We're almost done! It's time to learn about the 

is actually the most recent geological era. The word itself comes from the Greek words "

Why do you think scientists named this era "Recent Life?"

! The biggest were only the size of racoon. This all changed during the 

. Mammals started to evolve from their tiny ancestors into all sorts of funny shapes and sizes. You might have heard of 

Mammals weren't the only things to change. The 

 itself also went through lots of funny changes as well -- from 

, it was so warm that we once had monkeys, crocodiles, and even cheetahs living here, but it eventually became so cold that the top half of North America was covered in a real thick layer of 

Take a look at the map below showing the USA during the Pleistocene.

 shows areas of the USA that were covered by a 

The state of Minnesota is outlined in blue. Was it under a glacier?

What about Wyoming outlined in red, were there glaciers in Wyoming during the Pleistocene? If so, did they cover the entire state?

Standards for The Stunning Cenozoic