201 – 145 million years ago

The Jurassic

As Pangaea broke apart, lush forests spread across the new continents. Dinosaurs diversified into the enormous, iconic forms most people picture when they hear the word.

Age of giants

Sauropods like Brachiosaurus, Diplodocus, and Apatosaurus grew to lengths exceeding 80 feet. Plated Stegosaurus roamed the floodplains, while Allosaurus hunted in packs across what is now the western United States.

The first birds

The Late Jurassic also produced Archaeopteryx, a feathered theropod whose fossils in the Solnhofen limestone of Germany provided some of the earliest evidence linking dinosaurs to modern birds.