What Happened to the Dinosaurs?

6. Was There More Than One Extinction?

While there is no doubt that the mass extinction of the dinosaurs was the one that changed our planet the most, it wasn’t the only time Earth experienced a wipeout. As a matter-of-fact, the Earth has seen five major prehistoric extinction events known as the 'big five.' Three of these occurred during the Mesozoic period, with the first earning the nickname "The Great Dying" due to the loss of 96% of all species on the Earth. A second Mesozoic Era extinction came between the Triassic and Jurassic periods; this was the period that truly saw in the era of the dinosaurs.