1. The Cenozoic Era

2. The Cenozoic era started 65 mya – present day We are still in the Cenozoic era “The Age of Mammals”

3. Cenozoic Life • Mammals dominate; dinosaurs (a major predator of mammals) are extinct so mammals can flourish

4. 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

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

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

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

8. Human Evolution • Our first ancestors evolved about 3.5 mya • Modern day humans evolved about 100,000 years ago (likely migrated from Africa)

9. Precambrian Era 4.6 bya -540 mya Paleozoic Era 540 mya -248 mya Mesozoic Era 248 mya – 65 mya Cenozoic Era 65 mya - present