How Do We Still Have Ferns Alive from the Time of Dinosaurs?

Hi there! Let’s take a journey back in time to learn about ferns and why they are still around today, even though dinosaurs are not!

Step 1: What Are Ferns?

Ferns are special plants that don’t have flowers or seeds. Instead, they reproduce using tiny structures called spores. They have beautifully shaped leaves, which are also known as fronds. Ferns have been on Earth for a very long time – even before the dinosaurs!

Step 2: Ferns During the Dinosaur Age

Ferns lived during the time of the dinosaurs, which was millions of years ago. They were a big part of the forests and jungles back then. Ferns are very strong and can grow in all kinds of places, like shady forests or wet areas.

Step 3: What Happened When Dinosaurs Went Extinct?

About 65 million years ago, a big event happened that caused most of the dinosaurs to disappear from Earth. This was because of changes in the environment, like large volcanic eruptions and a meteorite impact. Many plants and animals, including dinosaurs, struggled to survive.

Step 4: How Did Ferns Survive?

Ferns were able to survive during this tough time for a few reasons:

• Adaptability: Ferns can grow in many different environments and are very adaptable to changes.
• Spore Reproduction: Because ferns reproduce with spores instead of seeds, they don’t depend on as many conditions to grow. This helps them spread quickly.
• Hardiness: Ferns are tough plants! They can survive in shady areas where many flowering plants can't grow.

Step 5: Ferns Today

Today, ferns are still found in forests, gardens, and even indoors! They are considered living fossils because they have changed very little over millions of years. Some ferns that we see today are similar to those that grew during the time of dinosaurs!

Conclusion

So, ferns have been able to stick around since the time of dinosaurs because they are strong, adaptable plants that can survive in many different places. Isn’t that awesome?