Montana, United States

Montana is a poor victim of a terrible crime. The murderer is a series of volcanoes nearby. Clouds from the volcanoes gather over the open area where there is a sparse expanse of pine trees. The trees' needles are turning brown from the volcanic ash.

An Avisaurus watches up from a branch as a male Tyrannosaurus walks into view.
Avisaurus - "bird-lizard"
A small, primitive bird with small teeth in its beak and claws on its wings.
Carnivore - insects and other small animals.

Tyrannosaurus - "Tyrant lizard"
A large (12.4 metre long, 9 ton) coelurosaurian theropod with bone-crunching jaws, two fingered arms, and a long tail. Tyrannosaurus is one of the sources for the appearance of the famous movie monster Godzilla.
Carnivore - herbivorous dinosaurs and carrion.

He is carrying a small hadrosaur in his mouth. He arrives to his nest and feeds his mate. Then, it begins to rain. Acid rain is falling in Montana, as a result of pollution from the nearby volcanoes. It is corrosive enough to seep through the dinosaur's feathers and burn their skin, causing pain. They have to leave the nest, and expose their nests to the deadly rain. This is their third attempt of raising young, broken yet again, by the acid rain. In a more dense part of the pine forest, a pair of Quetzalcoatlus sit under the shade of trees to avoid the burning rain.

Quetzalcoatlus - "Feathered Serpent" after the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl
One of the largest flying creatures of all time, with a body weight of 350 pounds and a 40-foot wingspan, this animal is not a dinosaur, but a closely related archosaurian reptile known as a pterosaur.
Carnivore - small dinosaurs and other reptiles.

The Tyrannosaurus pair hide elsewhere, to avoid the danger of the rain.
Soon, their world will crumble apart completely.

Alaska

A herd of Edmontosaurus are feeding, with a Pachyrhinosaurus feeding on their favourite fruit, Borealus, a deep dark blue melon.

Edmontosaurus - "Edmonton Lizard"
One of the largest of the hadrosaurs at 13 metres in length.
Herbivore - Ferns, conifers, and flowers.

Pachyrhinosaurus "thick-nosed lizard"
This 8 metre long, feathered ceratopsian has a bump called a nasal boss, instead of a horn, on its snout.
Omnivore - but usually a herbivore feeding on ferns, flowers, and fruits such as Borealis.

Winter has ended just yesterday, and snow and ice are still on the ground. A pair of Alaskan Troodon watch from a forest. They are the apex predators of this region.

Alaskan Troodon - "Wounding Tooth"
At 4 metres long, this feathered killer is larger then its cousins in the southern United States.
Omnivore - berries, eggs, mammals, and plant-eating dinosaurs.

But a secret killer is coming.

An Alphadon scurries up a tree.

Alphadon - "first tooth"
This early marsupial mammal resembles its modern relative the opossum.
Omnivore - seeds, berries, insects, and small vertebrates.

The Edmontosaurus begin to get nervous. Suddenly, a fragment of the approaching asteroid flies in and bursts in the air, destroying several kilometers of forest. For some animals, there is an immense sound, which soon fades. An Alphadon emerges from behind a log. Suddenly, a shockwave travels and knocks the marsupial far back and the dinosaurs begin to run. Because it didn't hit the ground, it didn't have a big of an effect, but it probably did kill dinosaurs from nearby, and some of the surviving Edmontosaurus sustain injuries. This is just a small foretaste of what is to come.

Patagonia, Argentina
In the tropical forests of Patagonia, a bizarre mammal lives. It starts raining, and in an open wide river, a Parobdorudon swims. She is a platypus relative, and therefore a monotreme. She climbs up the river bank and goes into the forest. At nearly a metre long and weighing 8 kilograms, she is one of the heaviest mammals of the Mesozoic. She goes back to her den and checks on her eggs. She is capable of surviving this upcoming apocalypse.

Parobdorudon - "before enduring tooth"
Like the platypus and the echidna, the only monotremes on modern Earth, prehistoric monotremes such as Parobdorudon reproduce by laying eggs.
Carnivore - crustaceans, worms, shrimps, and insect larvae.

Germany

In Germany, a shoal of Parapuzosia are swimming. These are the largest ammonites on Earth, and they are on their way to their breeding grounds.

Parapuzosia - "similar to Puzosia" (Puzosia is another variety of ammonite)
The largest ammonite on Earth, with a shell diameter of 2.5 metres.
Herbivore - phytoplankton

But a Mosasaurus is hunting. He speeds up and grabs one of the huge ammonites. He swims away to somehow feed on it.

Mosasaurus "Meuse lizard"
Not a dinosaur, but a giant oceanic lizard, growing up to 17 metres long.
Carnivore - fish including sharks, ammonites, and other marine reptiles.

Montana

An Alamosaurus herd is feeding on a plain outside the Hell Creek Forest. They are the most common sauropods in Appalachia, and also prey for the Tyrannosaurus.

Alamosaurus - "Ojo Alamo lizard"
One of the last sauropods, a long-necked giant weighing well over 70 tons and growing to 30 metres long.
Herbivore - conifers, magnolias, and other tall trees.

The male Tyrannosaurus is at the edge of the forest, looking out. He chirps and his mate moves away. He is a smart predator, and a dangerous one too. The herd feasts, but not for long. The Tyrannosaurus runs out of the forest at full speed. The sauropods only are able to amble. He spots one that is at the edge of the herd. Suddenly, his mate leaps out and bites deeply into the sauropod's shoulder. The Alamosaurus shakes off, but the male runs up and bites the back of its neck. The female Tyrannosaurus then bites the Alamosaurus' throat, and after a few seconds the sauropod collapses, dead from a crushed windpipe. The pair begin to feed, but not for long.
The asteroid is approaching Earth as high speeds. A bright streak in the sky makes the Tyrannosaurus look up. Then, the sky turns so bright, that it blinds the Tyrannosaurus and the other dinosaurs in the area. The asteroid has just struck the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, thus starting the most famous mass extinction of all. A shockwave rolls across the continent.

Texas

In what is now Texas, a group of Quetzalcoatlus are nesting on cliffs. But the shockwave rolls and blows the pterosaurs, snapping their delicate bones and killing some of them. But it's just the beginning. A massive blast front rolls in. The Quetzalcoatlus try to fly away, but it engulfs them before they get a chance to fly off.

Montana

The Tyrannosaurus pair run deep into the forest. It has been 15 minutes since the impact, and the blast front reaches Montana, killing the Alamosaurus. The Tyrannosaurus are in the heart of the forest, and so they avoid the worst. But something even worse is about to come.

It has been 30 minutes since the impact, and in Mongolia, a herd of Protoceratops are feeding on the ferns.

Protoceratops - "first horned face"
A small (2 metres long) and primitive ceratopsian. This dinosaur is also known as the "Sheep of the Gobi Desert"
Herbivore - low growing plants.

But the Earth begins to shake, and the rocks of the sandstone cliff begin to fall. A massive 13.0 earthquake rips across the planet. A few loose Opisthocoelicaudia try to stay still, but the earthquake knocks down half of the herd.

Opisthocoelicaudia - "posterior cavity tail"
Another sauropod, this giant plant-eater is relatively small for a sauropod at 12 metres long.
Herbivore - tall trees.

Then, one of the individuals bellows and they amble away, as they can't run because of their size. The sandstone cliff will be reduced to rubble when the earthquake is over.

Montana

The Tyrannosauruses try to stay low, but it doesn't help. They still topple over from the quake. A few hadrosaurs are on the coast of Laramidia. The earthquake slowly dissipates, but aftershocks will still rock the world. The earthquake will have two major effects on the extinction. First, the Laramidian Volcanic Mountain Range comes to life, roaring with an ear splitting sound. Only it is nothing compared to the second biggest killer of the extinction.

India
Lava boils in a flat area. The Deccan Traps, a group of Indian volcanoes, are erupting. Suddenly, lava bursts upwards and spills down the hill. On the grassy plains below, the Isisaurus and Rajasaurus run for their lives, but the lava reaches them and burns them alive. The Deccan Traps will continue to erupt, with no end in sight.

Rajasaurus - "raja (king) lizard"
A theropod of the abelisaurid family of dinosaurs, Rajasaurus's arms are even shorter than those of Tyrannosaurus.
Carnivore - plant eating dinosaurs, as well as small meat eaters and carrion.

Isisaurus - "Indian Statistical Institute lizard"
This Indian sauropod has a short, vertically directed neck and long forelimbs, making it considerably different from other sauropods.
Herbivore - tall trees.

Two hours after the eruption, on the shores of Laramidia, a herd of Edmontosaurus are migrating on their annual migration to the Hell Creek Forest. But they won't make it. The water pulls back, and the wave rises up to cover the sun. The herd honks and runs, but it is too late. The water slams down and begins to sweep into the forest behind the beach. Within the forest, a Purgatorius hears the water and plops into a tree hole.

Purgatorius - named after Purgatory Hill
Although it resembles a squirrel, Purgatorius is actually the earliest known primate, an ancestor of such creatures as lemurs, monkeys, apes, and even humans.
Carnivore - insects, arachnids, millipedes, and eggs.

Then, the waves rush in and topple the tree over. The Purgatorius might not survive.

Hateg Island, Romania

On the island of Hațeg, a Hatzegopteryx flies. He is hunting.

Hatzegopteryx - "Hateg Basin wing"
A predatory pterosaur closely related to North America's Quetzalcoatlus.
Carnivore - dinosaurs and other animals.

In an open area, he spots a Micugas, and flies down.

Micugas
A little known relative of the Troodon.
Omnivore - berries, small animals, and eggs.

As he lands, he plucks the troodontid by the neck and then shakes it. He struggles hard, but, eventually swallows it whole. He looks at the coast, more Hatzegopteryx are flying. The waves are rolling in. At that moment, an aftershock hits. The pterosaurs fly off and avoid the waves. But the Micugas, being flightless, are not so lucky. Only the Micugas on high areas will survive the waves.

Montana

Now, the debris from the impact comes down to Earth. In Montana, the Hell Creek Forest has a rain of molten rock fall down, setting the forest on fire. A herd of Torosaurus run in the forest, roaring in fear.

Torosaurus - "perforated lizard"
This 9 metre long, 3 horned beast is one of the largest ceratopsians, with the skull being about 6 feet long.
Omnivore - but mainly herbivorous, feeding on low growing plants.

Even the feared Tyrannosaurus now run for their lives. Soon, the majority of land is on fire. The smoke given by the fire will cause severe smoke inhalation and kill many animals.

Mongolia
In Mongolia, the Opisthocoelicaudia are walking on a fire-free landscape. The dry environment of the Gobi Desert is an advantage at this stage of the extinction, but will heavily affect the animals in the latter stages.

India
It has been nearly 20 hours since impact. As the molten rock rains down, clouds of sulfur dioxide cover the sky, until the entire planet is dark as night. Only the light of the molten rock and the fire is seen, and not from space. In India, nearly two miles of the surrounding area is lit up by the lava spilling out by the millions of gallons per second. On a high cliff, watching the catastrophe, though obscured by the soot clouds, is a juvenile Rajasaurus. He managed to outrun the lava and race to the cliff. But dangers are coming now. The lava reaches down a lower part of the cliff. It begins to rise. Then, the cliff wobbles. The lava is melting the rock beneath the abelisaur's feet. The Rajasaurus runs, but the cliff caves in and brings the Rajasaurus with it. He tries to swim out of the lava, but he is burnt so badly and it is so much pain, he gives out a sick shriek and sinks into the lava.

Mongolia
In Mongolia, the Opisthocoelicaudia begin to navigate through a forest, occasionally scurrying some Pectinodon. Then, a lighting bolt lights the land briefly. Drops of rain come down. It is acid rain, but it's not deadly...at first. It doesn't hurt the animals, but it does hurt the plants. The plants lose their leaves and die in the acid rain. By killing the plants, the supply of food for the migrating Opisthocoelicaudia is cut way short, and the sauropods, which need to eat a ton of leaves every day to stay healthy, begin to starve.

Montana
In Montana, on the plains outside the burnt forest, the Tyrannosaurus pair relax, both have burns and cuts and bruises all over their bodies. They are weak, and starving. But the darkness gives the predators an advantage. They have better night vision than the Torosaurus. They sniff the Torosaurus herd in the distance, and begin to stalk them. Then, a light shower of acid rain comes down. This dampens their feathers, and actually causes pain for the Tyrannosaurus, with the acid pouring into their open wounds. But they are silent, and while the herd of ceratopsians are distracted by the thunder, the pair attack. The female grabs one by the leg and he collapses. The male rushes over to bite his throat. The Torosaurus slams the side of his frill into the male, then, pushes up, kicks the female away, and sinks his horns into the males stomach, the female charges and grabs the back of his neck. With a quick squeeze, the Torosaurus lets out a cry and is dead. The male Tyrannosaurus is not doing so well. He collapses to the ground from his injuries, and roars in pain. The female tears off a chunk of flesh and feeds him it. Shortly afterward, the male tries to get up, but he collapses again. With these injuries, especially in a dying world, he may not last much longer. The volcanoes of Laramidia continue to erupt, and pollute the air more.

Madagascar

On the island of Madagascar, the forests are decimated. The rivers are polluted, but a beaver like head sticks out and swims from the ash laden water surface. It is a Lavanify, an aquatic mammal.

Lavanify - "long tooth"
This small mammal is known only from fossils of its long teeth.
Herbivore - wood, ferns, aquatic plants, and grass.

He is lost and so, after passing the bones of a dead sauropod, he climbs onto a fallen tree and hides there. Already, the effects of the Deccan Traps have caused extreme heat waves in the dark forest. But Lavanify is just resting. He plops down and into his burrow to sleep.

Mongolia
Seven months pass. In Mongolia, the Opisthocoelicaudia arrive to their surprisingly cold and clean nesting site. They begin to dig their nests, but something crunchy is underneath. The very few remaining female Opisthocoelicaudias lay their eggs.

Montana
The female Tyrannosaurus is in a sorry state. She is limping, her mate has died from his own injuries, and she has become depressed. The clouds in the sky part and for the first time in seven months, sun reaches the ground. But what is revealed, is a snowy wilderness, filled with fallen trees and the carcasses of dinosaurs. Our female is cold, and starving.
A Lanclarias, a walking catfish, walks across.

Lanclarias -
An ancient species of catfish.
Carnivore - other fish and shellfish.

The female Tyrannosaurus eats the Lanclarias, but as her species has evolved to hunt much bigger prey, it's not enough. The ground shakes. In the distance red flame flares up. The volcano nearby is erupting. She continues to walk.

Alaska
In Alaska, darkness has come over the landscape, because of winter. It is harsher then any winter pre-impact, but the dinosaurs here will survive the longest. An Alaskan Troodon, as she eats the last scraps of meat from an Edmontosaurus that has died from starvation, sees the surprisingly clear skies, and the beautiful auroras. An Alphadon leaps out of its burrow and catches a dragonfly. The problem, is that the Edmontosaurus and Troodon populations are down significantly - due to the lack of plants to eat, most of the Edmontosaurus population has died, and as a result, this has caused starvation and death among their predators, the Troodons. The Troodon turns and snatches, but the Alphadon comes down a burrow. The Troodon is struggling to survive in this brutal new world.
In a deeper part of Alaska, a Pachyrhinosaurus is facing a big blizzard. His coat of fur-like protofeathers protects him from these harshest of conditions. He moves into a forest, so see a Quetzalcoatlus clinging onto a tree, which is very rare. Another Quetzalcoatlus lies on the ground, struggling to breathe. With his supply of Borealus gone, the Pachyrhinosaurus does something you probably have thought of, but is still unexpected. He bites the pterosaur's neck and shakes it, finishing it off. He then begins to feed. Being an omnivore helps in these most desperate of situations.

Montana
A Purgatorius hunting for insects comes across the carcass of our female Tyrannosaurus, who has finally succumbed to starvation and passed away. The dinosaur's loss, however, is the mammal's gain, and the Purgatorius begins to feed on the dead dinosaur. As the Bible says, the meek will inherit the Earth.

India
The Deccan Traps will continue to erupt for millions of years. For now, in the snow, the lava burns it, and steam rises. The volcanic gases are released and begin to cause a second period of darkness, and more severe snow in Madagascar and Montana. More dinosaurs begin to die off.

Alaska
Several thousand years have passed since the asteroid hit the Earth. The Mesozoic Era is over, and now a new era is beginning. A Purgatorius emerges from his burrow. It is the beginning of the Cenozoic Era, and it's first period, the Paleocene. He sniffs the ground and begins to search for food. A Lanclarias slithers out of a pond in search of new opportunities. Purgatorius, Alphadon, Lavanify, Parobdurodon, and Lanclarias have survived. The other creatures we have seen, have not. The periods of cold and darkness have not just killed off the plants on land, but the plankton in the seas. The ammonites, including Parapuzosia, and the Mosasaurs are now extinct from starvation.
Elsewhere in Alaska, a Purgatorius emerges from the ground and begins to search for berries. He finds a bush and begins to nibble on the berries, as the Lanclarias walks by.
In Alaska, an old Edmontosaurus is patroling a snowy river bank and feeds on juniper bushes. However, his species is so badly endangered that they will never be able to recover. The always solitary Pachyrhinosaurus goes to feed on another juniper bush on the same bank. He survived the extinction...for now. The same can be said for Troodon. A male Troodon walks into view. He drinks on the other side of the river. Before the extinction they were social pack-hunters, but now, they are so rare that they remain solitary hunters. All three of these surviving non-avian dinosaurs are in final decline, and they will go extinct very soon. He turns to look for food. An Alphadon emerges from her burrow. She hops out and drinks the water. She then notices a dragonfly, snatches it out of the air and rushes back into the burrow. After feeding her mate, they groom each other.
In India, a Lavanify exits a den and grooms. Then, he plops into the water and begins to feed on aquatic plants. But these animals will diversify to produce the biggest animals ever.

Germany - 63 Million B.C.E
3 million years since the Paleocene started, not a single non-avian dinosaur is left. In the forests of Germany, a Pristichampsus is patrolling the forest floor.

Pristichampsus - "saw crocodile"
This predator of the earliest Paleocene is not a dinosaur, but a variety of crocodile with legs beneath its body, like those of a dinosaur.
Carnivore - mammals, birds, and other reptiles.

This crocodile has hoof-like feet, and can run and walk comfortably on land. He can even rear up on his hind legs. It seems like reptiles have filled the void once again.
Suddenly, a Miacis skids to a stop and catches a lizard to eat.

Miacis - "mother animal"
This squirrel sized mammal with 5-toed feet belongs to the Miacids, the earliest fully carnivorous mammals.
Carnivore - animals smaller than itself, such as lizards and insects.

The Miacis then turns, spots the Pristichampsus and runs. The crocodile follows,. the Miacis climbs quickly up a tree to feed on his catch. The crocodile leaps and tries to climb but fails. Then, he hears a booming noise. A long furred Barylambda rushes at him about to swipe him with his claws.

Barylambda
This pony-sized mammal weighed 650 kilograms, and was one of the earliest plant-eating mammals to reach a considerable size.
Herbivore - low lying vegetation.

The crocodile runs away. This is a big mammal. Mammals are starting to take over the world. Welcome to the Cenozoic.