The Late Jurassic is the third

epoch In chronology and periodization, an epoch or reference epoch is an instant in time chosen as the origin of a particular calendar era. The "epoch" serves as a reference point from which time is measured. The moment of epoch is usually decided b ...

of the

Jurassic The Jurassic ( ) is a Geological period, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately 143.1 Mya. ...

Period, and it spans the

geologic time The geologic time scale or geological time scale (GTS) is a representation of time based on the rock record of Earth. It is a system of chronological dating that uses chronostratigraphy (the process of relating strata to time) and geochronolo ...

from 161.5 ± 1.0 to 143.1 ± 0.8

million years ago Million years ago, abbreviated as Mya, Myr (megayear) or Ma (megaannum), is a unit of time equal to (i.e. years), or approximately 31.6 teraseconds. Usage Myr is in common use in fields such as Earth science and cosmology. Myr is also used w ...

(Ma), which is preserved in Upper Jurassic

strata In geology and related fields, a stratum (: strata) is a layer of Rock (geology), rock or sediment characterized by certain Lithology, lithologic properties or attributes that distinguish it from adjacent layers from which it is separated by v ...

.Owen 1987. In European

lithostratigraphy Lithostratigraphy is a sub-discipline of stratigraphy, the geological science associated with the study of strata or rock layers. Major focuses include geochronology, comparative geology, and petrology. In general, strata are primarily igneous ...

, the name "Malm" indicates rocks of Late Jurassic age. In the past, ''Malm'' was also used to indicate the unit of geological time, but this usage is now discouraged to make a clear distinction between lithostratigraphic and geochronologic/chronostratigraphic units.

Subdivisions

The Late Jurassic is divided into three ages, which correspond with the three (faunal) stages of Upper Jurassic rock:

Paleogeography

During the Late Jurassic Epoch,

Pangaea Pangaea or Pangea ( ) was a supercontinent that existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras. It assembled from the earlier continental units of Gondwana, Euramerica and Siberia during the Carboniferous period approximately 335 mi ...

broke up into two

supercontinent In geology, a supercontinent is the assembly of most or all of Earth's continent, continental blocks or cratons to form a single large landmass. However, some geologists use a different definition, "a grouping of formerly dispersed continents", ...

Laurasia Laurasia () was the more northern of two large landmasses that formed part of the Pangaea supercontinent from around ( Mya), the other being Gondwana. It separated from Gondwana (beginning in the late Triassic period) during the breakup of Pa ...

to the north, and

Gondwana Gondwana ( ; ) was a large landmass, sometimes referred to as a supercontinent. The remnants of Gondwana make up around two-thirds of today's continental area, including South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia (continent), Australia, Zea ...

to the south. The result of this break-up was the emergence of the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

, which initially was relatively narrow.

Life forms

This epoch is well known for many famous types of

dinosaur Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic Geological period, period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the #Evolutio ...

s, such as the

sauropod Sauropoda (), whose members are known as sauropods (; from '' sauro-'' + '' -pod'', 'lizard-footed'), is a clade of saurischian ('lizard-hipped') dinosaurs. Sauropods had very long necks, long tails, small heads (relative to the rest of their b ...

s, the

theropod Theropoda (; from ancient Greek , (''therion'') "wild beast"; , (''pous, podos'') "foot"">wiktionary:ποδός"> (''pous, podos'') "foot" is one of the three major groups (clades) of dinosaurs, alongside Ornithischia and Sauropodom ...

s, the

thyreophora Thyreophora ("shield bearers", often known simply as "armored dinosaurs") is a group of armored ornithischian dinosaurs that lived from the Early Jurassic until the end of the Cretaceous. Thyreophorans are characterized by the presence of bod ...

ns, and the

ornithopod Ornithopoda () is a clade of ornithischian dinosaurs, called ornithopods (). They represent one of the most successful groups of herbivorous dinosaurs during the Cretaceous. The most primitive members of the group were bipedal and relatively sm ...

s. Other animals, such as some crocodylomorphs and the first

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

s, appeared in the Jurassic. Listed here are only a few of the many Jurassic animals: :*'' Camarasaurus'', a large herbivorous sauropod dinosaur from North America :*'' Apatosaurus'', a large herbivorous sauropod dinosaur from North America :*''

Brachiosaurus ''Brachiosaurus'' () is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived in North America during the Late Jurassic, about . It was first Species description, described by American paleontologist Elmer S. Riggs in 1903 in paleontology, 1903 from fossi ...

'', a massive herbivorous sauropod dinosaur from North America :*''

Brontosaurus ''Brontosaurus'' (; meaning "thunder lizard" from the Ancient Greek, Greek words , "thunder" and , "lizard") is a genus of herbivorous sauropod dinosaur that lived in present-day United States during the Late Jurassic period. It was describe ...

'', a large herbivorous sauropod dinosaur from North America :*'' Diplodocus'', an exceptionally long herbivorous sauropod dinosaur from North America :*''

Barosaurus ''Barosaurus'' ( ) is a genus of giant, long-tailed, long-necked, herbivore, plant-eating Sauropoda, sauropod dinosaur closely related to the more familiar ''Diplodocus''. Remains have been found in the Morrison Formation from the Jurassic, Up ...

'', an exceptionally long herbivorous sauropod dinosaur from North America :*'' Europasaurus'', a small herbivorous sauropod dinosaur from Europe :*'' Brachytrachelopan'', a small herbivorous sauropod dinosaur from South America :*'' Supersaurus'', possibly the longest sauropod dinosaur of them all :*''

Maraapunisaurus ''Maraapunisaurus'' is a controversial genus of sauropod dinosaur from the Late Jurassic Morrison Formation of western North America. Originally named ''Amphicoelias fragillimus'', it has sometimes been estimated to be the Dinosaur size, largest ...

'', possibly among the largest sauropod dinosaurs ever known :*'' Dicraeosaurus'', a large herbivorous sauropod dinosaur from Africa :*''

Giraffatitan ''Giraffatitan'' (name meaning "titanic giraffe") is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived during the late Jurassic Period (geology), Period (Kimmeridgian–Tithonian stages) in what is now Lindi Region, Tanzania. Only one species is known, ...

'', another large sauropod from Africa (formerly recognized as a species of ''Brachiosaurus'') :*''

Allosaurus ''Allosaurus'' ( ) is an extinct genus of theropod dinosaur that lived 155 to 145 million years ago during the Late Jurassic period ( Kimmeridgian to late Tithonian ages). The first fossil remains that could definitively be ascribed to th ...

'', the most common Late Jurassic theropod of North America, also present in Europe :*'' Epanterias'', a massive carnivore from North America (possibly just ''Allosaurus'') :*''

Saurophaganax ''Saurophaganax'' ("lord of lizard-eaters") is a dubious, chimeric genus of large saurischian dinosaur, possibly a sauropod, from the Late Jurassic ( Kimmeridgian) Morrison Formation of Oklahoma, United States. This taxon was historically co ...

'', a giant carnivore from North America and possibly the largest land predator of the Jurassic (possibly a synonym of ''Allosaurus'') :*'' Yangchuanosaurus'', a large theropod from Asia :*''

Torvosaurus ''Torvosaurus'' () is a genus of large Megalosaurinae, megalosaurine Theropoda, theropod dinosaur that lived approximately 165 to 148 million years ago during the Callovian to Tithonian ages of the late Middle Jurassic, Middle and Late Jurassi ...

'', a large Jurassic carnivore, from North America and Europe :*'' Ceratosaurus'', a medium-sized Jurassic carnivore from North America, Europe, and possibly Africa :*'' Elaphrosaurus'', a medium-sized Jurassic carnivore from Africa :*'' Ornitholestes'', a small theropod from North America :*''

Compsognathus ''Compsognathus'' (; Ancient Greek, Greek ''kompsos''/κομψός; "elegant", "refined" or "dainty", and ''gnathos''/γνάθος; "jaw") is a genus of small, bipedalism, bipedal, carnivore, carnivorous theropoda, theropod dinosaur. Members o ...

'', a small theropod from Europe :*'' Tuojiangosaurus'', a thyreophoran from Asia :*''

Stegosaurus ''Stegosaurus'' (; ) is a genus of herbivorous, four-legged, armored dinosaur from the Late Jurassic, characterized by the distinctive kite-shaped upright plates along their backs and spikes on their tails. Fossils of the genus have been fo ...

'', a thyreophoran from North America and Europe :*''

Kentrosaurus ''Kentrosaurus'' ( ; ) is a genus of stegosaurid dinosaur from the Late Jurassic in Lindi Region of Tanzania. The type species is ''K. aethiopicus'', named and described by German people, German Palaeontology, palaeontologist Edwin Hennig in 191 ...

'', a thyreophoran from Africa :*'' Gargoyleosaurus'', a thyreophoran from North America :*'' Dryosaurus'', a North American ornithopod :*'' Camptosaurus'', an ornithopod from North America and possibly Europe :*'' Yinlong'', an early marginocephalian dinosaur from Asia :*'' Chaoyangsaurus'', an early marginocephalian dinosaur from Asia :*''

Juramaia ''Juramaia'' is an extinct genus of a therian mammal, possibly a very basal eutherian mammal, known from the Late Jurassic ( Oxfordian stage) or Early Cretaceous deposits of western Liaoning, China. It is a small shrew-like mammal weighing aro ...

'', a basal mammal from Asia :*''

Archaeopteryx ''Archaeopteryx'' (; ), sometimes referred to by its German name, "" ( ''Primeval Bird'') is a genus of bird-like dinosaurs. The name derives from the ancient Greek (''archaîos''), meaning "ancient", and (''ptéryx''), meaning "feather" ...

'', a bird-like maniraptoran from Europe :*''

Rhamphorhynchus ''Rhamphorhynchus'' (, from Ancient Greek ''rhamphos'' meaning "beak" and ''rhynchus'' meaning "snout") is a genus of long-tailed pterosaurs in the Jurassic period. Less specialized than contemporary, short-tailed pterodactyloid pterosaurs such ...

'' a long-tailed

pterosaur Pterosaurs are an extinct clade of flying reptiles in the order Pterosauria. They existed during most of the Mesozoic: from the Late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous (228 million to 66 million years ago). Pterosaurs are the earli ...

from Europe :*''

Pterodactylus ''Pterodactylus'' (from ) is a genus of extinct pterosaurs. It is thought to contain only a single species, ''Pterodactylus antiquus'', which was the first pterosaur to be named and identified as a flying reptile and one of the first prehis ...

'', a short-tailed pterosaur from Europe :*'' Anurognathus'', one of the smallest pterosaurs from Europe :*''

Ophthalmosaurus ''Ophthalmosaurus'' (Greek ὀφθάλμος ''ophthalmos'' 'eye' and σαῦρος ''sauros'' 'lizard') is a genus of ichthyosaur known from the Middle-Late Jurassic. Possible remains from the earliest Cretaceous, around 145 million years ago, a ...

'', a very common sea-going

ichthyosaur Ichthyosauria is an order of large extinct marine reptiles sometimes referred to as "ichthyosaurs", although the term is also used for wider clades in which the order resides. Ichthyosaurians thrived during much of the Mesozoic era; based on fo ...

from Europe and North America :*'' Liopleurodon'', a medium-sized sea-going pliosaur from Europe :*'' Dakosaurus'', a medium-sized sea-going crocodylomorph from Europe :*'' Perisphinctes'', an

ammonite Ammonoids are extinct, (typically) coiled-shelled cephalopods comprising the subclass Ammonoidea. They are more closely related to living octopuses, squid, and cuttlefish (which comprise the clade Coleoidea) than they are to nautiluses (family N ...

References

* * {{Authority control Geological epochs Jurassic geochronology