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What triggered the mass extinction 66 million years ago?

An asteroid more than six miles wide struck the earth.

What percentage of species went extinct as a result of the event?

About 60 to 80% of birds, amphibians, and a large proportion of plant and animal species.

What did the asteroid impact do to the atmosphere?

It blocked out the sun, causing global temperatures to plunge by as much as 20 degrees Celsius.

What was the immediate effect on the food chain after the impact?

Food chains collapsed, wiping out dinosaurs and a significant number of plant and animal species.

What type of environments did the surviving animals prefer after the extinction?

They tended to be small and lived in water or burrowed underground.

What geological feature marks the boundary between life before and after the asteroid impact?

A thin clay line that contains the fallout from the asteroid.

What was discovered at Corral Bluffs in Colorado?

A remarkable trove of fossils that helps trace the recovery of life following the mass extinction.

What did scientists find at Corral Bluffs after the extinction?

fungal spores and fern spores.

What were the first plants to reappear after the asteroid impact?

Ferns

What type of fossils were primarily found after the creative activity at Corral Bluffs?

Fossils of mammals, turtles, and crocodiles.

What significant fossil did Sharon Milito discover?

A complete mammal jaw, marking a significant find from that time period.

What was the eating habit of the new mammal species discovered after 300,000 years?

They were omnivorous, eating both meat and plants.

What role did legumes play in mammal size expansion after the extinction?

They served as protein sources for the new mammals that appeared.

How does the recovery period relate to the evolution of species?

It indicates a new interplay of life between animals and plants as they evolved together.

What does the narrator suggest about the future of mammals after the recovery?

Mammals branched into many groups, leading to the emergence of humans.