Pliocene to Pleistocene Pronunciation
5.3 million years ago to 11,700 years ago
The Pliocene and Pleistocene together span the critical interval of human evolution and the ice ages. Early bipedal hominids in the Pliocene gave way to Homo sapiens in the Pleistocene, and the megafauna of the ice ages lived alongside our ancestors.
Fun Facts
- ✓The genus Homo, including early human species, first appeared during the Pleistocene.
- ✓Cave paintings from the Pleistocene show that early humans depicted mammoths, horses, and bison.
- ✓The Pliocene-Pleistocene boundary is defined by the onset of major glaciation about 2.6 million years ago.