Cenozoic birds and reptiles The Cenozoic (also Cainozoic or ...
Cenozoic birds and reptiles The Cenozoic (also Cainozoic or ...
Cenozoic birds and reptiles The Cenozoic (also Cainozoic or ...
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It was the era when grasses (which may have evolved somewhat earlier) began to<br />
radiate outwards <strong>and</strong> cover vast tracts of l<strong>and</strong>. Because they grow from the root end, rather<br />
than from the tip end, they can survive far m<strong>or</strong>e intense grazing, <strong>and</strong> are thus capable of<br />
providing an abundant source of food f<strong>or</strong> h<strong>or</strong>des of grazing animals, which in turn were what<br />
the staggering array of predat<strong>or</strong>s fed upon. <strong>The</strong>se grasses <strong>also</strong> clad the vast tracts of savannah,<br />
<strong>and</strong> stimulated the evolution of the running animals such as the h<strong>or</strong>se family (equidae).<br />
Source: http://activity.ntsec.gov.tw/lifew<strong>or</strong>ld/english/content/images/en_evo_c6.jpg<br />
<strong>The</strong> above graphic illustrates the lineage of modern h<strong>or</strong>ses, but is a bit misleading as there<br />
were all manner of other equids which are not represented here, some from species which are<br />
still with us today like zebras, donkeys <strong>and</strong> the like, others from species now extinct like<br />
quaggas, <strong>and</strong> a whole slew of prehist<strong>or</strong>ic f<strong>or</strong>ms.<br />
rce: http://www.mun.ca/biology/scarr/139409_Equid_evolution.jpg<br />
Sou
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