• Health
  • Science
  • U.S.
  • Technology
  • Business
  • World
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Sports

Building a Better World

News and information

  • Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Our Team

What drove the dinosaurs out of Europe? You may be surprised

April 25, 2016 By Sam Catherman

What drove the dinosaurs out of Europe? You may be surprised

Scientists are searching for the reason behind a mass dinosaur exodus from Europe during the early Cretaceous period.

Scientists from the University of Leeds in the U.K. have been investigating a mass dinosaur migration out of Europe during the early Cretaceous period. According to a report from UPI, the recent study utilized “network theory” to map the various paths of dinosaur species throughout the Mesozoic Era.

Working together with scientists from the University of Bath, researchers pulled data from the dinosaur fossil record and created a visualization of the various paths of dinosaur families throughout the continent over time.

The study reveals that at the beginning of the Cretaceous period, roughly 125 to 100 million years ago, dinosaurs began leaving Europe in great numbers with no new dinosaurs entering the continent.

According to the study’s lead author, professor Alex Dunhill from the Leeds School of Earth and Environment, the reason behind the dinosaurs’ departure from Europe remains unclear. “This is a curious result that has no concrete explanation,” he said.

Dunhill suspects that there may have been some common factor driving the migration out of Europe, but acknowledges that gaps in the fossil record may be hiding an explanation from clear sight.

Perhaps one of the more plausible explanations is that the dinosaurs vacated Europe as the massive landmass known as Pangaea began to split. The divide of the “supercontinent” split apart huge numbers of species, isolating them for millions of years.

The dinosaurs in Europe may have been trapped there, but could have come upon an opportunity to escape as the landscape continued to change. According to Dunhill, “We presume that temporary land bridges formed due to changes in sea levels, temporarily reconnecting the continents.”

While the study demonstrates that the dinosaurs populating Europe made a massive exodus near the early Cretaceous period, it remains a mystery as to exactly what drove them out.

A press release from the University of Leeds describing the details of the study can be found here.

 

Sharing

Facebooktwittergoogle_plusredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmail

Filed Under: Front Page, Science

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Follow Us

Facebookrss

Search:

Recent Posts

  • NASA’s InSight spacecraft makes important course correction May 26, 2018
  • Scientists outraged at latest Trump decision May 15, 2018
  • Huge uproar erupts over major incident at Utah park May 13, 2018
  • Incredible moon discovery stuns scientists May 12, 2018
  • Authorities shocked by discovery about common painkiller May 6, 2018
  • Outrageous crocodile experiment stuns scientists May 5, 2018
  • Great Barrier Reef is too quiet, scientists say May 1, 2018
  • Massive Hiroshima bomb discovery shocks scientists May 1, 2018
  • Earth will be slammed by massive asteroid April 29, 2018
  • Teens are doing something incredibly alarming in schools April 29, 2018
  • Huge discovery in Tasmania stuns scientists April 28, 2018
  • Shocking discovery in New Jersey stuns authorities April 22, 2018
  • Huge volcanic explosion could wipe out the United States April 21, 2018
  • Huge controversy erupts over world’s hottest pepper April 15, 2018
  • SpaceX is about to do something astonishing April 15, 2018

Copyright © 2021 Jones Kilmartin Group, LLC · Metro Pro Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress