Second of the Earth's three major geologic eras and the interval during which the continental landmasses as known today were separated from the supercontinents Laurasia and Gondwana by continental drift .
It lasted from с 248 to с 65 million years ago and includes the Jurassic , and Cretaceous periods. The Mesozoic saw the evolution of widely diversified and advanced flora and fauna, quite different from those that had developed earlier during the {{link=Paleozoic Era">Paleozoic Era or that would develop later during the Cenozoic Era .