impact. The asteroid was the decisive event.

Home/Prehistoric Periods/Late Cretaceous

Late Cretaceous Period

100-66 million years ago

The Late Cretaceous is the final act of the dinosaur age and the one that gave us its most famous stars. T. rex stalked the forests of North America. Triceratops faced predators with its three-horned skull. Velociraptor hunted in the deserts of Mongolia. It was the most diverse period for dinosaurs ever, right up until 66 million years ago when an asteroid ended it all.

Fun Facts

✓T. rex lived only in the last 2-3 million years of the Cretaceous, making it one of the last non-bird dinosaurs.
✓More dinosaur species have been discovered from the Late Cretaceous than any other interval.
✓Triceratops and T. rex coexisted in the same time and place, making their rivalry real, not just a movie invention.
✓The Western Interior Seaway, a shallow sea splitting North America, reached its greatest extent in the Late Cretaceous.
✓Hadrosaurs, duck-billed dinosaurs, were some of the most successful and diverse animals of the Late Cretaceous.

Questions About the Late Cretaceous

Dinosaurs of the Late Cretaceous Period

Abelisaurusah-BEEL-ee-SOR-us Acanthopholisah-KAN-tho-FOH-lis AdasaurusAH-dah-SORE-us AjkaceratopsAY-ka-SAIR-ah-tops AlamosaurusAH-lah-mow-SORE-us Albertaceratopsal-BERT-a-SERR-a-tops Albertadromeusal-BER-ta-DRO-mee-us Albertavenatoral-BER-ta-ven-AY-tor Albertosaurusal-BER-toh-saw-russ Alectrosaurusah-LEK-tro-SORE-us Alioramusal-ee-oh-RAY-mus Alvarezsaurusal-VAR-ez-SORE-us AnchiceratopsAN-key-SERR-ah-tops Ankylosaurusan-KYE-low-sore-us Anodontosaurusan-oh-DON-toh-SOR-us Antarctosaurusant-ARK-toe-SORE-us Argentinosaurusar-JEN-tee-no-SORE-us AucasaurusAW-ka-sore-us Borogoviabor-o-GOH-vee-a Carnotauruskar-noh-TOR-us ChasmosaurusKAZ-mo-sore-us ConchoraptorKON-koh-rap-tor Corythosauruskoh-RITH-oh-sore-us Diabloceratopsdy-AB-lo-SAIR-ah-tops DracorexDRAY-ko-rex Dreadnoughtusdred-NAW-tus DromaeosaurusDROM-ee-oh-SAW-russ Dromiceiomimusdro-MI-see-oh-MY-muss DryptosaurusDRIP-toe-SORE-us Edmontoniaed-mon-TONE-ee-ah Edmontosaurused-MON-toe-SORE-us Einiosauruseye-NEE-oh-sore-us Erlikosauruser-LIK-oh-sore-us Euoplocephalusyou-OH-plo-KEF-ah-lus Gallimimusgal-ih-MY-mus Gasparinisauragas-pah-REE-nee-SOR-ah Giganotosaurusgig-an-OH-toe-SORE-us Gigantoraptorji-GAN-to-RAP-tor HadrosaurusHAD-row-SORE-us HomalocephaleHOME-ah-lo-KEFF-ah-lee Hypacrosaurushy-PAK-roh-sore-us KosmoceratopsKOZ-moh-SAIR-ah-tops KritosaurusKRIT-oh-SORE-us Lambeosauruslam-BEE-oh-SORE-us Leptoceratopslep-toh-KER-ah-tops Maiasauramy-ah-SORE-ah Majungasaurusmah-JOON-gah-sore-us MapusaurusMAH-poo-SORE-us MegaraptorMEG-ah-RAP-tor Nodosaurusno-doh-SORE-us Ornithomimusor-NITH-oh-MY-mus Orodromeusor-oh-DROM-ee-us OviraptorOH-vee-RAP-tor Pachycephalosauruspack-ee-KEF-ah-lo-sore-us Pachyrhinosauruspack-ee-RYE-no-sore-us Panoplosauruspan-OP-loh-sore-us Parasaurolophuspar-ah-saw-ROL-oh-fus PentaceratopsPEN-tah-SAIR-ah-tops PrenocephalePREEN-oh-KEFF-ah-lee Protoceratopspro-toe-SERR-ah-tops RajasaurusRAH-juh-sore-us Saichaniasigh-CHAN-ee-a SaltasaurusSALT-a-sore-us SaurolophusSORE-oh-LOAF-us SpinosaurusSPINE-oh-SORE-us Stegocerasste-GOS-er-as StruthiomimusSTRUTH-ee-oh-MY-mus Styracosaurussty-RAK-oh-sore-us TarbosaurusTAR-bow-SORE-us Therizinosaurustheh-RIZ-in-oh-SORE-us Thescelosaurusthes-KEL-oh-SORE-us TorosaurusTOR-oh-SORE-us Triceratopstry-SERR-ah-tops TroodonTROH-oh-don Tsintaosaurusching-DOW-sore-us Tyrannosaurustie-RAN-oh-sore-us Udanoceratopsoo-DAHN-oh-SERR-ah-tops Velociraptorvel-OSS-ee-rap-tor WannanosaurusWAN-ah-no-SORE-us ZuniceratopsZOO-nee-SAIR-uh-tops

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