Editing Cenozoic (section)

===Quaternary===
The [[Quaternary]] spans from 2.58&nbsp;million years ago to present day, and is the shortest geological period in the [[Phanerozoic Eon]]. It features modern animals, and dramatic changes in the climate. It is divided into two epochs: the Pleistocene and the Holocene.

[[File:Ice age fauna of northern Spain - Mauricio Antón.jpg|thumb|Megafauna of Pleistocene Europe ([[mammoth]]s, [[Panthera spelaea|cave lions]], [[woolly rhino]], [[reindeer]], [[Wild horse|horses]])]]
The [[Pleistocene]] lasted from 2.58&nbsp;million to 11,700 years ago. This epoch was marked by [[ice ages]] as a result of the cooling trend that started in the Mid-Eocene. There were at least four separate glaciation periods marked by the advance of ice caps as far south as 40° N in mountainous areas. Meanwhile, Africa experienced a trend of [[desiccation]] which resulted in the creation of the [[Sahara desert|Sahara]], [[Namib Desert|Namib]], and [[Kalahari Desert|Kalahari]] deserts. Many animals evolved including [[mammoth]]s, [[giant ground sloths]], [[dire wolves]], sabre-toothed cats, and ''[[Homo sapiens]]''. 100,000 years ago marked the end of one of the worst droughts in Africa, and led to the expansion of primitive humans. As the Pleistocene drew to a close, a major extinction wiped out much of the world's megafauna, including some of the hominid species, such as [[Neanderthal]]s. All the continents were affected, but Africa to a lesser extent. It still retains many large animals, such as hippos.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/quaternary/pleistocene.php|title=Pleistocene|author=University of California|work=University of California|access-date=25 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140824111711/http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/quaternary/pleistocene.php|archive-date=24 August 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The [[Holocene]] began 11,700 years ago and lasts to the present day. All recorded history and "the [[Human history]]" lies within the boundaries of the Holocene Epoch.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/quaternary/holocene.php|title=Holocene|author=University of California|work=University of California}}</ref> Human activity is blamed for a mass extinction that began roughly 10,000 years ago, though the species becoming extinct have only been recorded since the [[Industrial Revolution]]. This is sometimes referred to as the "[[Sixth Extinction]]". It is often cited that over 322 recorded species have become extinct due to human activity since the Industrial Revolution,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fact-or-fiction-the-sixth-mass-extinction-can-be-stopped/|title=Sixth Extinction extinctions|work=Scientific American}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iucn.org/?4143/Extinction-crisis-continues-apace|title=Sixth Extinction|author=IUCN|work=IUCN|date=3 November 2009}}</ref> but the rate may be as high as 500 vertebrate species alone, the majority of which have occurred after 1900.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Accelerated modern human–induced species losses: Entering the sixth mass extinction|author=Ceballos et al. (2015)|volume=1|issue=5|pages=e1400253|journal=Science Advances|pmid=26601195|year=2015|doi=10.1126/sciadv.1400253|pmc=4640606|bibcode=2015SciA....1E0253C}}</ref>