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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. current ice age begins
2.6 Ma
56 Ma
55 Ma
60 Ma

2. Gastornis evolves.
0.5 Ma
1.5 Ma
56 Ma
18-12 Ma

3. Cats evolve.
1.5 Ma
34 Ma
1.7 Ma
5 Ma

4. First mastodons - bovids - and kangaroos. Australian megafauna diversify.
30 Ma
37 Ma
25 Ma
15 Ma

5. First deer.
0.5 Ma
25 Ma
10 Ma
37 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 -
33 Ma
0.64 Ma
55 Ma
5.4-6.3 Ma

7. 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.
0.2 Ma
0.35 Ma
60 Ma
2.5 Ma

8. Neogene period and Miocene epoch begin
24 Ma
6 Ma
40 Ma
20 Ma

9. Appearance of the genus Australopithecus
33 Ma
0.35 Ma
25 Ma
4.5 Ma

10. End of Eocene - start of Oligocene epoch.
40 Ma
33 Ma
1.2 Ma
36 Ma

11. last reversal of the earth's magnetic field
0.7 Ma
10 Ma
0.6 Ma
5 Ma

12. Grasslands first appear. Glyptodonts - ground sloths - peccaries - dogs - eagles - and hawks evolve.
28 Ma
5.5 Ma
35 Ma
0.7 Ma

13. First thylacinid marsupials evolve.
36 Ma
33 Ma
50 Ma
0.35 Ma

14. Homo antecessor evolves. Paranthropus dies out.
5.5 Ma
0.64 Ma
1.2 Ma
0.5 Ma

15. Approximate age of Canis lupus. Middle Stone Age begins in Africa. Gigantopithecus evolves.
0.35 Ma
0.3 Ma
15 Ma
28 Ma

16. End of Eocene - start of Oligocene epoch.
40 Ma
36 Ma
3 Ma
33 Ma

17. Isthmus of Panama joins North and South America. Great AmericanInterchange.
37 Ma
3 Ma
50 Ma
10 Ma

18. Paraceratherium evolves.
28 Ma
30 Ma
25 Ma
35 Ma

19. last reversal of the earth's magnetic field
40 Ma
4.8 Ma
0.7 Ma
35 Ma

20. Approximate age of Canis lupus. Middle Stone Age begins in Africa. Gigantopithecus evolves.
1.2 Ma
5 Ma
26 Ma
0.3 Ma

21. First members of the Hominini tribe.
6.5 Ma
0.79 Ma
20 Ma
35 Ma

22. Earliest possible evidence of the controlled use of fire by Homo erectus
6.5 Ma
6 Ma
1.5 Ma
5.4-6.3 Ma

23. First Nimravids.
5 Ma
4.8 Ma
4.5 Ma
37 Ma

24. Paranthropus evolve.
55 Ma
4.8 Ma
2.7 Ma
0.7 Ma

25. Appearance of the genus Australopithecus
1.5 Ma
63 Ma
0.6 Ma
4.5 Ma

26. Grasslands first appear. Glyptodonts - ground sloths - peccaries - dogs - eagles - and hawks evolve.
15 Ma
35 Ma
2.7 Ma
1.5 Ma

27. Australopithecines go extinct.
1.7 Ma
2.5 Ma
56 Ma
5.5 Ma

28. Yellowstone caldera erupts
20 Ma
36 Ma
1.2 Ma
0.64 Ma

29. Australopithecines diversify.
1.7 Ma
6 Ma
52 Ma
49 Ma

30. First Nimravids.
10 Ma
37 Ma
50 Ma
60 Ma

31. First mastodons - bovids - and kangaroos. Australian megafauna diversify.
0.7 Ma
15 Ma
4.5 Ma
0.64 Ma

32. Homo heidelbergensis evolves.
1.7 Ma
0.5 Ma
0.6 Ma
40 Ma

33. Earliest demonstrable evidence of the controlled use of fire by Homo erectus
0.79 Ma
25 Ma
1.7 Ma
0.35 Ma

34. Giraffes and giant anteaters evolve.
5.5 Ma
34 Ma
37 Ma
20 Ma

35. Yellowstone caldera erupts
20 Ma
36 Ma
0.64 Ma
6 Ma

36. Cats evolve.
28 Ma
2.5 Ma
34 Ma
63 Ma

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

38. Estimated age of the Hominidae/Hylobatidae (great apes vs. gibbons) split.
34 Ma
50 Ma
25 Ma
18-12 Ma

39. Evolution of the first primates and miacids. Flightless birds diversify.
52 Ma
37 Ma
5.4-6.3 Ma
60 Ma

40. Insects diversify.First large horses.
40 Ma
2.6 Ma
5 Ma
10 Ma

41. Africa collides with Eurasia - closing the Tethys Sea. Divergence of cat and dog ancestors. Primates diversify. Brontotheres - tapirs - rhinos - and camels evolve.
0.7 Ma
50 Ma
34 Ma
0.5 Ma

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

43. colonisation of Eurasia by Homo erectus
63 Ma
49 Ma
0.5 Ma
2.5 Ma

44. Emergence of the first true elephants.
0.6 Ma
26 Ma
0.2 Ma
49 Ma

45. Homo heidelbergensis evolves.
4.5 Ma
18-12 Ma
0.6 Ma
33 Ma

46. Brontotheres go extinct. Pigs evolve. South America separates from Antarctica - becoming an island continent.
18-12 Ma
30 Ma
0.7 Ma
10 Ma

47. 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 -
25 Ma
55 Ma
35 Ma
5.5 Ma

48. The mammoth appears.
6 Ma
55 Ma
4.8 Ma
0.7 Ma

49. Whales return to the water.
5.5 Ma
49 Ma
4.8 Ma
20 Ma

50. First creodonts.
5 Ma
63 Ma
35 Ma
34 Ma