{"id":15296,"date":"2025-05-31T08:50:28","date_gmt":"2025-05-31T12:50:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/?p=15296"},"modified":"2025-05-31T08:50:28","modified_gmt":"2025-05-31T12:50:28","slug":"dinosaurs-thrived-in-antarctica","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/dinosaurs-thrived-in-antarctica\/15296\/","title":{"rendered":"Polar dinosaurs discovered in Antarctica \u2014 They’ve been there for 120 million years"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many years ago, we believed that<\/span> dinosaurs lived only in the warmest and sunniest regions of the planet, but now we know that this is not true, at least not completely. More recent studies have shown that they also inhabited r<\/strong><\/span>egions close to Antarctica<\/b>, around 120 million years ago, which caused surprise, since they managed to survive the almost eternal darkness and extremely low temperatures of the area. The most surprising thing is: these regions were in a place very familiar to us today\u2026 But we will leave that for later.<\/span><\/p>\n

A forest in the middle of Antarctica<\/h2>\n

During the early Cretaceous period, which is approximately 120 million years ago, <\/span>Victoria, a state located in southern Australia, was part of a large landmass that connected Australia and Antarctica. Yes, the place that is now habitable to us experienced endless nights and, of course, very cold weather.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is now Victoria was located within the polar circle, up to 80 degrees south of the equator, and was shrouded in darkness for months on end. Despite these harsh conditions, dinosaurs thrived here, leaving evidence of their existence at several paleontological sites<\/span><\/i>\u201d, said co-author Vera Korasidis.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

However, unlike today, the Earth\u2019s climate was much warmer: average temperatures were six to 14 degrees higher than they are today. Therefore, when this combination of mild climate and constant humidity was combined, <\/span>temperate forests rich in biodiversity emerged<\/b>.<\/p>\n

What were these forests like? We are talking about giant conifers that formed at the top of the forest, while the understory was covered by scaly ferns, forked ferns, and other very primitive plants. We cannot forget the rivers that cut through these landscapes, <\/span>making the environment even more fertile and allowing various forms of life.<\/p>\n

What kind of polar dinosaurs lived at that time?<\/h2>\n

During all the research, analysis, and excavations on the coast of Victoria, experts discovered that there were small dinosaurs adapted to these cold and dark environments. Among them, two groups stood out: <\/span>ornithopods and theropods.<\/p>\n