Several reasons could have contributed to the death of the dinosaurs but it is often asserted that one event is entirely responsible. This narrow minded thinking has caused us to look for major events that could have caused the extinction practically overnight when it is quite possible the extinction occurred over several million years.
Single event causes
A large body, likely an asteroid from the belt between Mars and Jupiter was set into motion by a passing comet. This asteroid struck the planet on the Yucatan Peninsula in modern day Mexico sending millions of tons of dirt and water into the air. The result would be a almost complete blockage of the sun along with the death of photosynthetic organisms. The death of the plants would result in the death of herbivores. The death of the herbivores would result in the eventual death of the carnivores. The last type of dinosaur to die would be the small scavenger type that would feed on the carcasses of the larger dinosaurs. When they died it would have been the end of the dinosaurs.
The planet experienced and polar shift. This occurs when the degree of wobble in the earth’s rotation increases. The effects of this change would be extremely rapid climate changes. The greatest fact that supports this argument is that it has happened more recently, the last ice age. Temperatures changed so quickly as to freeze mammoths with fresh flowers still in their mouths. If the climate change was even slight, it is likely that dinosaurs which are sometimes considered to be cold blooded would be unable to survive the colder temperatures. A climate shift from any cause would likely have cause the death of the dinosaurs.
A plague caused by genetic mutation over the millions of years the dinosaurs existed was born and decimated the population causing their eventual extinction.
Complex causes
These causes would not have caused the immediate extinction of the dinosaurs, but the cumulative effects would eventually exceed the species ability to adapt.
Genetic flaws would begin to appear in the dinosaurs. They would not be able to utilize all of the resources available to them. Mutations would cause specific enzymes to fail to work. Climate changes could cause dinosaurs to be less productive and begin to favor the smaller dinosaurs. These smaller dinosaurs are thought to have had feathers and may be modern day birds. All these changes and many others may have contributed to the extinction of the dinosaurs.
The extinction of the dinosaurs was caused by an unknown factor that may never be universally agreed on or discovered. It can be agreed on that this species once inhabited the earth but were made extinct by some cause. Let us as humans realize the frailty of life in its entirety.
