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Cenozoic History Timeline

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Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
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Match each statement with the correct term.
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This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.

1. The mammoth appears.
4.8 Ma
36 Ma
0.79 Ma
0.6 Ma

2. Appearance of the genus Ardipithecus
52 Ma
50 Ma
5.5 Ma
49 Ma

3. Whales return to the water.
3 Ma
50 Ma
1.7 Ma
49 Ma

4. Isthmus of Panama joins North and South America. Great AmericanInterchange.
3 Ma
1.2 Ma
28 Ma
5.5 Ma

5. last reversal of the earth's magnetic field
0.7 Ma
36 Ma
1.2 Ma
4.8 Ma

6. The island of theIndian subcontinent collides with Asia - thrusting up the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau. Many modern bird groups appear.First whale ancestors.First rodents - lagomorphs - armadillos - sirenians - proboscideans - perissodactyls -
0.35 Ma
2.7 Ma
55 Ma
1.5 Ma

7. Gastornis evolves.
56 Ma
1.5 Ma
55 Ma
2.6 Ma

8. Yellowstone caldera erupts
18-12 Ma
0.64 Ma
33 Ma
4.5 Ma

9. Estimated age of the Homo/Pan (human vs. chimpanzee) split.
5.4-6.3 Ma
49 Ma
0.3 Ma
0.5 Ma

10. Grasslands first appear. Glyptodonts - ground sloths - peccaries - dogs - eagles - and hawks evolve.
2.5 Ma
35 Ma
5.4-6.3 Ma
3 Ma

11. Insects diversify.First large horses.
26 Ma
10 Ma
3 Ma
40 Ma

12. colonisation of Eurasia by Homo erectus
18-12 Ma
0.35 Ma
0.5 Ma
34 Ma

13. Earliest possible evidence of the controlled use of fire by Homo erectus
1.5 Ma
3 Ma
0.2 Ma
55 Ma

14. Australopithecines diversify.
35 Ma
0.7 Ma
6 Ma
0.79 Ma

15. First mastodons - bovids - and kangaroos. Australian megafauna diversify.
15 Ma
4.8 Ma
52 Ma
60 Ma

16. The mammoth appears.
0.2 Ma
4.8 Ma
10 Ma
5 Ma

17. Paranthropus evolve.
1.2 Ma
56 Ma
30 Ma
2.7 Ma

18. Insects diversify.First large horses.
50 Ma
24 Ma
30 Ma
10 Ma

19. Giraffes and giant anteaters evolve.
0.6 Ma
20 Ma
0.64 Ma
56 Ma

20. Brontotheres go extinct. Pigs evolve. South America separates from Antarctica - becoming an island continent.
25 Ma
30 Ma
4.8 Ma
1.2 Ma

21. current ice age begins
2.6 Ma
0.64 Ma
52 Ma
26 Ma

22. First Nimravids.
37 Ma
0.3 Ma
4.8 Ma
55 Ma

23. start of the Pleistocene epoch - the Stone Age and the current Quaternary period; emergence of the genus Homo. Smilodon - the best known of the sabre-toothed cats - appears.
37 Ma
10 Ma
2.5 Ma
0.79 Ma

24. colonisation of Eurasia by Homo erectus
20 Ma
4.5 Ma
35 Ma
0.5 Ma

25. Neanderthals evolve.
3 Ma
0.64 Ma
0.35 Ma
63 Ma

26. Paranthropus evolve.
2.7 Ma
10 Ma
63 Ma
49 Ma

27. First deer.
5.5 Ma
0.3 Ma
63 Ma
25 Ma

28. Homo heidelbergensis evolves.
49 Ma
4.5 Ma
0.6 Ma
2.7 Ma

29. Neogene period and Miocene epoch begin
24 Ma
0.7 Ma
2.5 Ma
28 Ma

30. Isthmus of Panama joins North and South America. Great AmericanInterchange.
3 Ma
10 Ma
56 Ma
30 Ma

31. start of the Pleistocene epoch - the Stone Age and the current Quaternary period; emergence of the genus Homo. Smilodon - the best known of the sabre-toothed cats - appears.
0.64 Ma
2.5 Ma
55 Ma
26 Ma

32. Estimated age of the Hominidae/Hylobatidae (great apes vs. gibbons) split.
18-12 Ma
5.5 Ma
56 Ma
25 Ma

33. Approximate age of Canis lupus. Middle Stone Age begins in Africa. Gigantopithecus evolves.
50 Ma
26 Ma
56 Ma
0.3 Ma

34. End of Eocene - start of Oligocene epoch.
25 Ma
50 Ma
30 Ma
36 Ma

35. Earliest demonstrable evidence of the controlled use of fire by Homo erectus
6 Ma
5 Ma
0.79 Ma
30 Ma

36. Middle Paleolithic begins. Appearance of Homo sapiens in Africa
0.2 Ma
4.5 Ma
63 Ma
50 Ma

37. The island of theIndian subcontinent collides with Asia - thrusting up the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau. Many modern bird groups appear.First whale ancestors.First rodents - lagomorphs - armadillos - sirenians - proboscideans - perissodactyls -
55 Ma
5.5 Ma
1.7 Ma
5 Ma

38. First deer.
20 Ma
3 Ma
25 Ma
40 Ma

39. Pliocene epoch begins.First tree sloths and hippopotami.First large vultures. Nimravids go extinct.
63 Ma
1.7 Ma
5 Ma
33 Ma

40. Age of the Catarrhini parvorder; first canines evolve. Lepidopteran insects become recognizable. Gastornis goes extinct. Basilosaurus evolves.
15 Ma
26 Ma
40 Ma
0.2 Ma

41. last reversal of the earth's magnetic field
1.7 Ma
0.7 Ma
30 Ma
1.7 Ma

42. First members of the Hominini tribe.
6.5 Ma
2.6 Ma
2.5 Ma
0.2 Ma

43. Australopithecines go extinct.
63 Ma
56 Ma
25 Ma
1.7 Ma

44. Whales return to the water.
25 Ma
35 Ma
34 Ma
49 Ma

45. First thylacinid marsupials evolve.
50 Ma
33 Ma
49 Ma
34 Ma

46. Age of the Catarrhini parvorder; first canines evolve. Lepidopteran insects become recognizable. Gastornis goes extinct. Basilosaurus evolves.
33 Ma
40 Ma
0.7 Ma
0.3 Ma

47. Neogene period and Miocene epoch begin
1.2 Ma
63 Ma
24 Ma
20 Ma

48. Australopithecines diversify.
6 Ma
55 Ma
20 Ma
4.8 Ma

49. Approximate age of Canis lupus. Middle Stone Age begins in Africa. Gigantopithecus evolves.
0.3 Ma
56 Ma
1.2 Ma
56 Ma

50. Homo antecessor evolves. Paranthropus dies out.
3 Ma
0.5 Ma
1.2 Ma
10 Ma