Nature Communications (Apr 2018)

Dinosaur diversification linked with the Carnian Pluvial Episode

  • Massimo Bernardi,
  • Piero Gianolla,
  • Fabio Massimo Petti,
  • Paolo Mietto,
  • Michael J. Benton

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-03996-1
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9, no. 1
pp. 1 – 10

Abstract

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Dinosaurs originated ~245 million years ago (mya) but did not diversify until some time in the Late Triassic. Here, Bernardi and colleagues synthesize palaeontological and dated stratigraphic evidence to show that dinosaur diversification followed the Carnian Pluvial Episode 234–232 mya.