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Period: to
Tertiary Period
This Era started 65 million years ago and finished 2 million years ago.
This Era is split into 5 parts.This was the Era of mammals.
Life in the Tertiary Era On land, the age of the mammals was beginning. Rodents evolved, as well as gliding mammals and the early primates. Sharks and fish took over from marine reptiles. Towards the middle of this Era, the ancestors of elephants, horses, cattle, pigs, rhinos and deer appeared. Other mammals such as whales and sea cows took to the water. -
Period: to
Paleocene Epoch
Europe is joined with North America
Australia is joined with Antarctica
India a land unto itself
Atlantic Ocean is forming The condylarths-ancestors of modern hoofed herbivores
Rodents
The first Primates -
mass extinction
the world has just started recovering form a mass extinction that occured some years earlier. it was not an asteroid neccessarily -
marsupials
The Rise of The Mammals
The extinction event at the close of the Cretaceous Period wiped out the dinosaurs, large reptiles, and many other species. This left room for new animals to develop. The mammals became the dominant animals. In fact, the Cenozoic Era is often called the Age of Mammals. -
creodonts
which were the ancestors of the modern carnivores -
insectivores
An insectivore is a type of carnivore with a diet that consists chiefly of insects and similar small creatures -
amblypods
which were small, heavy-bodied animals -
condylarths
which were light-bodied herbivorous animals with small brains -
primates
small 5 toed 4 footed. originated in north america -
rodents
small furry mammals with teeth that do not stop growing -
Period: to
Eocene Epoch
Europe and North America separate
Bats
Elephant ancestors
Whales
Eohippus-the first horse -
horse
a much smaller version but still the ansestor of the horse -
rhinoceros
again a much samller version of the modern day rino -
Monkey
the ansestor of the monkey evolved at this time -
Modern birds
such as eagles, pelican, quail, and vulture -
Late PaleoceneThermal Maximum
A global climate change called the Late Paleocene
Thermal Maximum effected an overall warming of the planet. -
aquatic mammals
mammals that live in the water began evolving at this time for example: whales -
codylarths
cardylarths become extinct before the Eocene epoch ends -
Period: to
Oligocene Epoch
Australia separates from Antarctica
India crashes into Asia-forms Himalayans
Antarctica is covered by glaciers
Sea levels are low
Dogs, cats, and pigs
toothed whales -
Carnivores
first true carnivores, resembling dogs and cats, evolved -
anthropoid apes
The first anthropoid apes, but they became extinct in North America during the epoch -
oreodonts
the oreodonts are small, doglike, grazing animals which florished during the oligocene epoch -
titanotheres
the titanotheres are related to the rhinoceros and the horse which florished during the oligocene epoch -
Period: to
Miocene Epoch
Africa is pushing into Europe-forms the Alps
Arctic becomes covered with ice
Horses,camels,and rhinos
Beaver-like animals
many apes and other primates -
mastodon, grasses
grass became dominate and wide spread at this time -
archaic mammals
most of the archaic mammals disappeared to be replaced by modern mammals. -
Proconsul
Proconsul is the best known primate hominoid from about 25 million years ago (the early Miocene) in Africa
Proconsul still had many ape-like features, e.g., in the ankles, feet, and teeth, but had an opposable thumb, shoulder, and comparatively large brain like later hominids -
Megalodon
the
largest shark known in the history of the Earth, Megalodon,
existed from about 16 to 1.6 mya. This marine monster was at
least twice the length of great white sharks, and may have
weighed as much as 20 times more. -
Period: to
Pilocene Epoch
Africa closes off the Mediterranean Sea
North and South America join at Panama
The Geography of the earth similar to today
First hominids-human ancesters -
higher mammals
mammals with a higher brain function -
first hominids
During the Pliocene the first hominids appeared; these were our human ancestors! -
Position of Continents
Approximately 2.6 million years ago the continents assumed their present-day positions. As a result of tectonic activity between Europe and North America land bridges were broken. -
australopithecine
Australopithecus and relatives found from about 5 million years ago in Africa
Australopithecus seems to be an offshoot of the hominid tree, rather than a direct ancestor to Homo -
ice age begins
The cooling climate of the Tertiary Period led to huge glaciers at the poles. The mountains of the world were also covered by glaciers, including the newly formed Himalayas and Alps. The huge amounts of water locked up in the ice lowered the level of the sea and land bridges appeared:
