Section outline

  • General

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  • Cenozoic 时代

    What you will learn
    ::你会学到什么

    • How mammals evolved and flourished in the Cenozoic era
      ::哺乳动物是如何进化和繁荣的 在精神分裂时代
    • What were the major events during the Paleogene, Neogene and Quaternary periods of the Cenozoic Era
      ::Cenozoic时代Paleogene、Neogene和四年度四年度主要事件是什么?

    A herd of bison running through a dusty field, illustrating mammal flourishing post-dinosaur extinction.

    What allowed mammals to outlast the dinosaurs?
    ::是什么允许哺乳动物活到恐龙死后?

    With dinosaurs around, mammals could not thrive. It took a catastrophic event to rid the planet of dinosaurs. Luckily for mammals, the extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs left many opportunities for mammals to take over and flourish.
    ::随着恐龙的到来,哺乳动物是无法生长的。 消除恐龙的地球需要一场灾难性事件。 幸运的是,对于哺乳动物来说,非鸟类恐龙的灭绝为哺乳动物提供了许多机会,让哺乳动物接管并繁荣发展。

    The Cenozoic Era: Age of Mammals
    ::Cenozoic时代:哺乳动物的年龄

    The Cenozoic Era literally means the era of “modern life.” It is also called the age of mammals. Mammals took advantage of the extinction of the dinosaurs. They flourished and soon became the dominant on Earth. The Cenozoic began 66 million years ago and continues to the present. It may be divided into three periods: The Paleogene, Neogene, and Quaternary. 
    ::Cenozoic Era 字面意思是“现代生命”的时代。 它也被称为哺乳动物时代。哺乳动物利用恐龙灭绝的优势,它们迅速生长并很快成为地球上的主导。Cenozoic始于6600万年前,并一直延续到现在。它可以分为三个时期:Paleogene, Neogene和Quaterary。

    • Early primates demonstrating evolution during the Cenozoic Era.
      Mammals called primates evolved during the Paleogene Period (63-23 million years ago).

      ::被称为灵长类的哺乳动物在Paleogene时期(6300万至2300万年前)进化。
    • Woolly mammoths in a snowy landscape, showcasing adaptation to ice age conditions.
      Mammals like woolly mammoths adapted to the cold during the Quaternary Period (1.8 million years ago- present).

      ::在四年度(180万年前(现为180万年前))期间适应寒冷的羊毛长毛象哺乳动物。

    The Paleogene Period : During the Paleogene Period (66–23 million years ago)  Earth’s climate was generally warm and humid.  This allowed mammals and to evolve further and fill virtually all niches vacated by the dinosaurs.  The first evolved, and flowering plants and were numerous and widespread as shown in the Figure .
    ::帕利奥金时期:在帕利奥金时期(66-2 300万年前 ) , 地球气候普遍温暖和潮湿。 这使得哺乳动物得以进一步进化和填补几乎所有恐龙空出的位置。 第一个进化的植物和开花植物数量众多且广泛,如图所示。

    The Neogene Period : During the Neogene Period (23–2.58 million years ago), the continents of North and South America connected, and the Earth’s climate became cooler and drier.  Modern rain forests and grasslands appeared.  Many mammals increased in size, and early human ancestors appeared.
    ::尼奥金时期:在尼奥金时期(23—258万年前 ) , 北美和南美洲大陆相互连接,地球气候变得更加冷和干燥。 现代雨林和草原出现了。 许多哺乳动物的体积在增加,早期的人类祖先也出现了。

    The Quaternary Period : During the Quaternary Period (2.58 million years ago–present), Earth’s climate cooled, leading to a series of ice ages. Sea levels fell because so much was frozen in glaciers. This created land bridges between continents, allowing land animals to move to new areas. Some mammals, like the woolly mammoths adapted to the cold by evolving very large size and thick fur as shown in the Figure . Other animals moved closer to the equator or went extinct, along with many plants.
    ::四方周期:在四年度(258万年前(现今 ) , 地球的气候冷却了,导致了一系列冰河时代。 海平面的下降是因为冰川中的冰冻层如此之多。 这在大陆之间创造了陆桥,允许陆地动物迁移到新的地区。 一些哺乳动物,比如长毛长毛长毛的长毛大毛象,由于巨型和厚厚毛毛而适应寒冷,如图所示。 其他动物更接近赤道或灭绝,以及许多植物。

    The last ice age ended about 12,000 years ago. By that time, our own , Homo sapiens , had evolved. After that, we were witnesses to the unfolding of life’s story. Although we don’t know all the details of the recent past, it is far less of a mystery than the billions of years that preceded it.
    ::上一个冰河时代大约在12000年前结束。 那时,我们自己的人 — — 智人 — — 已经进化了。 在那之后,我们见证了生命故事的发展。 尽管我们不知道最近过去的所有细节,但它远不如此前的数十亿年神秘。

    KQED: The Last Ice Age
    ::最后一个冰河时代

    Imagine a vast grassy covered with herds of elephants, bison, and camels stretching as far as the eye can see. Africa? Maybe. But this also describes Northern California at the end of the last Ice Age. What happened to all this wildlife? Were they over-hunted and killed off? Did destroy their ? Scientists are not sure, but this relatively recent loss of life does raise many interesting questions. 
    ::想象一下,大象、野牛和骆驼群的庞大草丛中,大象、野牛和骆驼的群落伸展到最远的目光。非洲?也许吧。但是这也描述了上一个冰河时代结束时的北加州。所有这些野生动物发生了什么?它们是不是被过度追捕和杀害了?是否摧毁了它们?科学家们并不确定,但最近发生的这种生命损失确实引起了许多有趣的问题。

    Summary
    ::摘要

    • The Cenozoic Era is the age of mammals. They evolved to fill virtually all the niches vacated by dinosaurs.
      ::Cenozoic Eraa是哺乳动物时代的时代,它们进化为填补几乎所有恐龙空出的地方。
    • The ice ages of the Quaternary Period of the Cenozoic led to many extinctions.
      ::季风四季的冰河时期导致许多物种灭绝。
    • The last ice age ended 12,000 years ago. By that time, Homo sapiens had evolved.
      ::上一次冰河时代在一万二千年前结束 那时智人已经进化了

    Review
    ::回顾

    1. What explains why mammals were able to flourish during Cenozoic Era?
      ::为何哺乳动物能在 精神分裂时代繁衍?
    2. Create a timeline of major evolutionary events during the Cenozoic Era.
      ::设定一个时间框架, 列出在Cenozoic时代发生的重大进化事件 。
    3. Discuss climate changes during the Paleogene, Neogene, and Quaternary Periods, and the effects of these changes on geology and vegetation.
      ::讨论Paleogene、Neogene和四年度气候变化,以及这些变化对地质和植被的影响。