What was the real cause of the extinction of the dinosaurs?

The dinosaurs went extinct because something really big and powerful hit Earth, shaking everything up.

Imagine you're playing outside with your friends, and suddenly a giant rock the size of a mountain crashes into the ground near you, that’s what happened to the Earth millions of years ago. This giant rock came from space, and it was called a meteor. When it hit Earth, it made a huge explosion, like the biggest fireworks show ever.

This explosion caused big changes all over the world: fires started, mountains shook, and a lot of dust went into the sky. This dust blocked out the sunlight for a long time, so plants couldn’t grow very well, and that made it hard for animals, including dinosaurs, to find food.

Eventually, most dinosaurs didn't survive these changes, but some small animals did. These little survivors were the ancestors of today’s birds and mammals, like you and me!