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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?
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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 Era 4.6 bya -540 mya Paleozoic Era 540 mya -248 mya Mesozoic Era 248 mya – 65 mya Cenozoic Era 65 mya - present