How long ago were dinosaurs on earth?

Dinosaurs were on Earth for between 165 and 177 million years. They first appeared between 243 and 231 million years ago, during the Triassic period. (We'll find out more about the Triassic and other geological periods further down the page). Dinosaurs became extinct around 66 million years ago. read more

Therefore, in figures, dinosaurs were on Earth for as long as 177,000,000 years. That’s a long time! While we’re talking big numbers, you may be interested to learn that Earth formed around 4.54 billion years ago. read more

Dinosaurs lived on Earth for about 175 million years, until they were entirely wiped out by the K-T extinction event at the end of the Cretaceous Period. They lived during the Mesozoic Era, and examples of dinosaurs can be found in all three periods of that era. read more

Non-bird dinosaurs lived between about 245 and 66 million years ago, in a time known as the Mesozoic Era. This was many millions of years before the first modern humans, Homo sapiens, appeared. Scientists divide the Mesozoic Era into three periods: the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous. read more

Triassic Period (252 to 201 million years ago) All continents during the Triassic Period were part of a single land mass called Pangaea. This meant that differences between animals or plants found in different areas were minor. The climate was relatively hot and dry, and much of the land was covered with large deserts. read more