One Hundred and One Reasons
for the Extinction of Dinosaurs
The strong,
striking rulers
of the earth for 160 million years,
dinosaurs.
One Hundred and One Theories
on the Extinction of Dinosaurs
Groundless articles, rumors,
and jokes are excluded.
These are theories suggested
through academic publications
on the extinction of dinosaurs.
The extinction of dinosaurs
One hundred explanations
for the extinction of dinosaurs
by a paleontologist and a professor
at the University of Bristol, Michael J. Benton.
Because of the blindness triggered by cataract.
Because their brains shrunk and they grew duller.
Because of the pessimistic world view
of these ancient animals.
Biological causes, 26
Total: 26
Because of their heads
which were too heavy to lift.
Decrepitude of the species, 6
Total: 32
Because mammals
devoured their eggs.
Because of the methane from gas,
which suffocated them.
Interaction between animals, 6
Total: 38
Because of a fatal constipation
caused by a changed diet.
Because of a fatal disease
caused by pollen.
Vegetation changes, 11
Total: 49
Because the climate was too hot.
Because the climate was too cold.
Because the climate was too arid.
Because the climate was too humid.
Climatic changes, 12
Total: 61
Atmospheric changes, 7
Topographical and oceanic changes, 12
Other changes on earth, 5
Cosmic causes, 15
Total: 100
To explain the extinction of dinosaurs,
as many as 100 theories were suggested.
However,
"Dinosaurs are still alive."
- Brent Breithaupt, Paleontologist
"They didn't become extinct in the Cretaceous.
They're flying in the sky right now."
- Kristina Curry Rogers, Paleontologist
"Birds are the dinosaurs."
- Richard Ellis, "No Turning Back"
Sixty-five million years ago,
an asteroid and volcano
killed 70% of the life on earth,
but some dinosaurs survived
to leave descendants.
"All groups of birds are
descendants of carnivorous dinosaurs.
The things we call birds are
small and covered with feathers,
resembling carnivorous
dinosaurs with short tails."
- Kevin Padian, "The Origin of Birds
and Their Flight," 1998
But the birds, the surviving dinosaurs,
are not entirely safe from extinction.
Since the mid-1990s,
seabirds have decreased by 30%.
- World Wide Fund for Nature
Because of global warming,
30% of the entire bird species are
likely to disappear
in the 21st century.
- A joint research team of Stanford University
and Duke University
If birds are truly dinosaurs,
the 101st theory could be valid.
The extinction of dinosaurs is
currently being carried out by humans.
