Million years ago

Period

Epoch

Event

Cenozoic era

Present - 0.01

Neogene

Holocene

Rise of human civilization after the recede of the Pleistocene glaciations

0.01 - 2.58

Pleistocene

First modern humans appear

2.58 - 5.3

Pliocene

First cattle and sheep. Whales diversify

5.3 - 23

Miocene

First apes, mice and many new mammals

23 - 33.9

Paleogene

Oligocene

First monkeys, deer and rhinoceroses

33.9 - 56

Eocene

First horses, elephants, dogs and cats

56 - 66

Paleocene

First owls, shrews and hedgehogs

Mesozoic era

66 - 145.5

Cretaceous

First modern mammals. Non-avian dinosaurs die-out

145.5 - 201.3

Jurassic

First birds appear, dinosaurs rule the land

201.3 - 252

Triassic

First dinosaurs, mammals, turtles and frogs

Paleozoic era

252 - 299

Permian

Sail-back synapsids appear on land

299 - 358.9

Carboniferous

First reptiles and flying insects on land

358.9 - 419

Devonian

First vertebrates with four limbs and distinct digits

419 - 443.8

Silurian

First plants and arachnids on land

443.8 - 485.4

Ordovician

First nautiloids and jawed vertebrates

485.4 - 541

Cambrian

All major animal groups appear

541 - 4600

Precambrian

First single-celled and multi-cellular life