Geology & Time / Ages 6+ / 6 min

The Mesozoic Era: When Dinosaurs Lived

By DinoFlex Editorial TeamPublished Apr 18, 2026Updated May 16, 2026

Geologic timeMesozoic eraDinosaur basics

Dinosaurs lived during the Mesozoic Era, which is split into three periods: Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous.

Fast facts

The first dinosaurs appeared, small and fast. Most other animals were still recovering from a huge extinction at the end of the Permian.

Long-necked sauropods like Brachiosaurus dominated. Predators like Allosaurus and Stegosaurus also lived during this time.

Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops, and Velociraptor lived in this period. An asteroid impact ended the Cretaceous and the age of non-avian dinosaurs.

Videos matched to this lesson, with a quick discussion question for families.

SciShow Kids5 minAges 6+

A gentle explainer about the asteroid impact and why birds survived as living dinosaurs.

ExtinctionAsteroids

Ask: why did small survivors have an advantage?

Learn BrightVideoAges 6+

A classroom-style dinosaur facts video about the Age of Reptiles and prehistoric life.

Dino educationMesozoic era

Ask: what made the Age of Reptiles different from today?

No - they lived more than 80 million years apart. T. rex actually lived closer in time to us than to Stegosaurus.

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