I've often wondered if they did have something like that. Oh not the saurian glo-bull warming thing, but rather an dinosaur civilization. Wouldn't leave much evidence after 60-70 million years.
Maybe someday we'll find a satellite in a nice high and stable orbit that doesn't appear to be human made?
Well it would make a good SciFi story anyway, probably already has.
In “Aliens: The Final Answer” by David Barclay, a number of the unique or supposedly non-primate features of humans were said to be found in “Mankind, Child of the Stars” by Otto O. Binder and Max H. Flindt. Both of those are put forward as non-fiction research, but are at the far end of the bridge which sticks out over the edge of the Fringe.
James Hogan’s “Inherit the Stars” is now an oldie. I got it on interlibrary loan, and quite enjoyed it, well, most of it. It was recommended by a FReeper (of course). :’) It’s a sci-fi work that is sort of along the lines you said. That’s all I’ll say about it.