The only place non-avian dinosaurs didn't seem to live was in the ocean as all major marine reptiles weren't dinosaurs but some other archosaur or Mozasaurs which are related to modern day monitor lizards. Dinosaurs have been discovered on every single continent including Antarctica, in every type of biome from desert to forest to steppe to river deltas. Some of the best specimens have come from river watersheds such as the hell creek formation or Morrison because the conditions on river banks is the best for preserving large body animals but plenty of other formations exist away from river banks. EDIT: clarifications. So I've seen a lot of the same comments so I'll leave a reply here to these questions. Antarctica at the time of the dinosaurs (the Mesozoic) would not have been covered in ice, it also would not have been on the south pole, rather closer to modern day South Africa. That being said, dinosaurs have been discovered in what would have been their Arctic Circle where it would have snowed regularly, experienced very cold temperatures in the winter and had 1-3 months of no sun. Dinosaurs that lived in this region permanently had special adaptations such as Truodonts in this region being much bigger than their southern cousins while a type of Tyrannosaurus (not THE T. Rex but a relative) had a smaller body. It's also worth mentioning that dinosaurs were not cold blooded rather a sort of in between called Mezotherm. To what extent depends heavily on the dinosaur. Not all ancient reptiles that lived in the Mesozoic was a dinosaur and in short the different is taxonomy, the relationships between species. All animals classified as dinosaurs have a distinct common ancestor that separates them from all other reptiles. One interesting thing is the fact that all dinosaurs, from triceratops to deinococcus to modern barn owls have a very specific pelvis that is unlike any other reptile. Plesiosaurs, Ichthyasaurs, Mozasaurs, and Ptarosaurs are not dinosaurs as they do not share the same ancestor as all dinosaurs, and in the case of the aquatic reptiles, split off from dinosaurs long before dinosaurs themselves became a distinct Clade. Answer from areigon on reddit.com
Top answer
1 of 8
3589
The only place non-avian dinosaurs didn't seem to live was in the ocean as all major marine reptiles weren't dinosaurs but some other archosaur or Mozasaurs which are related to modern day monitor lizards. Dinosaurs have been discovered on every single continent including Antarctica, in every type of biome from desert to forest to steppe to river deltas. Some of the best specimens have come from river watersheds such as the hell creek formation or Morrison because the conditions on river banks is the best for preserving large body animals but plenty of other formations exist away from river banks. EDIT: clarifications. So I've seen a lot of the same comments so I'll leave a reply here to these questions. Antarctica at the time of the dinosaurs (the Mesozoic) would not have been covered in ice, it also would not have been on the south pole, rather closer to modern day South Africa. That being said, dinosaurs have been discovered in what would have been their Arctic Circle where it would have snowed regularly, experienced very cold temperatures in the winter and had 1-3 months of no sun. Dinosaurs that lived in this region permanently had special adaptations such as Truodonts in this region being much bigger than their southern cousins while a type of Tyrannosaurus (not THE T. Rex but a relative) had a smaller body. It's also worth mentioning that dinosaurs were not cold blooded rather a sort of in between called Mezotherm. To what extent depends heavily on the dinosaur. Not all ancient reptiles that lived in the Mesozoic was a dinosaur and in short the different is taxonomy, the relationships between species. All animals classified as dinosaurs have a distinct common ancestor that separates them from all other reptiles. One interesting thing is the fact that all dinosaurs, from triceratops to deinococcus to modern barn owls have a very specific pelvis that is unlike any other reptile. Plesiosaurs, Ichthyasaurs, Mozasaurs, and Ptarosaurs are not dinosaurs as they do not share the same ancestor as all dinosaurs, and in the case of the aquatic reptiles, split off from dinosaurs long before dinosaurs themselves became a distinct Clade.
2 of 8
468
I highly recommend PBS Eons YouTube channel. They have some amazing videos on the lives and habitats of dinosaurs. Apparently they even lived in the Arctic circle. (Arctic circle was a much different place back then, but it still lacked sunlight for months at a time and was extremely cold)
🌐
Australian Museum
australian.museum › learn › dinosaurs › dinosaurs-living-together
Dinosaurs living together - The Australian Museum
Did dinosaurs live on their own or in groups? There is good evidence that many did form social groups. Plant-eaters would have found safety in numbers, while predators may have hunted in packs and benefited from co-operation.
Discussions

Did dinosaurs roam the entire planet or did they live in certain parts? And if so, where did they predominantly live and why?
The only place non-avian dinosaurs didn't seem to live was in the ocean as all major marine reptiles weren't dinosaurs but some other archosaur or Mozasaurs which are related to modern day monitor lizards. Dinosaurs have been discovered on every single continent including Antarctica, in every type of biome from desert to forest to steppe to river deltas. Some of the best specimens have come from river watersheds such as the hell creek formation or Morrison because the conditions on river banks is the best for preserving large body animals but plenty of other formations exist away from river banks. EDIT: clarifications. So I've seen a lot of the same comments so I'll leave a reply here to these questions. Antarctica at the time of the dinosaurs (the Mesozoic) would not have been covered in ice, it also would not have been on the south pole, rather closer to modern day South Africa. That being said, dinosaurs have been discovered in what would have been their Arctic Circle where it would have snowed regularly, experienced very cold temperatures in the winter and had 1-3 months of no sun. Dinosaurs that lived in this region permanently had special adaptations such as Truodonts in this region being much bigger than their southern cousins while a type of Tyrannosaurus (not THE T. Rex but a relative) had a smaller body. It's also worth mentioning that dinosaurs were not cold blooded rather a sort of in between called Mezotherm. To what extent depends heavily on the dinosaur. Not all ancient reptiles that lived in the Mesozoic was a dinosaur and in short the different is taxonomy, the relationships between species. All animals classified as dinosaurs have a distinct common ancestor that separates them from all other reptiles. One interesting thing is the fact that all dinosaurs, from triceratops to deinococcus to modern barn owls have a very specific pelvis that is unlike any other reptile. Plesiosaurs, Ichthyasaurs, Mozasaurs, and Ptarosaurs are not dinosaurs as they do not share the same ancestor as all dinosaurs, and in the case of the aquatic reptiles, split off from dinosaurs long before dinosaurs themselves became a distinct Clade. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/askscience
528
4813
August 15, 2021
Is there any evidence dinosaurs lived in snowy places?
Hey there! I’m a college student studying paleontology and geology and I can answer this! Unfortunately, there is almost no evidence of dinosaurs or other extinct creatures from either the Mesozoic or Paleozoic in snowy places. This is because fossilization requires very specific conditions that are very common in tropical and desert climates (hence why we have so many dinosaurs from those climates) but fossilization is very very rare in mountainous and cold climates. Even if an organism got lucky and fossilized well in a cold, high altitude climate, the bones would have to withstand several hundred million years worth of weathering, erosion and mountain building events that would likely destroy those fossils. So, in short, it is very likely that ancient organisms from the Mesozoic and Paleozoic lived in snowy climates, but those climates are not good for fossilization or preservation, hence the lack of cold climate fossils. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/Paleontology
89
196
October 14, 2023
How come dinosaurs lived for 165 million years and never achieved any scientific progress but humans went from monkey-like creatures to spaceships in only 4 million years?
Insects are on earth since 400m years, bacteria even more, "high intellect" is obviously not a required trait for survival and reproduction for many species More on reddit.com
🌐 r/NoStupidQuestions
188
90
September 23, 2022
When did the dinosaurs go extinct... exactly?
I actually doubt the extinction were as total or global, on no less than three fronts. First up is palynology shows global disruption to food webs at the K/Pg, though it was not equally severe everywhere. Floras of the Antarctic Kingdom bounced back soon enough. Second is the matter needs 'slices of time' recorded in the sedimentary rocks, that must be suitably fossil yielding, from at least the late Masstrichtian to early Danian - Hell Creek is very informative for this reason, but cannot represent a global picture. Third is the size filter selecting K/Pg survival, really ought to have let through a number of Campanian-Maastrichtian coelurosaurs. The smaller alvarezsaurs were apt to survive, as were petite long tailed pennaraptorans such as Hesperonychus and Rahonavis. Not a lot is known of Palaeocene birds still. It's still possible that toothed Ichthyornis type forms, and even enantiornitheans survived. It's obvious the latter included more than only avisaurids, in the latest Cretaceous. No one same would deny dinosaurs were victims of the K/Pg but the way people think about that, involves a fair few assumptions that can't be justified simply by repetition. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/Paleontology
61
77
January 3, 2024
🌐
Scientific American
scientificamerican.com › article › was-the-dinosaurs-long-reign-a-fluke
Was the Dinosaurs' Long Reign on Earth a Fluke? | Scientific American
February 20, 2024 - And data from the past few years has many paleontologists rethinking whether dinosaurs were really so special after all. The fossil record shows that dinos lived alongside comparable groups of reptiles for millions of years without overtaking them.
The only place non-avian dinosaurs didn't seem to live was in the ocean as all major marine reptiles weren't dinosaurs but some other archosaur or Mozasaurs which are related to modern day monitor lizards. Dinosaurs have been discovered on every single continent including Antarctica, in every type of biome from desert to forest to steppe to river deltas. Some of the best specimens have come from river watersheds such as the hell creek formation or Morrison because the conditions on river banks is the best for preserving large body animals but plenty of other formations exist away from river banks. EDIT: clarifications. So I've seen a lot of the same comments so I'll leave a reply here to these questions. Antarctica at the time of the dinosaurs (the Mesozoic) would not have been covered in ice, it also would not have been on the south pole, rather closer to modern day South Africa. That being said, dinosaurs have been discovered in what would have been their Arctic Circle where it would have snowed regularly, experienced very cold temperatures in the winter and had 1-3 months of no sun. Dinosaurs that lived in this region permanently had special adaptations such as Truodonts in this region being much bigger than their southern cousins while a type of Tyrannosaurus (not THE T. Rex but a relative) had a smaller body. It's also worth mentioning that dinosaurs were not cold blooded rather a sort of in between called Mezotherm. To what extent depends heavily on the dinosaur. Not all ancient reptiles that lived in the Mesozoic was a dinosaur and in short the different is taxonomy, the relationships between species. All animals classified as dinosaurs have a distinct common ancestor that separates them from all other reptiles. One interesting thing is the fact that all dinosaurs, from triceratops to deinococcus to modern barn owls have a very specific pelvis that is unlike any other reptile. Plesiosaurs, Ichthyasaurs, Mozasaurs, and Ptarosaurs are not dinosaurs as they do not share the same ancestor as all dinosaurs, and in the case of the aquatic reptiles, split off from dinosaurs long before dinosaurs themselves became a distinct Clade. Answer from areigon on reddit.com
🌐
Khan Academy
khanacademy.org › partner-content › amnh › dinosaurs › studying-dinosaurs › a › where-in-the-world-did-dinosaurs-live
Where in the world did dinosaurs live? (article)
Dinosaurs first appeared on Earth about 228 million years. They varied greatly in shape and size. Some weighed more than 80 tons and were more than 120 feet long. Others were the size of a finch and weighed as little as 8 ounces. Most dinosaurs became extinct at the end of the Cretaceous period ...
🌐
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Dinosaur
Dinosaur - Wikipedia
4 days ago - Other lines of evidence suggesting endothermy include the presence of feathers and other types of body coverings in many lineages (see § Feathers); more consistent ratios of the isotope oxygen-18 in bony tissue compared to ectotherms, particularly as latitude and thus air temperature varied, which suggests stable internal temperatures (although these ratios can be altered during fossilization); and the discovery of polar dinosaurs, which lived in Australia, Antarctica, and Alaska when these places would have had cool, temperate climates.
🌐
ThoughtCo
thoughtco.com › where-did-dinosaurs-live-1091965
Where Did Dinosaurs Live?
May 7, 2025 - Dinosaurs lived over 180 million-year span that ranged from the Triassic Period when all continents were joined as a single landmass known as Pangea beginning 250 million years ago through the Cretaceous Period ending 66 million years ago.
Find elsewhere
🌐
Better Planet Education
betterplaneteducation.org.uk › factsheets › dinosaurs-when-did-the-dinosaurs-live-on-earth
Dinosaurs - When did the Dinosaurs Live on Earth? | Better Planet Education
The first life probably began in the seas around 4500 million years ago, then, millions of years later the first creatures crawled out of the water and started to live on the land.
🌐
Live Science
livescience.com › animals › extinct species › dinosaurs
A brief history of dinosaurs | Live Science
July 6, 2021 - Initially, dinosaurs were not as diverse as the crocodile-like archosaurs they were living alongside, Brusatte noted. In fact, dinosaurs "didn't become too successful right away; the crocs ruled the Triassic, then the end-Triassic extinction hit and the dinosaurs survived and took over."
🌐
USGS
usgs.gov › faqs › did-all-dinosaurs-live-together-and-same-time
Did all the dinosaurs live together, and at the same time? | U.S. Geological Survey
Dinosaur communities were separated by both time and geography. The 'Age of Dinosaurs' (the Mesozoic Era) included three consecutive geologic time periods (the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous Periods). Different dinosaur species lived during each of these three periods.
🌐
Only Dinosaurs
onlydinosaurs.com › home › dinosaur knowledge › where did the dinosaur live? fun facts you want to know
Where Did The Dinosaur Live? Fun Facts You Want To Know
September 28, 2025 - All true dinosaurs were terrestrial, although they often shared habitats with other reptiles and other animals. Just as dinosaurs didn’t live in the water, they also didn’t live in the air.
🌐
Natural History Museum
nhm.ac.uk › discover › when-did-dinosaurs-live.html
When did dinosaurs live? | Natural History Museum
Find out when dinosaurs first appeared and what the world was like during the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods until non-bird dinosaurs died out.
🌐
USGS
usgs.gov › faqs › where-did-dinosaurs-live
Where did dinosaurs live? | U.S. Geological Survey
Dinosaurs lived on all of the continents. At the beginning of the age of dinosaurs (during the Triassic Period, about 230 million years ago), the continents were arranged together as a single supercontinent called Pangea.
🌐
Natural History Museum
nhm.ac.uk › discover › where-did-dinosaurs-come-from.html
Where did dinosaurs come from? | Natural History Museum
But despite their long evolutionary ... evolve, and what did the first ones look like? The earliest definitive dinosaur is not one animal but an entire ecosystem containing a few different species. There's no universally accepted dinosaur species that lived earlier in ...
🌐
American Museum of Natural History
amnh.org › dinosaurs › dinosaur-facts
Dinosaur Facts | American Museum of Natural History
Paleontologists use fossil evidence preserved in ancient rock to discover how long-extinct animals lived and behaved. In most cases, a fossilized bone is actually a rock made out of minerals, with no trace of the original bone material. The discovery of dinosaur eggs and nests provided evidence for the behavior of some dinosaurs.
🌐
BBC
bbc.co.uk › newsround › 66044011
Did humans and dinosaurs live at the same time? - BBC Newsround
June 30, 2023 - Researchers then used statistics to show how the earliest forms of placental mammals emerged during the Cretaceous period and therefore co-existed with the dinosaurs for a short period of time.
🌐
Answers in Genesis
answersingenesis.org › dinosaurs › when-did-dinosaurs-live › what-really-happened-to-the-dinosaurs
What Happened to the Dinosaurs? | Answers in Genesis
October 25, 2007 - The Bible gives us a framework for explaining the "terrible lizards," including the mystery of when they lived, and what killed the dinosaurs.
🌐
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Mesozoic
Mesozoic - Wikipedia
2 weeks ago - On land, pine forests flourished, as did groups of insects such as mosquitoes and fruit flies. Reptiles began to get bigger and bigger, and the first crocodilians and dinosaurs evolved, which sparked competition with the large amphibians that had previously ruled the freshwater world, respectively mammal-like reptiles on land.
🌐
DinosaurPictures.org
dinosaurpictures.org › ancient-earth
Ancient Earth globe
Earth looked very different long ago. Search for addresses across 750 million years of Earth's history.