Why did reptilian extinction occur?

The Reptilian Extinction

Cretaceous Period

Reptilian extinction is a puzzle. Thousands of reptiles died out at the end of the Cretaceous Period, about 65 million years ago. Scientists have put forth  several theories to account for this mass extinction. At the end of the cretaceous period , climate changes occurred. Seas disappeared, and mountain ranges appeared. However, these changes happened quite slowly. They were not quick enough to wipe out reptiles.

The climatic changes may have slowly affected the larger reptiles of the time. Reptiles are cold blooded. So they were unable to survive long periods of cold or heat , but reptiles could have moved out to warmer or cooler areas and escaped extinction. So some scientists believe that climate changes may not have caused reptilian extinction. Another theory has to do with over specialization . the reptiles may have had features well suited for a particular environment. When the environmental conditions changed, they failed to adapt and they died out. Some scientists blame the change in vegetation for the extinction . The reptiles that fed on plants could not adjust to the new vegetation. As they died out , the reptiles that preyed on them also met their end.

                      pictures source : Google image ; “no copyright infringement is intended”