1. The Cenozoic Era “The Age of Mammals”
6th Grade Science
Ms. Stottlemyer

2. What type of animals and plant life do you think come after dinosaurs (Mesozoic era)? Do you think the environment is the same or different in the Cenozoic era compared to the Mesozoic and Paleozoic eras?

3. Cenozoic Era Cenozoic is a Greek phrase meaning “recent life.”
Called the “Age of Mammals” because several large mammals existed, but the plant and animal life was much more diverse than mammals (insects, birds, etc.)

4. Three Periods of the Cenozoic Era
Paleogene
65-24 million years ago
Neogene
million years ago
Quarternary
1.8 million years ago – today

6. What is a mammal?
a warm-blooded vertebrate animal of a class that is distinguished by the possession of hair or fur, the secretion of milk by females for the nourishment of the young, and (typically) the birth of live young.

7. Quick Think #1 What is a mammal?
1) Do snakes meet the definition of a mammal? Why or why not?
2) Are whales considered mammals? Why or why not?
3) Are humans considered mammals?

8. Paleogene Period Animal Life & Environment

9. Paleogene Period Plants & Animals
Animal Life
Pigs
Deer
Cats
Rhinos
Rodents
Primitive primates
Primitive whales
Plant Life
Grasses

10. Climate & Environment Tropical (most of Earth)
Continents drifted apart during the Paleogene Period, creating vast stretches of oceans.

11. Neogene Period Animal Life

12. Neogene Period Animal Life
Modern forms of whales
More mammals:
-horses
-dogs
-bears
Modern birds
South American monkeys
Apes in southern Europe

13. Quaternary Period Animal Life

14. Quaternary Period “The Age of Man”
The first humans (Homo sapiens) evolve.
Mammoths, mastodons, saber-toothed cats, giant ground sloths, and other Pleistocene megafauna.
A mass extinction of large mammals and many birds happened about 10,000 years ago, probably caused by the end of the last ice age.

15. Summary of the Cenozoic Era: Animal Life, Plant Life & Environment

16. Summary of Animal Life for the Cenozoic Era
Quarternary
1.8 mya-today First humans, mammoths, mastodons, saber-toothed cats.
Neogene
mya Australopithecus appears. First sheep, cattle, modern whales, bears, mice, rats, apes, monkeys, dogs, modern birds appear.
Paleogene
65-24 mya First deer, cats, pigs, tapirs, and rhinos, elephants, horses, owls, shrews, hedgehogs, and rabbits evolve.
Source:

17. Environment During the Cenozoic Era
Tectonic plate movement greatly changed the environment
Had glaciers covering the land during the “Last Ice Age”
Many mountains formed during this time (Alps, Himalayas and the Rocky Mountains)
The Great Lakes formed during this time due to glaciers moving
Many oceans expanded

18. Environmental Changes of the Cenozoic Era
Start: warm and tropical
Middle: Cold, “Last Ice Age” with many dense forests
Now: Forests, grasslands, diverse

19. IMPORTANT Plant Life of the Cenozoic Era
As the forests thinned, grasses began to spread out over the plains of North America and savannas covered the land in the middle of the continent.
Among the common plant life were pines, mosses, oaks and grasses.
Flowering plants and edible crops dominate the landscape in the later part of this era as humans cultivate the land.
Example of a grassland:
North Dakota Prairie Grassland

20. Different Environments of the United States Today

21. Quick Think #2 What did you learn today?
Describe what the characteristics of a mammal are.
What are some examples of a mammals?
Can you name some of the animals that evolved in the Cenozoic era?
What is the environment like in the Cenozoic era? Did it change or remain the same?
True or false: The Great Lakes, Alps, Himalaya and Rocky Mountains formed during the Cenozoic Era.

22. References
Enchanted Learning. (2016). Geologic eons, eras and periods - paleontology and geology
glossary. Retrieved from
[Image/Animation ]. Retrieved from
Mammal. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved October 5, 2017
from Dictionary.com website [Map]. Retrieved from
[Photograph]. Retrieved from
University of Bristol. [Image]. Retrieved from
library/sites/news/2008/ jpg
University of California Museum of Paleontology. (n.d.). The Cenozoic era. Retrieved from
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. [Photograph ]. Retrieved from
Zimmermann, K. A. (2016, June 8). Cenozoic era: facts about climate, animals & plants. Retrieved from