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PALEOCENE |
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THE PALEOCENE EPOCH
65 TO 55 Million Years Ago
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The
Age of Recovery
Mammals Emerge in the Post-Dinosaur World
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who escape the sword and return to the land . . . will be very few.
- Jeremiah 44:28
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Paleo-Geography |
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- Epoch begins with earth devestated by
asteroid impact
- North America and Eurasia connected off and on
- Africa, South America, Antarctica, Australia, and India
(an island continent) continue to separate
- Pacific Ocean
shrianks as Atlantic
Ocean widens
- Climate warm and humid world-wide
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Life |
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- Ferns fill post-asteroid world until forests regrow
- Mammals, though
still small (right), "explode" into
the land niches formely dominated by the dinosaurs
- Large, flightles birds
(below) become top predators
- Flowering plants (angiosperms)
flourish & spread
- Palms and cacti appear
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Gastornis (left) and other large flightless
birds briefly ruled as top predators until mammals grew
bigger.
(Image:
Radelow)
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