• Dinosaurs in North America were thriving just before the asteroid impact, according to new research.
• The study indicates a diverse range of dinosaur communities existed at that time.
• Fossils analyzed date to approximately 400,000 years before the asteroid strike.
• Some experts caution that findings are based on a single location and further research is needed.
• The report emphasizes the significant size and diversity of species like Alamosaurus.

A recent study has revealed that dinosaur populations were not in decline prior to the catastrophic asteroid strike that led to their extinction 66 million years ago. This finding, based on fossils discovered in the Kirtland Formation of northern New Mexico, suggests that these dinosaurs were still thriving, indicating a complex community of diverse species. "Dinosaurs were quite diverse and now we know there were quite distinct communities," stated Daniel Peppe, a co-author and paleontologist from Baylor University, highlighting the significance of these discoveries, which provide fresh insights into dinosaur ecosystems just before the mass extinction event, according to Reuters, CBS News, and Los Angeles Times.

The research established that the fossils at the Naashoibito site date back approximately 340,000 to 400,000 years before the asteroid impact, a brief period in geological time. This determination came from analyzing volcanic glass and magnetic mineral orientation found within the surrounding rock formations. "The animals deposited here must have been living close to the end of the Cretaceous," Peppe noted, which contradicts previous beliefs about a decline in dinosaur populations leading up to the mass extinction. This finding sheds light on the conditions of the dinosaur communities just before the catastrophic event, according to Reuters and CBS News.

Among the notable species found at the site is the massive Alamosaurus, which weighed over 30 tons and could reach lengths of 100 feet. This particular dinosaur serves as a symbol of the thriving ecosystems that existed prior to the impact, exemplifying the varying sizes and dietary adaptations among the last dinosaurs. "Nothing illustrates how dinosaurs were thriving up to the very end more than the fact that Alamosaurus, one of the biggest dinosaurs ever, was there to witness the asteroid," said Steve Brusatte, another co-author and paleontologist. The study indicates that dinosaurs were already significantly established and adaptive into their environments just before the end of the Cretaceous period, according to Los Angeles Times and CBS News.

Experts have warned, however, that while these findings are significant, they reflect data from a single location. University of Bristol paleontologist Mike Benton expressed caution, noting, "This is just one location, not a representation of the complexity of dinosaur faunas at the time all over North America or all over the world." Nevertheless, the evidence of diverse dinosaur communities provides a crucial piece of the puzzle in understanding their existence right up to the asteroid event, according to Los Angeles Times.