Dinosaurs affected by environmental change

Dinosaurs may have been rare in tropical latitudes during the Triassic period because of the climate and lack of food sources, scientists say.

Researcher Jessica H. Whiteside and her colleagues examined the sedimentary record preserved in the Chinle Formation in northern New Mexico, in the US.

They found that the environment at the time likely fluctuated between humid and arid, and experienced many fires, which meant there was never a consistent food source for the dinosaurs in tropical latitudes.