1 / 28

Life in the Cenozoic

Life in the Cenozoic. Chapter 18. Cenozoic life. Recovery from K-T extinction Mammals diversify. Cenozoic marine life. Gone: ammonites, rudists, many plankton Recovering well: Corals. Cenozoic marine life. Gone: ammonites, rudists, many plankton Recovering well: Corals Nautiloids.

gannon
Download Presentation

Life in the Cenozoic

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Life in the Cenozoic Chapter 18

  2. Cenozoic life • Recovery from K-T extinction • Mammals diversify

  3. Cenozoic marine life • Gone: ammonites, rudists, many plankton • Recovering well: • Corals

  4. Cenozoic marine life • Gone: ammonites, rudists, many plankton • Recovering well: • Corals • Nautiloids

  5. Cenozoic marine life • Gone: ammonites, rudists, many plankton • Recovering well: • Corals • Nautiloids • Shell-less cephalopods: squid, octopus

  6. Cenozoic vegetation • Flowering plants (angiosperms) doing well

  7. Cenozoic birds • Birds from • Dinos • Reptiles • Warm-blooded animals • Many current birds appeared in Tertiary • Owls • Hawks • Penguins

  8. Cenozoic birds • Birds from • Dinos • Reptiles • Warm-blooded animals • Many current birds appeared in Tertiary • Owls • Hawks • Penguins

  9. Cenozoic birds • Since Cenozoic, skeleton changes little

  10. Cenozoic birds • Bird adaptations: • Penguins to swimming • Flightless birds • Diatryma • Dominant predator • ~6 feet tall

  11. Cenozoic birds • Bird adaptations: • Penguins to swimming • Flightless birds • Diatryma • Dominant predator • ~6 feet tall

  12. Cenozoic birds • Diatryma • Short legs • Not fast runner • Not chasing fast animals

  13. Cenozoic birds • Flying birds real success • Song birds appear

  14. Age of mammals • Appear in Mesozoic with dinos • Small, not diverse in Mesozoic • With no dinos, mammals take over

  15. Age of mammals • Why did they survive K-T extinction? • Warm blooded to survive nuclear winter? • Small enough to burrow underground?

  16. Mammal evolution well known • Two reasons • Geologically young • Easy to ID - only 1 tooth needed

  17. Age of mammals • Prototheria: egg-laying mammals • Theria

  18. Theria • Marsupials diverse in Cenozoic • Have placenta • Not efficient though • Young born ‘immature’ and develop in pouch

  19. Age of mammals • Placentals: efficient placenta • Young born well developed • 90% of all mammals (fossil & extinct) are placentals • All of today’s placentals from Mesozoic/early Tertiary ancestors

  20. Early Tertiary mammals • Bats • Rabbits • Rodents

  21. Marine mammals • Early Tertiary fossils • From land to water in less than 8 Ma • What changes?

  22. Marine mammals • Order cetacea

  23. First cetacean • Land dwelling • Fed in shallow water

  24. 2nd cetacean • Near shore environments

  25. Basilosaurus • Small hind limbs • Nostrils on snout

  26. Whale evolution • 58 Ma: cetaceans: land animals • 40 Ma: Basilosaurus • tiny rear limbs • nostrils still on snout • 30 Ma: baleen and toothed whales exist

  27. Where do whales come from? • DNA: even-toed ungulates (hippos) • Fossils: extinct group of hoofed mammals • Hyenas with hooves

  28. 47 Ma fossil in Pakistan • Fossil with well preserved ankles • Whale skull • Ankle bones: primitive even-toed hoofed mammal • Hippos and whale related

More Related