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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. Appearance of the genus Ardipithecus
5.5 Ma
50 Ma
0.7 Ma
56 Ma

2. Evolution of the first primates and miacids. Flightless birds diversify.
0.7 Ma
60 Ma
5.5 Ma
0.3 Ma

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

4. Australopithecines diversify.
6 Ma
4.5 Ma
4.8 Ma
34 Ma

5. last reversal of the earth's magnetic field
63 Ma
2.5 Ma
55 Ma
0.7 Ma

6. Yellowstone caldera erupts
10 Ma
6.5 Ma
0.64 Ma
18-12 Ma

7. Pliocene epoch begins.First tree sloths and hippopotami.First large vultures. Nimravids go extinct.
6 Ma
0.2 Ma
5 Ma
56 Ma

8. First deer.
0.35 Ma
25 Ma
0.64 Ma
40 Ma

9. Appearance of the genus Australopithecus
4.5 Ma
49 Ma
0.6 Ma
37 Ma

10. First mastodons - bovids - and kangaroos. Australian megafauna diversify.
0.5 Ma
2.6 Ma
15 Ma
37 Ma

11. First members of the Hominini tribe.
60 Ma
6.5 Ma
37 Ma
5 Ma

12. 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.
49 Ma
35 Ma
26 Ma
2.5 Ma

13. End of Eocene - start of Oligocene epoch.
0.64 Ma
36 Ma
2.7 Ma
6.5 Ma

14. Isthmus of Panama joins North and South America. Great AmericanInterchange.
3 Ma
5.5 Ma
0.7 Ma
20 Ma

15. Gastornis evolves.
56 Ma
1.7 Ma
28 Ma
25 Ma

16. Africa collides with Eurasia - closing the Tethys Sea. Divergence of cat and dog ancestors. Primates diversify. Brontotheres - tapirs - rhinos - and camels evolve.
4.5 Ma
0.64 Ma
50 Ma
18-12 Ma

17. Pliocene epoch begins.First tree sloths and hippopotami.First large vultures. Nimravids go extinct.
49 Ma
3 Ma
5 Ma
0.7 Ma

18. Isthmus of Panama joins North and South America. Great AmericanInterchange.
3 Ma
26 Ma
4.8 Ma
52 Ma

19. Earliest demonstrable evidence of the controlled use of fire by Homo erectus
50 Ma
0.79 Ma
0.2 Ma
1.5 Ma

20. Paranthropus evolve.
2.7 Ma
0.2 Ma
4.8 Ma
2.6 Ma

21. End of Eocene - start of Oligocene epoch.
2.6 Ma
0.5 Ma
40 Ma
36 Ma

22. First creodonts.
4.5 Ma
63 Ma
0.3 Ma
1.5 Ma

23. Age of the Catarrhini parvorder; first canines evolve. Lepidopteran insects become recognizable. Gastornis goes extinct. Basilosaurus evolves.
40 Ma
5.5 Ma
2.5 Ma
10 Ma

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

25. current ice age begins
24 Ma
20 Ma
6.5 Ma
2.6 Ma

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

27. First Nimravids.
49 Ma
2.6 Ma
25 Ma
37 Ma

28. First thylacinid marsupials evolve.
28 Ma
26 Ma
33 Ma
4.8 Ma

29. Africa collides with Eurasia - closing the Tethys Sea. Divergence of cat and dog ancestors. Primates diversify. Brontotheres - tapirs - rhinos - and camels evolve.
0.79 Ma
33 Ma
35 Ma
50 Ma

30. 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.
60 Ma
26 Ma
60 Ma
2.5 Ma

31. Neogene period and Miocene epoch begin
2.5 Ma
33 Ma
24 Ma
0.35 Ma

32. Insects diversify.First large horses.
52 Ma
2.6 Ma
25 Ma
10 Ma

33. Giraffes and giant anteaters evolve.
0.35 Ma
40 Ma
30 Ma
20 Ma

34. Cats evolve.
49 Ma
63 Ma
34 Ma
5 Ma

35. The mammoth appears.
2.5 Ma
3 Ma
4.8 Ma
1.2 Ma

36. Emergence of the first true elephants.
37 Ma
26 Ma
50 Ma
0.5 Ma

37. Approximate age of Canis lupus. Middle Stone Age begins in Africa. Gigantopithecus evolves.
56 Ma
30 Ma
5 Ma
0.3 Ma

38. Giraffes and giant anteaters evolve.
20 Ma
63 Ma
33 Ma
5.4-6.3 Ma

39. Homo heidelbergensis evolves.
0.6 Ma
52 Ma
35 Ma
2.6 Ma

40. Brontotheres go extinct. Pigs evolve. South America separates from Antarctica - becoming an island continent.
52 Ma
0.5 Ma
30 Ma
63 Ma

41. last reversal of the earth's magnetic field
50 Ma
50 Ma
0.7 Ma
0.64 Ma

42. Middle Paleolithic begins. Appearance of Homo sapiens in Africa
6.5 Ma
0.2 Ma
2.5 Ma
2.5 Ma

43. 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 -
36 Ma
10 Ma
5 Ma
55 Ma

44. Middle Paleolithic begins. Appearance of Homo sapiens in Africa
40 Ma
24 Ma
0.64 Ma
0.2 Ma

45. First deer.
36 Ma
1.5 Ma
25 Ma
5 Ma

46. colonisation of Eurasia by Homo erectus
0.2 Ma
36 Ma
0.5 Ma
49 Ma

47. Australopithecines go extinct.
50 Ma
4.8 Ma
1.7 Ma
25 Ma

48. Whales return to the water.
1.2 Ma
49 Ma
5.4-6.3 Ma
0.64 Ma

49. First Nimravids.
20 Ma
36 Ma
37 Ma
25 Ma

50. Estimated age of the Homo/Pan (human vs. chimpanzee) split.
20 Ma
0.79 Ma
5.4-6.3 Ma
1.7 Ma