The Cenozoic Era (pronunciation: /ˌsiːnəˈzoʊɪk, ˌsɛ-/; also Cænozoic, Caenozoic or Cainozoic pronunciation: /ˌkaɪnəˈzoʊɪk, ˌkeɪ-/; meaning "new life", from Greek καινός kainós "new", and ζωή zōḗ "life") is the current and most recent of the three Phanerozoic geological eras, following the Mesozoic Era and covering the period from 66 million years ago to the present day.
The Cenozoic is also known as the Age of Mammals, because of the large mammals that dominated, such as Entelodont, Paraceratherium and Basilosaurus. The extinction of many large diapsid groups such as non-avian dinosaurs, Plesiosauria and Pterosauria allowed the mammals and birds to greatly diversify and become the world's predominant fauna.