![[Cenozoic Megafauna]](../images/hero/cenozoic.jpg){kind=small}
Copyright © 2001 by Robert J. Hall
The dinosaurs ruled the earth until 65 million years ago, when a great disaster caused many species to become extinct. This massive die off opened up new niches for the tiny mammals. These creatures expanded and diversified, forming new races that rivalled the dinosaurs for size. This Age of the Mammals, known as the Cenozoic era, has lasted until the present day.
Many of the mammals that have evolved during the Cenozoic era are now extinct, the victims of changing climates and stronger competition. Most of the surviving mammal evolved during the Cenozoic Era, although their ancestors may not have closely resembled their modern counterparts. The creatures listed below were prominent species during their time, but are now only to be found as fossil remnants.
Cenozoic Timeline
Shown here are which creatures existed during what time span. This table can be used, for example, in adventures for PCs who travel back in time to the age of the mammals.
Millions of Years Ago
Species 65 60 55 50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0
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Ape Man (Robust Australopithecus)
This species bears traits of both an ape and a man, and was a predecessor of modern humans. The massive skull had small canines and incisors, and large molars for crushing and grinding plant food. It walked upright and roved across the open plains where it could occasionally supplement its regular diet with meat. The arms are much longer in proportion to a human, with hands well suited for grasping food and implements. The brain of the Australopithecus is about one third of a human, but it could create and use simple tools such as sticks and stones. It stood only 1.2 meters in height, with a hairy body that provided some protection from the elements.
Descendents of the Australopithecus evolved into the later Homo Habilis and Homo Erectus. These species improved on Australopithecine in terms of tool use, finding shelter, and using fire. The body stood more erect and the brain size continued to increase.
Val Char Cost Val Char Cost OCV: 3; DCV: 3; ECV: 3; Modifiers: +1;
Phases: 6, 12 |
Arsinoitherium
This large herbivore is roughly the size of a rhinoceros, with four legs similar to those of an elephant. The Arsinoitherium is armed with two huge, forward-pointing horns mounted to either side of the head. It is believed to have lived in swamps where it chewed coarse-leaved plants for food. With a mouth full of grinding molars it could not deliver a serious bite. The Arsinoitherium has left no modern ancestors.
Val Char Cost Val Char Cost OCV: 4; DCV: 2; ECV: 2; Modifiers: +0;
Phases: 4, 8, 12 |
Baluchitherium (Paraceratherium)
This huge beast is an extinct relative of the Rhinoceros. Possibly the largest land mammal that ever existed, they existed only in parts of the Asian continent from 30 to 20 million years ago. The adult stood five and a half meters at the shoulder and seven meters in length, with a hornless skull that was over a meter in length. Undoubtedly a vegetarian, the Baluchitherium browsed among the tree branches like a Giraffe. However, a heavy neck and long, straight legs allowed this beast to reach much higher branches.
Val Char Cost Val Char Cost OCV: 3; DCV: -3*; ECV: 2; Modifiers: +1;
Phases: 4, 8, 12 |
Cave Lion (Felis Leo Spelaea)
This extinct member of the cat family was a third larger in overall dimensions to the modern lion. It is known to have dwelled in europe a million year ago. Considerably larger than a living lion, weighing perhaps half again as much. They hunted in prides, much like a modern lion.
Val Char Cost Val Char Cost OCV: 7; DCV: 7; ECV: 2; Modifiers: +2;
Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12 |
Dire Wolf (Canis Dirus)
This predator was a slightly larger version of the common wolf, with a length of 1.5 meters and a mass of 50kg. It is the largest member of its species known to have existed. It had a heavier build than a common wolf, with shorter but sturdier legs and a larger head. It was quite capable of crushing bones with their large, powerful teeth. However, it had a smaller brain and was not as intelligent as its lesser cousins. Nor could it run as fast due to its shorter legs. Dire Wolves were widespread, and existed both as hunters and carrion feeders. They went extinct when their preferred prey vanished due to climate changes.
Val Char Cost Val Char Cost OCV: 5; DCV: 5; ECV: 2; Modifiers: +0;
Phases: 4, 8, 12 |
Giant Beaver (Castoroides)
This giant, land-based relative of the beaver is almost as large as a black bear. It was 2.3 meters in length, with short legs, webbed back feet, and a relatively long, narrow tail. The Giant Beaver was a strong swimmer who lived in lakes and ponds bordered by swamps. It never built dams or felled trees, relying instead on existing habitat. With enormous incisors, the giant beaver could feed on the coarse vegetation that bordered the water.
Val Char Cost Val Char Cost OCV: 5; DCV: 5; ECV: 2; Modifiers: +1;
Phases: 4, 8, 12 |
Giant Ground Sloth (Megatherium)
This massive, furry creature was the largest of the ground sloths, reaching a length of 6 meters and exceeding an Elephant in size. It had broad, heavy leg bones to support the animal, with large feet and enormous curved claws. They browsed for choice leaves, and used their claws for digging roots. The enormous tail helped tham balance on their hind legs while they pulled down tree top branches. A clumsy creature, it shuffled along on its knuckles and on the side of its back feet.
The skull is small incomparison to their body size, with a long, muscular neck. The tongue was flong and flexible, and the teeth were peg-like and high crowned for chewing and grinding plants. The Megatherium carry their young on their heavily furred backs.
Val Char Cost Val Char Cost OCV: 2; DCV: 0*; ECV: 1; Modifiers: +0;
Phases: 6, 12 |
Gigantopithecus
This huge creature may have been the largest ape ever to exist. While similar to the modern gorilla in structure, it reached a daunting 3.1 meters in height and weighed in at 4-500 kg. While powerful in appearance, it was a gentle vegetarian that only demonstrated aggression when its territory is threatened, usually by snarling and chest beating. He was a ground-dwelling vegetarian by nature, and probably consumed bamboo.
The Gigantopithecus was the largest primate ever to walk the earth, and could rise to a height of up to three meters. (The female was somewhat smaller.) He probably went extinct about 500,000 years ago due to climate changes. However some hold that this magnificent creature is not actually extinct and is actually the source of the Yeti and Bigfoot myths.
Val Char Cost Val Char Cost OCV: 5; DCV: 5; ECV: 2; Modifiers: +2;
Phases: 4, 8, 12 |
Glyptodont
This large herbivores are related to the armadillo, although their rigid, bony carapace is a good deal more solid. Some species can be as large as a rhino, growing up to to four meters in length and standing 1.6 meters at the peak of their turtle-like shell of bony plates. Both the deep, heavily-boned head, upper limb segments, and short tail are encased in rings or solid sheaths of bone. The four short legs are sturdy, with hoofed claws that are built for digging for roots. As movement is clumsy, the Glyphodont relies solely on its heavy shell for protection. The Glyphodont primarily consumes grass-like plants, particularly in wetland areas.
The Doedicurus is similar in appearance to Glyptodont, but has a club-like growth at the end of their tail that is covered in knobs and spikes, providing additional protection.
Val Char Cost Val Char Cost OCV: 3; DCV: 1*; ECV: 2; Modifiers: +1;
Phases: 6, 12 |
Irish Elk (Megaloceros)
This giant deer stood two meters at the shoulders and possessed a massive rack of antlers that spanned over three meters. Irish Elk were browsing animals of the woodland areas, with long legs that were ideal for running long-distances quickly. While the huge antlers undoubtedly presented an intimidating threat to any predators, they undoubtedly evolved for the purpose of gender display. The great weight of the horns was a burden for the Megaloceros, and it required a strong, healthy frame to raise the head after taking a drink. The Irish Elk appeared several million years ago, and only became extinct with the arrival of man about 11,000 years ago. It ranged across Europe, Asia, and northern Africa.
Val Char Cost Val Char Cost OCV: 4; DCV: 1*; ECV: 2; Modifiers: +0;
Phases: 4, 8, 12 |
Megatooth (Carcharodon Megalodon)
This giant shark was the largest meat-eating fish ever to live. Reaching an enormous 30-35 meters in length, it dominated both warm and perhaps even cool water oceans from 24 to 2 million years ago. The serrated, blade-like fangs of this monster grew to a remarkable 15cm, large enough to cover a hand. They were arranged in multiple rows of up to 300 teeth, and new ones would grow in as old teeth broke off. When open, the jaws are large enough to accommodate a fully grow man standing upright, and could probably have crushed a small car! Food was not chewed, but was gulped down whole in huge chunks.
At its peak, the "Big Tooth" feasted on the diverse whale populations that peaked during the Miocene period, especially on the calves and old or sick specimens. Later, as the ice ages closed in around the poles and the whales began migrating north to colder waters, the giant shark lost its primary food source and are now believed to have become extinct. Today, the closest living relative of this giant creature is the smaller Great White Shark.
Val Char Cost Val Char Cost OCV: 4; DCV: -4*; ECV: 2; Modifiers: +0;
Phases: 4, 8, 12 |
Neanderthal
This hominid species lived from about 250,000 years ago until his extinction during the last ice age. He is somewhat shorter than a human, with a heavier build and more solid joints. The head of a Neanderthal has protruding ridges over the eyes, with a slighter chin and a protruding bulge at the back of the head. The Neanderthal actually had a slightly larger brain than a human, and developed a culture and stone-age technology. However, they did not possess the full range of human vocal abilities. It is unclear how they became extinct.
Val Char Cost Val Char Cost OCV: 3; DCV: 3; ECV: 3; Modifiers: +1;
Phases: 6, 12 |
Saber-Toothed Cat (Smilodon)
This great predator is the last in a long and successful line of saber- toothed cats. The long, flat canine teeth of the Smilodon are a monstrous 20 centimeters in length, with fine serations along the cutting edge to increase their slashing effect. The lower jaw of this cat can open wide during an attack, allowing the beast to bite deep into a hide. By biting the prey and pulling backward, the two fangs leave long gashes to let out blood.
The Smilodon has short, muscular legs and a powerful body, making it slow but capable of clinging to large prey. Once the bleeding prey is down, however, the teeth of this cat are ill suited for chewing food, so it must survive by drinking the blood of its victims and gulping down large strips of meat. Much of the body is then consumed by scavenging creatures. The favorite prey of this cat was large, thick-skinned animals like the mammoths that carry a lot of meat. In particular they preyed on young mammoths. Once these huge creatures died out, perhaps through human predation, the Smilodon became extinct.
Like other cats, the Smilodon has a warm fur coat for protection against the elements, but they only possess a brief tail. It stands one meter in height at the shoulders, with a mass of well over 200kg - roughly comparable to an African Lion in size. However, the front quarters are heavier, the hindquarters lighter, and the tail is bobbed.
Val Char Cost Val Char Cost OCV: 6; DCV: 6; ECV: 2; Modifiers: +2,+1;
Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12 |
Terror Crane (Diatryma Steini)
This giant, heavy, flightless bird stood over two meters in height, with huge clawed feet and a giant, parrot-shaped beak. This was a predatory bird with respectable speed that attacked by leaping on its prey with its taloned feet, then crushing bones and ripping out flesh with its beak. It was a formidable creature that could tackle prey up to the size of a horse. While a predatory bird, the Diatryma is an omnivorous creature that consumed vegetation and used its heavy jaw to crack nuts.
While it resembled an ostrich, it was somewhat slower as it had no enemies from which it needed to escape. The coat of feathers probably provided some protection to the bird, much like a thick hide. The Terror Crane lived on the North American continent some 50 million years ago.
Val Char Cost Val Char Cost OCV: 6; DCV: 6; ECV: 2; Modifiers: +1, +1;
Phases: 4, 8, 12 |
Thunder Beast (Titanotherium or Brontotherium)
These massive creatures resembled a Rhinoceros, although a shoulder height of 2.5 meters was closer to an Elephant. They had thick legs and short, wide feet with individually hooved toes. Protruding from its broad snout were Y- shaped horns which the males used as weapons in jousting contests. When backed by their bulk, these horns were dangerous weapons and could be wielded against both predators and rivals. The Titanotherium lived on the open plains, where it consumed soft leaves between their large molars. The Titanotherium was no an overly intelligent creature, having a relatively small brain for its size.
Val Char Cost Val Char Cost OCV: 5; DCV: 3*; ECV: 2; Modifiers: +2;
Phases: 4, 8, 12 |
Woolly Mammoth (Mammuthus Primigenius)
These relatives of the Elephant had long, dark brown hair on top of a dense coat of woolly fur. There was a 7-10 cm layer of fat beneath the coat to further protect the body from the cold. The heavy body had a humped, sloping back, a prominent domed head, straight legs, and a relatively short tail. It had two curved tusks attached to the bottom of the head, pointing upward. The Wooly Mammoth stood 2.9 meters in high at the shoulder. Like the elephant, the Mammoth also had a flexible trunk which could be used for grazing.
This species ranged north of the artic circle during the ice age, and the great bulk and thick coat were evolved for this bitterly cold climate. This was easily the largest and most conspicuous animal of the tundra region. It existed on the grass and plants of the tundra during the summer, and switched to shrubs during the bitterly cold winter.
Val Char Cost Val Char Cost OCV: 5; DCV: 3*; ECV: 2; Modifiers: +1;
Phases: 4, 8, 12 |
References
Richard F.Flint, 1973, The Earth & Its History, W. W. Norton & Company,
Inc.
Pamela Forey, 1988, An Instant Guide to Prehistoric Life, Crescent Books.
Bjorn Kurten, The Age of Mammals, 1971, Columbia University Press.
Bjorn Kurten and Elaine Anderson, Mammals of North America, 1980, Columbia
University Press
David Lambert and the Diagram Group, 1994, The Field Guide to Prehistoric
Life, Diagram Visual Information, Ltd.
Paul S. Martin and Richard G. Klein, Quertenary Extinctions, A Prehistoric
Revolution, 1984, The University of Arizona Press.
Alfred S. Romer, Vertebrate Plaeontology, 1966, The University of Chicago
Press, Third Edition.
William E. Scheele, Prehistoric Animals, 1954, The World Publishing Company.