What truly triggered the mass extinction 66 million years ago?

Nature · Published 12 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Explore the dramatic end of the Cretaceous Period. This video investigates the catastrophic events that wiped out most dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and ammonites, leaving only birds to carry the lineage forward.

While dinosaurs thrived in diverse forms for 175 million years, a sudden catastrophe 66 million years ago ended their dominance. Scientists debate the exact cause, though evidence points to an asteroid impact as a primary driver. Other contributing factors may have included volcanic eruptions causing large-scale climate change, alongside more gradual environmental shifts occurring over millions of years.

This mass extinction event created massive ecological gaps, which were eventually filled by the rapid evolution of mammals and the surviving dinosaur lineage: birds.

General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.

Intellect Plus is a visual educational discovery platform for exploring fascinating facts and ideas. Brain Food, Not Brain Rot. What is Intellect Plus?

Related

• The catastrophic collapse that paved the way for the dinosaurs
• Dinosaurs never actually went extinct; they are still living among us today.
• The single most violent day in Earth's history lasted minutes
• The only dinosaurs to survive a mountain-sized asteroid strike
• What really happened during the final moments of the dinosaur age?
• Does a single organism sit at the base of every living family tree?
• The mysterious disappearance of the Mesozoic's diverse mammaliaforms
• How did a massive pterosaur become the top predator on a prehistoric European island?
• The dinosaur era was far more colorful than Hollywood suggests
• Antarctica was once a lush, green continent connected to South America and Australia.
• Did tetrapods climb into the trees to escape predators or find new food?
• Why did our closest evolutionary relatives once thrive across the European continent?

More in Dinosaurs · More in Nature · Latest · A–Z · All topics