1995/05/01 by Dale A. Russell · 6 citations
Earth and Planetary Sciences · #Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology #Evolution and Paleontology Studies #Geological and Geochemical Analysis
paper · doi:10.1080/10292389509380510
openalex publication_date 1995/05/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
Dinosaurian diversity per unit area increased by a factor of about six through Jurassic‐Cretaceous time. The Mesozoic fragmentation of Pangea and its partial re‐assembly into Laurasia also increased dinosaurian diversity, while simultaneously increasing dinosaurian endemism. The Mesozoic landmasses with the highest probability of derived endemics and undescribed taxa include, in increasing order of importance, South America, Australia‐Antarctica and Africa‐Arabia, all during Late Cretaceous time. At least 400 genera of dinosaurs were present on all continents combined near the end of the Mesozoic Era. A total of at least 3,400 genera of dinosaurs have been present on Earth at one time or another through Mesozoic time. Only eight percent of this number are presently known from taxonomically diagnostic materials.