Did Dinosaurs and Humans Ever Live Together?
Koko discovers why dinosaurs and humans never co-existed, learns about Earth's timeline, and finds out that birds are actually living dinosaur descendants.
About this story
Koko discovers why dinosaurs and humans never co-existed, learns about Earth's timeline, and finds out that birds are actually living dinosaur descendants.
What you'll learn
- Dinosaurs and humans never lived at the same time
- What caused the dinosaur extinction
- How to read a basic Earth timeline
- Birds evolved from dinosaurs
Owlo! Owlo! I have the most important question ever. It cannot wait even one second.
Well, come right in, Koko. I was just sorting through some books in the library. What is on your mind today?
We watched a movie last night where a scientist went back in time and rode a dinosaur. It looked so real. Could that actually happen?
Oh, that sounds like quite a film. What made you wonder if it could be real?
Because the scientist looked just like a regular person, like me or you. So I started thinking, did dinosaurs and humans ever live at the same time?
That is one of my favourite questions in all of science, Koko. The short answer is no. But the full answer is so much more interesting.
Wait, no? But in the movie they were right there together, running around and everything.
Movies love to mix things up for excitement. But real science tells a very different story. Let me show you something on the big map over here.
This is a timeline of Earth, Koko. Think of all of Earth's history as one very, very long hallway.
Okay, I am imagining a really long hallway. Like, longer than our whole school.
Much longer than that, actually. Now, dinosaurs first appeared about two hundred and thirty million years ago. They lived for a staggeringly long time.
Two hundred and thirty million? I cannot even count that high. How long did they live for?
They ruled the Earth for about one hundred and sixty five million years. Then, around sixty six million years ago, something enormous changed everything.
What happened? Did they just disappear one day?
Scientists believe a giant rock from space, called an asteroid, crashed into Earth. It caused massive fires, dust clouds, and dramatic changes to the climate.
That sounds terrifying. So the asteroid wiped them all out?
Most of them, yes. It was a mass extinction, which means a huge number of species disappeared in a relatively short time.
Okay, so dinosaurs were gone sixty six million years ago. When did humans show up?
That is exactly the right question to ask next. Early humans, our ancient ancestors, appeared only about three hundred thousand years ago.
Three hundred thousand versus sixty six million. That is a huge gap. So they completely missed each other?
Completely. If that long hallway we imagined was one hundred metres, dinosaurs would disappear near one end, and humans would only appear in the very last few centimetres.
Wow. So humans arrived super, super late to the party.
That is actually a perfect way to think about it. Extremely late to a party that had already been over for millions of years.
So what was living on Earth between the dinosaurs and the humans? Was it just empty?
Not at all. After the dinosaurs, mammals slowly grew larger and spread across the Earth. Horses, whales, giant sloths, and many other fascinating creatures appeared.
Giant sloths? Those sound amazing. I want to learn about those another day.
Remind me, and we absolutely will. But here is something wonderful to know. Not every creature from the age of dinosaurs vanished completely.
Wait, really? Like which ones survived?
Birds, actually. Scientists have discovered that birds evolved directly from a group of small dinosaurs. So in a way, dinosaurs are still with us today.
Birds are dinosaurs? So when I see a crow sitting on the school fence, that is kind of a tiny dinosaur?
Scientifically speaking, yes. That crow shares an ancestor with the great dinosaurs of the past. Pretty remarkable, isn't it?
That is the coolest thing I have ever heard. I am never going to look at a bird the same way again.
That is exactly how science should feel. It changes the way you see ordinary things. Now, can you pull together everything we talked about today?
Okay, let me try. Dinosaurs lived millions and millions of years ago, and they disappeared about sixty six million years back because of a giant asteroid crash.
Humans only showed up around three hundred thousand years ago. So there is a massive gap between them, and they never ever met each other.
Oh, and the most amazing part is that birds are actually the descendants of dinosaurs. So dinosaurs did not fully disappear. They just got smaller and got wings.
That was a wonderful summary, Koko. You explained it better than many grown-ups could.
Next time I think I want to find out more about that giant asteroid, and maybe those giant sloths too. There is so much more to discover.
There always is. That is the best part about asking questions. Every answer opens the door to ten more adventures.
