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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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1. First bats.
1.2 Ma
0.6 Ma
52 Ma
1.2 Ma

2. Pliocene epoch begins.First tree sloths and hippopotami.First large vultures. Nimravids go extinct.
60 Ma
63 Ma
5 Ma
49 Ma

3. Australopithecines diversify.
4.8 Ma
0.5 Ma
6 Ma
60 Ma

4. Emergence of the first true elephants.
26 Ma
2.7 Ma
56 Ma
1.5 Ma

5. Isthmus of Panama joins North and South America. Great AmericanInterchange.
30 Ma
63 Ma
3 Ma
63 Ma

6. Australopithecines diversify.
0.79 Ma
50 Ma
24 Ma
6 Ma

7. Pliocene epoch begins.First tree sloths and hippopotami.First large vultures. Nimravids go extinct.
34 Ma
2.7 Ma
5 Ma
49 Ma

8. Grasslands first appear. Glyptodonts - ground sloths - peccaries - dogs - eagles - and hawks evolve.
49 Ma
0.2 Ma
0.6 Ma
35 Ma

9. Isthmus of Panama joins North and South America. Great AmericanInterchange.
3 Ma
2.7 Ma
52 Ma
6.5 Ma

10. First creodonts.
6 Ma
63 Ma
6.5 Ma
0.2 Ma

11. 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
0.5 Ma
40 Ma
0.64 Ma

12. First members of the Hominini tribe.
0.64 Ma
0.79 Ma
1.7 Ma
6.5 Ma

13. Australopithecines go extinct.
56 Ma
0.3 Ma
0.3 Ma
1.7 Ma

14. Evolution of the first primates and miacids. Flightless birds diversify.
28 Ma
2.5 Ma
18-12 Ma
60 Ma

15. First Nimravids.
37 Ma
34 Ma
6.5 Ma
5.4-6.3 Ma

16. Age of the Catarrhini parvorder; first canines evolve. Lepidopteran insects become recognizable. Gastornis goes extinct. Basilosaurus evolves.
40 Ma
49 Ma
52 Ma
4.8 Ma

17. First members of the Hominini tribe.
0.5 Ma
6.5 Ma
5.4-6.3 Ma
30 Ma

18. Homo heidelbergensis evolves.
0.6 Ma
4.8 Ma
0.3 Ma
50 Ma

19. Paraceratherium evolves.
1.2 Ma
28 Ma
0.5 Ma
4.8 Ma

20. colonisation of Eurasia by Homo erectus
60 Ma
0.5 Ma
2.5 Ma
0.2 Ma

21. Australopithecines go extinct.
1.7 Ma
34 Ma
26 Ma
0.64 Ma

22. current ice age begins
0.2 Ma
34 Ma
2.6 Ma
37 Ma

23. Homo antecessor evolves. Paranthropus dies out.
34 Ma
0.5 Ma
15 Ma
1.2 Ma

24. Insects diversify.First large horses.
25 Ma
0.3 Ma
49 Ma
10 Ma

25. last reversal of the earth's magnetic field
0.64 Ma
20 Ma
0.7 Ma
0.6 Ma

26. Estimated age of the Hominidae/Hylobatidae (great apes vs. gibbons) split.
6.5 Ma
55 Ma
18-12 Ma
24 Ma

27. Earliest demonstrable evidence of the controlled use of fire by Homo erectus
0.79 Ma
2.5 Ma
0.7 Ma
36 Ma

28. Brontotheres go extinct. Pigs evolve. South America separates from Antarctica - becoming an island continent.
30 Ma
0.6 Ma
33 Ma
35 Ma

29. Evolution of the first primates and miacids. Flightless birds diversify.
35 Ma
60 Ma
33 Ma
5.4-6.3 Ma

30. colonisation of Eurasia by Homo erectus
5.4-6.3 Ma
0.79 Ma
2.7 Ma
0.5 Ma

31. The mammoth appears.
2.7 Ma
4.8 Ma
4.5 Ma
60 Ma

32. Giraffes and giant anteaters evolve.
1.2 Ma
20 Ma
0.64 Ma
3 Ma

33. 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.
2.5 Ma
37 Ma
10 Ma
18-12 Ma

34. First deer.
0.2 Ma
30 Ma
25 Ma
0.7 Ma

35. Gastornis evolves.
1.5 Ma
5.4-6.3 Ma
56 Ma
4.8 Ma

36. Appearance of the genus Australopithecus
55 Ma
4.5 Ma
36 Ma
56 Ma

37. Africa collides with Eurasia - closing the Tethys Sea. Divergence of cat and dog ancestors. Primates diversify. Brontotheres - tapirs - rhinos - and camels evolve.
2.5 Ma
50 Ma
26 Ma
24 Ma

38. Cats evolve.
20 Ma
18-12 Ma
56 Ma
34 Ma

39. First mastodons - bovids - and kangaroos. Australian megafauna diversify.
2.7 Ma
6 Ma
15 Ma
60 Ma

40. Earliest possible evidence of the controlled use of fire by Homo erectus
34 Ma
6.5 Ma
1.5 Ma
63 Ma

41. Grasslands first appear. Glyptodonts - ground sloths - peccaries - dogs - eagles - and hawks evolve.
4.8 Ma
18-12 Ma
28 Ma
35 Ma

42. End of Eocene - start of Oligocene epoch.
36 Ma
24 Ma
55 Ma
28 Ma

43. Giraffes and giant anteaters evolve.
4.8 Ma
60 Ma
20 Ma
1.7 Ma

44. Estimated age of the Homo/Pan (human vs. chimpanzee) split.
0.35 Ma
5.4-6.3 Ma
25 Ma
60 Ma

45. Appearance of the genus Ardipithecus
49 Ma
26 Ma
6 Ma
5.5 Ma

46. First bats.
40 Ma
0.35 Ma
52 Ma
0.64 Ma

47. Appearance of the genus Ardipithecus
36 Ma
0.2 Ma
63 Ma
5.5 Ma

48. Approximate age of Canis lupus. Middle Stone Age begins in Africa. Gigantopithecus evolves.
35 Ma
0.64 Ma
0.3 Ma
28 Ma

49. Age of the Catarrhini parvorder; first canines evolve. Lepidopteran insects become recognizable. Gastornis goes extinct. Basilosaurus evolves.
1.2 Ma
40 Ma
0.5 Ma
18-12 Ma

50. Whales return to the water.
5.4-6.3 Ma
0.7 Ma
0.3 Ma
49 Ma