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The Cenozoic Era was nicknamed the “Age of Life,” and “Age of Mammals.” It started 65 MYA and has not ended yet. It was much warmer in the early Cenozoic than it is today. The climate was an icehouse (cold enough to have some glaciers and warm enough to support life). The climate steadied near the middle of the Cenozoic Era. The continents were in the same places they are in now. North America was (and is) at the middle left and South America is more southern but still connected to North America. Antarctica is at the bottom of the Earth. Africa is a little to the left of the Prime Meridian. Asia and Europe are northeastern. As time passed some land emerged out of the water. The Arctic Circle and Antarctica. At the very beginning of the era, all of the continents moved into the areas they are in today. During the Paleogene Period the continents drifted apart forming vast oceans. In the Pleistocene Epoch, glaciers covered North America and as the glaciers moved away the Great Lakes formed. Land and aquatic animals evolved and grass and flower numbers increased. The feathered birds we see today evolved. Humans evolved around 50,000 years ago. Crocodiles and some smaller reptiles survived the previous mass extinction. The era (Cenozoic) hasn’t ended yet because there hasn’t been a mass extinction to end it.
See Below: Cenozoic Era's Climate
See Below: Cenozoic Era's Climate