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Because the Diapsid reptiles (Dinosaurs in Particular) were seen as the dominant terrestrial life forms during that time, being both the Apex predators, and the largest herbivores. Odds were if you saw a vertebrate on land, it was a reptile. Additionally, during that time, reptiles also took to the sea in a far greater variety than seen today (and got quite large as well, Pliosaurs were likely Apex predators in the sea as well) That period was seen as a high point for reptiles - mammals now occupy most of the niches that reptiles did in the mesozoic. Additionally, when that phrase was made, Birds were not considered to be a highly derived/specialized reptile, further increasing the apparent contrast between reptile abundance now, and the much greater reptile abundance in the mesozoic. .... Although when that phrase was coined, the "proto-mammal" synapsids were considered to be reptiles, with the more advanced synapsids being called "mammal like reptiles" (they are no longer considered reptiles) So I must wonder why the term didn't originally refer to both the Permian and the Mesozoic. It must be the disparity in body forms - only during the mesozoic did reptiles take to the air, become apex predators at sea, and attain sizes unsurpassed by any other terrestrial life.
What else can I help you with?
Which was NOT a subdivision of the Mesozoic era?
The Cenozoic era was not a subdivision of the Mesozoic era. The Mesozoic era is subdivided into the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods.
Did mesons strike Mesopotamia in the Mesozoic Era?
Mesozoic Era
Which is not an era of the phanerozoic era?
The Paleozoic precedes the Mesozoic. And our current era, the Cenozoic, follows the Mesozoic.
Name 3 types of life forms that appeared in the mesozoic era?
the first type of life form that appeared in the mesozoic era was a fish! the second type of life form that appeared in the mesozoic era was the reptile! and the third was a reptile bird!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What are the four geologic time scale eras from oldest to most recent?
The 4 eras are Cenozoic era, the mesozoic era, the paleozoic era, and the precambrian era.
Which was NOT a subdivision of the Mesozoic era?
The Cenozoic era was not a subdivision of the Mesozoic era. The Mesozoic era is subdivided into the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods.
Did mesons strike Mesopotamia in the Mesozoic Era?
Mesozoic Era
What is the period of the mesozoic era?
The Paleozoic precedes the Mesozoic. And our current era, the Cenozoic, follows the Mesozoic.
What is the Mesozoic era referred to as the?
The Mesozoic Era is known as the Age of Reptiles.
Jurassic is the period of what era?
It really wasn't an era. An Era was a much longer period of time. It was called the "Jurassic Period".
What Era did dinosaurs live in?
The dinosaurs lived in the Mesozoic Era, which includes the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods. The first dinosaurs appeared in the late Triassic and went extinct at the end of the Cretaceous.
Which is not an era of the phanerozoic era?
The Paleozoic precedes the Mesozoic. And our current era, the Cenozoic, follows the Mesozoic.
The Cretaceous period was a part of what era?
It was part of the Mesozoic Era.
What life-forms dominated the mesozoic era?
Dinosaurs dominated over the mesozoic era.
What is the other name for the mesozoic era?
The Mesozoic Era is also known as the Age of Reptiles.
What was the era of dinosaurs?
Mesozoic Era
How do you use Mesozoic era in a sentence?
"How do you use Mesozoic era in a sentence." Is a sentence using the words.
