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Cretaceous Period

145.5 to 66 million years ago

Cretaceous Period (145.5 to 66 million years ago)

During the Cretaceous period, terrestrial plants changed dramatically. Ferns and gymnosperms, which had been dominant, declined, and angiosperms—flowering plants that enclose their seeds in an ovary—flourished.
The breakup of continents continued, accelerating the evolution of land animals, including dinosaurs, in each region.
The name Cretaceous is derived from 'creta,' Latin for chalk, because of the extensive chalk deposits from this period found between Great Britain and northern France.