What is the Paleogene Period?
The Paleogene period is the first of two periods is the Cenozoic, which extends from the extinction of the dinosaurs (except birds) 65.5 million years ago to the present day. The Paleogene itself extends from 65.5 million years ago to 23 million years ago. The Paleogene period is considered the beginning of the Age of Mammals, in contrast to the Age of Reptiles which came before it. It is composed of three parts, each about 13 million years in length: the Paleocene, Eocene, and Oligocene. During the Paleogene period, the Earth’s continents gradually moved from their old configuration, consolidated near each other, to their present configuration, more spaced out. By 50 million years ago, the Earth was approaching what we would consider normal, although India was an island and much of central Asia was flooded. The Earth’s average temperature started off as typical, then quickly began to decrease, a trend that has continued until relatively recently. In the Paleogene period, dense forests
