What Does Cenozoic Mean And The Era Of Time Is ?

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What Does Cenozoic Mean And The Era Of Time Is ?

2 Answers

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Answer 1

The word Cenozoic is taken from the Greek kainos, "new" and zoion, "animal" and is so called because it is the newest of the three main eras as defined by geologists and other scientists. In fact we are still living in the Cenozoic era, which is usually dated from about 65 million years ago, after the last great extinction of the dinosoars.

The other two eras are the paleozoic or "old animal" era (about 543-248 million years ago, when the first plants and animals emerged, and the mesozoic or "middle animal" which is the age of the dinosoars.

You can find more information about the cenozoic period at berkeley education/ cenozoic

Answer 2

The word Cenozoic is used in the context of eras of time in geology. It began in the Tertiary period and continues to date. The Quaternary is considered by various writers to be a separate era in geology, even though it is a part of the Cenozoic era. In the context of paleontology, the Cenozoic era is characterised by the evolution and abundance of mammals, birds and advanced species of molluscs. In the context of paleobotany, the Cenozoic era is characterised by the evolution and abundance of angiosperms.

The Cenozoic era is the current geologic period, but it began about 66.4 million years ago. It began towards the end of the Mesozoic era. It is also known as the Age of Mammals. The event that marked the end of the Mesozoic era and the beginning of the Cenozoic era (which is still sometimes spelt in Britain as the Caenozoic era) is the extinction at the end of the Cretaceous era, in which the last of the dinosaurs became extinct.