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Palaeocene
The Palaeocene epoch, the first period of the Cenozoic era, lasted 10 million years and began 65 million years ago. With dinosaurs now extinct, the surviving mammals of the Cretaceous period multiplied quickly. Sharks were plentiful in the sea, as were teleost fish, a variety of fish that can protude its jaw outwards and has 20,000 extinct species to its name. One of the strangest animals in this period was the Diatryma, a flightless bird that grew to seven feet. It had small wings but large legs, making this predator a fast runner.
Eocene
The 17-million-year Eocene period began 55 million years ago. One of the more eye-catching animals of this period was the Uintatherium. This was a rhinoceros that grew up to 15 feet in length, weighed up to 6,000 pounds and had numerous horns on its head, along with a pair of long, canine tusks. Small dog-sized horses called Hyracotherium were abundant, and the very first whales came about at this time.
Oligocene
The Oligocene epoch began 38 million years ago and lasted for 13 million years. Sabre-toothed cats, named for their large, sabre-like canine teeth, emerged in this epoch and quickly became common. The armadillo was also introduced to the world in the Oligocene. The Archaeotherium was a pig that grew to three feet tall and four feet wide. It had an elongated skull and extremely powerful jaws.
Miocene
The Miocene is the longest epoch in the Cenozoic era; it began 25 million years ago and lasted for 20 million years. Dugongs, also known as sea cows, were common. They were large, fully aquatic marine mammals that came from the same family as (and are very similar to) manatees. Giant sharks, called Carcharocles megalodon, shared these waters and grew to a maximum length of 52 feet, making them the largest predatory fish of all time. On land, the dominant hunters were the sabre-toothed cats. Hyenas and giraffes were unveiled to the world during the Miocene.
Pliocene
The Pliocene epoch started five million years ago and lasted for 3.2 million years. A 20-foot-long ground sloth that could walk on its hind legs lived during this time; it was called Megatherium. There was also an elephant called Deinotherium that had downward-pointing tusks coming from its lower jaw. It grew up to 13 feet high at the shoulder. Sabre-toothed carnivores were abundant at this time, as were stoats, dogs, weasels and cats. Primate numbers began to increase and an early form of man, Homo erectus, roamed the earth.
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene period began 1.8 million years ago and ended 10,000 years ago. Giant deer roamed the Earth during this time; they grew up to 6.6 feet high at the shoulder. Woolly mammoths were alive at this point as well. They could grow to 12 feet tall at the shoulder. The epoch that followed the Pleistocene is the Holocene, which is the period we live in today.