Serbia at the time of dinosaurs
The long and turbulent history of our planet left a distinct mark in the Mesozoic (Middle Era). First the super-continent Pangaea changed its appearance. During the Mesozoic it split into several units, and later the continents acquired shape and geographic distribution similar to the present one. This period had started 245 million years ago and lasted until 65 million years ago.
After the mass extinction of species at the end of Paleozoic (Old Era) a new battle for formation and development of new life had begun. The wildlife started to rejuvenate rapidly, but this time it looked completely different. It differed greatly both from the preceding ages and from the Cenozoic (New Era) that followed after and last to this day. Some new evolutionary processes happened on Earth in Mesozoic, producing new forms of life that did not exist before. The new groups of animals had developed and conquered all parts of living environment: water, land and air. The seas were ruled by marine reptiles and the air by pterosaurs. The land was dominated by large reptiles, while a special place was occupied by dinosaurs. The dinosaurs were the largest creatures that lived in Mesozoic, and for that reason it is also called time of reptiles or time of dinosaurs.
After the mass extinction of species in late Paleozoic (Permian), the waters of the great global ocean Tethys started to cover the area of present-day Serbia, leading to invasion by previously unknown species. While the giant dinosaurs have walked over many dry land areas of our Planet, Serbia was mostly covered with the waters of Tethys. The sediments deposited on its floor during the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods had conserved various remains of fossil organisms: microfauna, corals, bryozoans, brachiopods, gastropods, bivalves, ammonites, belemnites, echinoids, rays etc.
The unique samples of footprints of vertebrates (first dinosaur), matching the taxon of Thecodontosaurus in shape and size, were collected at Stara Planina in the Sediments of Lower Triassic age. Some of the footprints are very similar to bird footprints as only the toe marks were preserved, leading to conclusion that these animals walked on two hind legs. This material was collected in 1974 by Mihailo Galecic, MSc in Geology from Belgrade.
During the Cretaceous, the paleogeographic regions were further differentiated and new marine basins with suitable living conditions were formed. The sea was inhabited by a reef-forming fauna of bryozoans, corals, gastropods, bivalves, ammonites, belemnites, echinoids etc. The sediments of Cretaceous age are also recognizable due to extinct bivalves Inoceramus, gastropods of genus Natica, Nerinea, and large foraminifers. These sediments were studied from Košutnjak in Belgrade, Topola, Leposavic, etc. There is a unique record of a fossil Raja (sea ray) in the Cretaceous sediments of Serbia (Greben). (Collection of Institute for Geology and Paleontology, Belgrade).
The Cretaceous sediments rarely include glimpses of dry land environment and animal fossils, such as the specimen of a skeletal joint of a large vertebrate in vicinity of Rtanj mine.
The late Mesozoic is marked by sudden climate changes, leading to a change in flora and fauna of the Serbian region, which was well-documented by a large amount of minerals, rocks and fossils, There are various theories on causes of extinction of Mesozoic organisms. The most popular is the theory on impact of a celestial body that caused other consequences necessary for survival of many living forms of that time.
About 240 million years had passed since dinosaurs appeared and 65 million tears since they disappeared from the face of Earth. It is a rare fossil that can attract human attention in the same way as the skeletons of large reptiles. Equally sensational are the remains of their eggs, footprints and other records of life activities. The real lovers of fossils are children, and dinosaurs are the biggest attraction due to their shapes and sizes. Mass graveyards of these extinct animals were found in many countries of the world: Argentina, China, Mongolia etc. The fossil remains of dinosaurs, mostly the footprints of parts of skeleton, were found in several countries in vicinity of Serbia: Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary and Romania. Until now there was a scarce interest in these studies in Serbia, although it might be assumed that at the relatively small surfaces of dry land there were no suitable conditions for their development. Due to frequent strong tectonic movements in our country during the Mesozoic it would be unrealistic to exprect the parts of skeletons could be preserved without damage.
