Will the dinosaurs ever come back?

When the dinosaurs became extinct, the world’s environment was already changing. It was stressed by natural events, such as falling sea levels and volcanic eruptions, leading to the decline and disappearance of many plants and animals. Our modern world has continued to create many environmental changes and stresses—most man-made, including pollution and global warming—and our fragile ecosystem could not support the return of dinosaurs. (Imagine a large dinosaur roaming New York City!) However, some scientists argue that not all dinosaurs became extinct. The striking similarities between modern birds and some kinds of dinosaurs have led some people to believe that birds are living descendants of dinosaurs. Although not all dinosaurs were similar to modern birds, some did have features such as bony tails, claws on the fingers, beaks, and feathers.