There have been five mass extinction events in the Earth's history, including climate change caused by volcanoes and an asteroid hit that wiped out the dinosaurs. In general, geographically widespread animals are less likely to become extinct than animals with smaller geographic ranges, offering insurance against regional environmental catastrophes.
However, a study published in the Nature has found this insurance is rendered useless during global mass extinction events and that widely distributed animals are just as likely to suffer extinction as those that are less widespread.
The researchers explored the fossil record of terrestrial vertebrate (including dinosaurs) from the Triassic and Jurassic periods (252 - 145 million years ago).
Source: University of Leeds
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