The Cenozoic Era

The Cenozoic era started 65 mya – present day

We are still in the Cenozoic era

“The Age of Mammals”

Cenozoic Life• Mammals dominate; dinosaurs (a major predator

of mammals) are extinct so mammals can flourish

What are Mammals?• Mammals are warm-blooded (steady body

temperatures), have live babies (no eggs), and are covered with hair or fur

• The first mammals were small but they evolved during the Cenozoic to:– Larger sizes– Bigger brain capacities– Specialized teeth per their diet– Specialized limbs per their environment

What allowed Mammals to Evolve?• Few predators on land • The evolution of things like– Grasses – for grazers like cow/deer/horses

• Large mammals evolved like:– Hornless rhino– Wooly mammoth– Saber-toothed cats

• During the Cenozoic, there were also many ice ages (periods of time when large parts of the continents were covered with ice sheets)

Human Evolution• Our first ancestors evolved about 3.5 mya• Modern day humans evolved about 100,000 years

ago (likely migrated from Africa)

Precambrian Era4.6 bya -540 mya

Paleozoic Era540 mya -248

mya

Mesozoic Era248 mya – 65

mya

Cenozoic Era65 mya - present