Evidences for Evolution 45

of Earth
TABLE 2.2 Geological Time Scaleupward, duration of each Epoch and
read from below
(To be
period is in million years)
Dominant Animal and
Periods Epoches Plant Groups
Eras

1. Coenozoic 1.Quaternary Recent Age of mammals: modern

(Era of (1 milion yrs) man, apes, monkeysand other
mammals, birds and insects.
modern life)
Pleistocene Appearance of primitive man;
(2-2.5 million yrs) extinction of large mammals.
2. Tertiary Pliocene Emergence of man; evolution of
(Age of
Mammals (6-7 million yrs) modern mammals (horse, camel,
and Angio elephant).
sperms)
(65 million
years)
Miocene Formation of first man-like ape;
mammals dominating and at the
(25 million yrs)
height of evolution.
Extinction of archaic mammals;
Oligocene
rise of first modern mammals
(38 million yrs)
Eocene Diversification of placental mam
(54 million yrs) mals (Eutherians), carnivores and
hoofed forms appeared.
Palaeocene Rise of placental mammals and
(65 million yrs) evolution of modern birds.

2. Mesozoic 1. Cretaceous Appearance of archaic eutherian

(Era of in (135 million mammals; rise of modern birds
termediate and teleost fishes; extinction of
yrs)
or medieval giant reptiles and toothed birds.
life) Dwindling of gymnosperms and
increase of angiosperms.
(Age of 2. Jurassic Age of gymnosperms and rep
Reptiles (180 million tiles: dominanceof dinosaurs;
and Gym yrs) rise of toothed birds; spread of
nosperms) reptiles. First angiosperm and
first bird appeared.
3. Triassic Rise of first dinosaur and egg
(225 million laying mammals; extinction of
yrs) primitive amphibians. Abundance
of cycadophytes, gymnosperms
3. Plaeozoic 1. Permian Abundance of primitive reptiles,
(Era of (275 million decline of amphi bians; extinction
ancient life) yrs) of many marine invertetbrates;
rise of modern insects.

Contd...
46 Evolutionary Biology
(Age of 2. Carbonifer Age of amphibians: Spread
Amphibi ous (345 of ancient sharks; first reptile
ans) million yrs appeared; rise of insects.
(Pensyl
vanian +
Mississipian)
(Age of 3. Devonian
Age of fishes: Origin of amphib
Fishes) (395 million ians; abundance and diversifica
yrs) tion of fishes.
4. Silurian Origin of jawed fishes and wing
(430 million less insects; wide expansion of
yrs) invertebrate phyla.
(Age of 5. Ordovician
Origin of vertebrates and jawiess
Inverte (500 million fishes; corals and trilobites abun
brates) yrs) dant; diversification of molluscs.
6. Cambrian All invertebrate phyla
(600 million estab
lished: trilobites dominant.
yrs)
2000 million yrs
4. Proterozo
ic (Eraof
Sedimentary rocks;
simple marine in origin offirst
Primi tive vertebrates:
shelled protozoans, coelenter
life) ates. (fossils scanty)
5. Archaeo 3800 million yrs Precambrian Origin of life, fossils of
zoic (Era Period
bacteria-like primitive
and algae-like
of dawn of found (fossils rare). forms
life)