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We all know that space rock wiped out most of the dinosaurs but if the impact occurred a few million years earlier or later the majestic beasts may have survived, according to a new study. 

Researchers examined the evidence for different extinction scenarios and concluded that around 66 million years ago, an asteroid/comet almost certainly triggered the abrupt annihilation of all dinosaurs. 

"The dinosaur extinction is one of the great mysteries in all of science," said study co-author Stephen Brusatte, a paleontologist at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, according to press release. "A group of us decided to come together and present a consensus."

The study involves an analysis of latest fossil evidence from North America at the end of the Cretaceous Period, which spanned from 146 million to 66 million years ago. 

Researchers in the study noted that a meteor impact from an asteroid or a comet most likely killed the dinosaurs. They also underscored the fact the die-off happened quickly and not gradually - as some researchers believe. 

"The extinction was abrupt," happening within a few tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of years, or even quicker, Brusatte added. "Dinosaurs werent wasting away for tens of millions of years."

"I think dinosaurs are a cautionary tale," Brusatte said. "When you mess with diversity, you can be even more susceptible to a knockout blow."

The study has been published in the journal Biological Reviews.