Section Review 9-3

Break up of Pangaea

#1 Explain how the ice ages affected animal life during the Cenozoic Era. Ice ages led to the rise of hairy, warm-blooded mammals that could survive the cold.

#2 Cenozoic Era Quaternary Period Holocene Epoch Identify the era, period, and epoch we are in today. Cenozoic Era Quaternary Period Holocene Epoch

#3 Describe the worldwide environmental changes that set the stage for the Age of Mammals. A combination of environmental changes and a meteorite impact caused the extinction of the dinosaurs and many other organisms, leaving many niches open for mammalian species to fill. Mammals were able to survive worldwide cooling and the following ice ages.

The Mesozoic and Cenozoic Eras Chapter 9 Section 3: The Mesozoic and Cenozoic Eras

1 If the Cretaceous Period began about ______, this means it began __________ years ago. 146-Ma 146-million

2 _________ became _______ at the end of the _________ era. Dinosaurs extinct Mesozoic

3 According to the ______ hypothesis, dinosaurs became extinct when a giant meteorite crashed into Earth. impact

4 New mammal species developed when temperatures ______ during the ice ages of the Cenozoic Era. decreased

5 _________ became the dominant animals during the ________ era. Mammals Cenozoic

6 The __________ Era is known as the Age of ________ . Cenozoic Mammals

7 The ________ Epoch began about 5.3 Ma, or 5.3 _______ ______ ago. Pliocene million years