Why did the dinosaurs die out?

Question

How come they are died out and so many other animals lived. I heard this theory about a comet hitting the earth and blocking the sun, but why didn't everything else die? My science teacher once said one possible theory was that dinosaurs genes were mutating, and they kept on getting larger and larger. An animal can only be so large on land before can not maintain their self and die out. What is the real reason, or at least the theory that makes the most sense.

Answer 1

It's about adaptation to a changing environment. Many mammals did die out, particularly the larger ones. Smaller mammals were better adapted for the rapidly changing environment whereas giant reptiles would have had difficulty adapting to the new environement.

Answer 2

Dinosaurs could still exist. Some still could at least. Deep African tribes cite having seen dinosaurs, and on a regular basis. They might still exist, and they might not, but there is no motive for tribes people lying about such a thing.

Answer 3

Why did the dinosaurs die out?

There are dozens of theories to explain a probable cause or causes. Throughout the Mesozoic Era, individual dinosaur species were evolving and becoming extinct for various reasons. The unusually massive extinction at the end of the Cretaceous exterminated the last of the dinosaurs, the flying reptiles, and the large swimming reptiles, as well as many other marine animals. There is now widespread evidence that a meteorite impact was at least the partial cause for this extinction. Impact craters are visible on most planets in our solar system. A spectacular example of this was witnessed in 1994, when Jupiter was struck by a series of cometary fragments. Some of these impact blasts were larger than the Earth's diameter. Other factors such as extensive release of volcanic gases, climatic cooling (with related changes in ocean currents and weather patterns), sea-level change, low reproduction rates, poison gases from a comet, or changes in the Earth's orbit or magnetic field may have contributed to this extinction event.

Answer 4

one highly supported theory is that dinosaurs died out because they couldn't adapt to changing climates...such as comets, rise in ocean level, temperature, and the LONG iceage...

darwin said "survival of the fittest" what he really meant to say is "survival of the most fittest to adapt" because if it was simply a matter of fitness then dinosaurs would in fact still be walking the earth.

to give you a modern example look at pidgeons...their population went CRAZY after industrialization...those stupid things enjoy an urban environment full of filth and garbage more then humans do...they are doing GRRRRRREAT! cause they were most able to adapt to the changing environment...

Answer 5

Alot of animals died when the comet hit and there wasn't enough food to go around...

Answer 6

Climate change and loss of food.

Answer 7

The national geographic magazine had pictures of mammoths frozen by the north pole, with grass still in their mouth. Theory is the earth tipped on its axis, changing climates all over the earth. Tropical became frozen, and frozen became tropical. These reptiles could not adapt to the rapid change in climate, therefore they perished. The ones that survived were in areas that did not have that much climate change.

The reason for the climate change COULD be a comet hit the earth or ...

All this is speculation as nobody really knows now, but much is based on scientific evidence, such as tropical animal remains in non tropical areas.

falcon

Answer 8

well, yeah the theory is that a comet hit the earth and killed them, but not only dinosaurs died. the scientists say that around every animal that couldn't hide or protect itself died as well

Answer 9

asteroids hit earth, therefore creating debris covering the sun. without sun.. there's no energy.. so the plant's die out.. then the dinosaurs can't eat so they eat eachother.. survival of the fittest.. but unfortunately none make it alive and they become extinct