Dinosaurs roamed among pine trees in the Arctic 100 million years ago, scientists reveal

Dinosaurs roamed among pine trees in the Arctic and 'weird monkey puzzle forests' were across much of their habitat, scientists have claimed.

Researchers have drawn up the first realistic picture of fauna in the Cretaceous period and revealed the bizarre lost world where dinosaurs roamed 100 million years ago.

Experts from the Royal Holloway University of London say that their research shows that during the age of the dinosaurs, polar-regions had a climate similar to Britain today.

Just before the extinction of dinosaurs the landscape changed again, with magnolia-type trees springing into life bringing blossom and scent to the world for the first time.

To build the maps, scientists created a database of every fossilised forest site ever discovered - several thousand in all - and plotted their position, reports journal Geology.Emiliano Peralta-Medina said: 'Our research shows that weird monkey puzzle forests covered most of the planet, especially in the steamy tropics. 

'At mid-latitudes, there were dry cypress woodlands, and near the North Pole, it was mostly pines.

'Just before the dinosaurs became extinct, all that changed. Flowering trees similar to magnolias took off, bringing colour and scent to the world for the first time.'

By studying fossilised tree rings, the team discovered that trees were growing twice as fast as their modern-day counterparts, with the greatest effect closest to the poles.

Dr Howard Falcon-Lang said: 'Some of our fossil trees from Antarctica had rings more than two millimetres wide on average. 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2107488/Dinosaurs-roamed-pine-trees-Arctic-100-million-years-ago-scientists-reveal.html#ixzz1nhAH0qBV