This National Geographic magazine special issue introduces readers to the creatures of the Mesozoic era, denizens of enormous size and ferociousness that reigned over land, sea, and sky roughly 252 to 66 million years ago. The Mesozoic Earth was very different from the world we know, a hot planet with a single giant continent that eventually broke apart, forming separate land and warm shallow seas. On this slowly shifting stage, a cast of giants arose, dominating every imaginable niche. Chronicling the three periods of the Mesozoic: Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous. When Dinosaurs Ruled answers questions like what is a dinosaur, and who are our current world descendants of these long lost creatures?
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