Cenozoic era: Facts about climate, animals & plants
Kim Ann Zimmermann
During the Paleogene period, most of the Earth’s climate was tropical. The Neogene period saw a drastic cooling, which continued into the Pleistocene epoch of the Quaternary period. The beginning of the Paleogene period was a time for the mammals that survived from the Cretaceous period. Without the dinosaurs, plant life had an opportunity to flourish during the Cenozoic era. However, as the climate cooled forests died off, creating open land.