Paleocene
[ pey-lee-uh-seen or, esp. British, pal-ee- ]
/ ˈpeɪ li əˌsin or, esp. British, ˈpæl i- /
adjective
noting or pertaining to an epoch of the Tertiary Period, from 65 to 55 million years ago, and characterized by a proliferation of mammals.
noun
the Paleocene Epoch or Series.
Example sentences from the Web for paleocene
Perhaps, this high ratio reflects the imperfectly carnivorous habits of the Paleocene creodonts as a group.
The Oligocene division has been generally accepted as a distinct period, but “Paleocene” is not so widely used.
The mammalian faunas of the Paleocene of central Utah, with notes on the geology.
This collection was obviously of Torrejonian or middle Paleocene age.
Scientific definitions for paleocene
Paleocene
[ pā′lē-ə-sēn′ ]
The earliest epoch of the Tertiary Period, from about 65 to 58 million years ago. During this time, the Rocky Mountains formed and sea levels dropped, exposing dry land in North America, Australia, and Africa. Many new types of small mammals evolved and filled the niches left empty after the extinctions that ended the Cretaceous Period. Soft-bodied squid replaced the ammonites as the dominant form of mollusk. See Chart at geologic time.