05Mesozoic
Tyrannosaurus
Tyrannosaurus rex
A deep skull, bone-crushing bite and keen senses made it one of the last giant theropods.
EXTINCT ATLAS WIKIEXTINCT LIFE ARCHIVEBack to archiveEpoch guide · 100.5–66 million years ago
Late Cretaceous Dinosaurs: Species, Habitats & Extinction
Discover Late Cretaceous dinosaurs including Tyrannosaurus, Triceratops, Velociraptor and titanosaurs. Compare their fossil ranges, habitats and extinction context.
Life and the fossil record
The Late Cretaceous lasted from about 100.5 to 66 million years ago, from the Cenomanian through the Maastrichtian. This page focuses on non-avian dinosaurs. Birds are dinosaurs too, but their records sit outside this selection, as do pterosaurs and marine reptiles.
Different continents, different dinosaur faunas
Tyrannosaurus and Triceratops document western North America; Velociraptor and Protoceratops bring Mongolia into view. South American records include large sauropods such as Argentinosaurus and Dreadnoughtus. Their individual profiles distinguish places, ages and evidence instead of treating the entire interval as one ecosystem.
Which dinosaurs reached the end of the Cretaceous?
Tyrannosaurus, Triceratops and Ankylosaurus belong to the final part of the interval. Earlier animals in this selection had already disappeared before the impact-associated extinction at 66 million years ago. That event ended non-avian dinosaurs; some bird lineages survived.
06Mesozoic
Triceratops
Triceratops horridus
Three horns and a broad frill formed a formidable display and defense system.
08Mesozoic
Velociraptor
Velociraptor mongoliensis
This turkey-sized feathered predator carried a raised sickle claw on each foot.
09Mesozoic
Spinosaurus
Spinosaurus aegyptiacus
A sail-backed predator with dense bones and a paddle-like tail, adapted to life around water.
10Mesozoic
Ankylosaurus
Ankylosaurus magniventris
Body armor and a heavy tail club turned a plant-eater into a walking fortress.
11Mesozoic
Parasaurolophus
Parasaurolophus walkeri
Its long hollow crest may have carried low calls across forests and floodplains.
43Mesozoic
Carnotaurus
Carnotaurus sastrei
Brow horns, a deep skull and extremely reduced arms marked this fast abelisaurid.
44Mesozoic
Giganotosaurus
Giganotosaurus carolinii
A giant narrow-skulled theropod shared its world with immense sauropods.
46Mesozoic
Oviraptor
Oviraptor philoceratops
The supposed egg thief was found above a nest that probably contained its own young.
47Mesozoic
Therizinosaurus
Therizinosaurus cheloniformis
Meter-long hand claws belonged to a tall, feathered, pot-bellied herbivore.
48Mesozoic
Pachycephalosaurus
Pachycephalosaurus wyomingensis
A thick dome of bone crowned the skull of this two-legged herbivore.
50Mesozoic
Protoceratops
Protoceratops andrewsi
This sheep-sized horned dinosaur carried a deep beak and broad neck frill.
88Mesozoic
Edmontosaurus
Edmontosaurus annectens
A broad duck bill and dense dental batteries processed huge amounts of vegetation.
106Mesozoic
Argentinosaurus
Argentinosaurus huinculensis
A handful of colossal vertebrae and limb bones indicate one of the largest land animals known.
108Mesozoic
Deinocheirus
Deinocheirus mirificus
Huge arms, a broad bill, a tall back and wide feet formed one of the strangest dinosaur silhouettes.
172Mesozoic
Mononykus
Mononykus olecranus
Each tiny forearm ended in one stout main claw, perhaps used to tear open insect nests like a modern anteater.
226Mesozoic
Majungasaurus
Majungasaurus crenatissimus
A short deep skull carried a rounded horn, while tooth marks on its own species provide rare scavenging evidence.
227Mesozoic
Styracosaurus
Styracosaurus albertensis
A huge nasal horn and long spikes radiating from the frill made one of the most dramatic ceratopsian heads.
228Mesozoic
Kosmoceratops
Kosmoceratops richardsoni
Fifteen horn-like ornaments across the nose, brows and broad frill formed a folded crown around the skull.
275Mesozoic
Saurolophus
Saurolophus osborni
A solid spike-like crest projected behind the skull and probably carried a strong visual signal.
276Mesozoic
Corythosaurus
Corythosaurus casuarius
A helmet-shaped hollow crest contained looping nasal passages that could shape resonant calls.
277Mesozoic
Lambeosaurus
Lambeosaurus lambei
Its hatchet-shaped hollow crest changed dramatically as the animal matured.
278Mesozoic
Pachyrhinosaurus
Pachyrhinosaurus canadensis
A massive nasal boss replaced the long horn seen in many ceratopsians.
280Mesozoic
Saltasaurus
Saltasaurus loricatus
Small bony plates embedded in the skin showed that some titanosaurs carried armor.
Common questions
Are Mosasaurus and Pteranodon Late Cretaceous dinosaurs?
No. They lived during the Late Cretaceous, but Mosasaurus was a marine reptile and Pteranodon a pterosaur. Find them in the broader Cretaceous archive rather than this non-avian dinosaur selection.
Did all Late Cretaceous dinosaurs live together?
No. The interval covers more than 34 million years and many continents. Spinosaurus and Giganotosaurus lived much earlier than Tyrannosaurus, while geography also separated contemporary animals.