Paleocene

The Paleocene is a ten-million year long geological epoch that marked the beginning of the Cenozoic era.

Flora & Ecology
The beginning of the Paleocene is marked by a sharp increase in the number of fossil ferns, which is believed to have caused by the absence of other plants immediately following the K/Pg Extinction Event.

Many familiar modern plants such as cacti and palm trees first appeared during the Paleozoic Era.

The beginning of the Paleocene was marked by a cooler and drier climate as compared to the earlier Cretaceous period, but at the end of the Paleocene temperatures rose sharply, probably exceeding even the maximum temperatures during the Cretaceous. During the late Paleocene and early Eocene, subtropical vegetation could be found in Greenland and tropical forests covered North America.

Greenland and Europe were still joined a this time and a land bridge existed between North America and Asia.

South America
Mammals

Pucadelphys andinus is a small Paleocene Bolivian mammal belonging to the opposum family.

Reptiles

Titanoboa cerrejonensis, the largest snake of all time, was found in Colombia and lived during the late Paleocene.

North America
Mammals

Ptilodus is a 30-50 cm long North American mammal belonging to the now-extinct Multituberculata clade of rodent-like mammals.

Reptiles

Protochelydra zangerli is a snapping turtle-like prehistoric turtle from Paloecene North America.

Champsosaurus, a crocodile-like survivor of the mass-extinction event, has been found in both North America and Europe.

Borealosuchus is a species of crocodile that survived the mass-extinction, found in Canada and northern USA.

Wannaganosuchus is a small alligator found in Late Paleocene rocks in North Dakota.

Birds

Gastornis (the North American species was formerly known as Diatryma)

Australia

Mammals

The monotreme (egg-laying mammal) Obdurodon evolved in the Paloecene but persisted until the Miocene. It is sometimes called the Riversleigh Platypus after its discovery in Riversleigh, Australia.

Europe
Reptiles

Champsosaurus, a crocodile-like survivor of the mass-extinction event, has been found in both North America and Europe.

Birds

Gastornis

Asia
Birds

Gastornis