Why did dinosaurs become extinct
After dominating the earth for a whooping 180 million years, the dinosaurs were cleaned off the face of the earth 65 million years ago. Although there are a host of theories as to why all the dinosaurs became extinct, the truth is that this is a question that is yet to be answered properly. No theory ever developed seems convincing enough to sufficiently justify the total annihilation of the giant reptiles that had survived for 180 million years. Even if some of the theories seem believable, the data collected from the fossils and the remains of the Mesozoic Era contradicts those theories, thus rendering them unconvincing.
The “Supernova” theory states that a star had exploded near our planet and the radiation from the explosion had wiped off the dinosaurs altogether. This theory is discarded because not only is there a lack of evidence to support it, but also, it would destroy every living thing on the planet and not just dinosaurs. The Pangaea was at a very unstable stage at this time and thus volcanic activities were common during the Cretaceous Age. A significant increase in the regular volcanic activities might have created a situation that was unfit for life, especially life forms as big as dinosaurs. The ash, chemicals and gases from the volcanic eruptions probably shielded the earth from sufficient sunlight and depleted the ozone layer that allowed harmful rays and radiation to reach the surface, thus making it hostile to life. The hostile conditions not only affected the dinosaurs directly, but it also killed the plants that the herbivores survived on. As the herbivores died out due to lack of food, the carnivores followed owing to the same reason. This is the most feasible theory about the extinction of the dinosaurs and it is supported by paleontologists on the basis of what has been found so far from the remains of the Cretaceous Era. Another popular theory speculates a meteorite strike that might have created situations similar to the volcanic theory. Diseases are believed to be responsible for the extinction as well, but that could only be a secondary reason that resulted from the volcanic theory mentioned earlier.