The Early Cretaceous (timestratigraphic name) or the Lower Cretaceous (logstratigraphic name), is the earlier of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous Period. It began about 146 million years ago.

During this time many new types of dinosaurs appeared or came into prominence, including psittacosaurs, spinosaurs and coelurosaurs, while other survivors from the Late Jurassic continued.

In the seas, the ichthyosaurs declined and eventually died out at the start of the Late Cretaceous. Neognathous birds and angiosperms, appear for the first time.

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Cretaceous period
Lower/Early Cretaceous	Upper/Late Cretaceous
Berriasian | Valanginian | Hauterivian Barremian | Aptian | Albian	Cenomanian | Turonian | Coniacian Santonian | Campanian | Maastrichtian