Why did dinosaurs go extinct?

Most scientists believe dinosaurs, except birds, went extinct about 66 million years ago, mainly because a huge asteroid, about 10 km wide, hit the Earth near present-day Mexico, creating the Chicxulub crater.

The impact threw enormous amounts of dust and gases into the atmosphere, blocking sunlight, cooling the planet and collapsing food chains. Massive volcanic eruptions in India, which created the Deccan Traps, may also have contributed by changing the climate.

Birds are the direct descendants of dinosaurs, so in a sense, dinosaurs still live among us.