The Jurassic brought change in climate because of the splitting of the continents. Ice sheets disappeared and precipitation rates increased. The deserts shrank and as a result, a large percentage of Earth became luxurious forest. New species of dinosaurs rose and mammal-like reptiles faced extinction.
The forests had conifers such as monkey puzzles, ginkgoes, ferns, and cyads. There were also ferns, horsetails, and mosses.
Some of the dinosaurs that lived during the Jurassic were:
- Diplodocus, an herbivorous sauropod who had a long neck and peg-like teeth.
- Allosaurus, who had large serrated teeth, strong hind legs, and fed on sauropods.
- Kentrosaurus, who was a stegosaur. A stegosaur is an herbivorous dinosaur with plates and spikes for defense and heat regulation.
- Ichthyosaurus, who was a quick-swimming reptile who used it's minuscule sharp teeth to catch fish.
- Liopleurodon, who was a large marine carnivore with long flippers that grew at up to 50 feet or 15 meters long.
