Part of the Phanerozoic Eon
Mesozoic Era - Cenozoic Era - The Future
The Cenozoic Era is the third, and to this point final, era of the Phanerozoic Eon. The Cenozoic began with Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event that was induced by either volcanism or meteorite impact - or quite possibly both - and has yet to end, extending to the present day. While the framework for many modern continents was set during the Mesozoic, India would collide into Asia to form the Himalayas in the last significant change in continent alignment to date. The later portions of the era saw massive decreases in the ozone layer, leading to event known as "Global Warming".
With the extinction of many primary reptile groups during the Cretaceous - though there have been dubious claims of these existing into the Paleocene. Giant "terror birds", carnivorous Cetaceans like Basilosaurus, and sharks such as Megalodon were among the inhabitants that evolved and survived during the Cenozoic. For much of the Cenozoic, mammals together were the dominant form of animal life, but more recently a more specific group has achieved the status of being the sole dominant group despite there only being one surviving species of it. Namely, this species that has altered the entire planet more than any other species has in the past are the Homo sapiens, or humans. The rapid change this recent species has caused can be clearly observed by the decreased length of recent epochs, as the Holocene lasted under 11,000 years.
The Cenozoic is subdivided into three periods: the Paleogene, the Neogene, and the Quaternary.
Cenozoic Timescale:
Cenzoic Era - 66-0 MYA
-Paleogene Period - 66-23.03 MYA
--Paleocene Epoch - 66-56 MYA
--Eocene Epoch - 56-33.9 MYA
--Oligocene Epoch - 33.9-23.03 MYA
-Neogene Period - 23.03-2.58 MYA
--Miocene Epoch - 23.03-5.333 MYA
--Pliocene Epoch - 5.333-2.58 MYA
-Quaternary Period - 2.58-0 MYA
--Pleistocene Epoch - 2.58-0.0118 MYA
--Holocene Epoch - 0.0118-0.000218 MYA
--Anthropocene Epoch - 0.000218-0 MYA