The Cenozoic Era is the last major division in time, beginning 65.5 million years ago and continuing until today.The Cenozoic Era is also referred to as the Age of Mammals, as mammals began to rule the earth following the extinction of dinosaurs in the Mesozoic Era. The Cenozoic Era is divided into three periods, including the Paleogene, Neogene, and Quaternary periods. We are currently in the Quaternary Period.
Early mammals in the Cenozoic Era were quite large. Beavers were as long as 7 feet. Birds were as tall as 7 feet. Sloths grew to the size of our current elephants. 😊The first ancestor of modern humans was the Homo erectus, which existed about 1.6 million years ago. It was only about 4,000 years ago that humans learned to write and began building cities. 😊The extinction of many species that have occurred since the Industrial Revolution has been caused by humans, not nature or evolution.
