Timeline of Evolutionary History of Life - Basic Timeline

Basic Timeline

The basic timeline of a 4.6 billion year old Earth, with approximate dates:

  • 3.6 billion years of simple cells (prokaryotes),
  • 3.4 billion years of stromatolites demonstrating photosynthesis,
  • 2 billion years of complex cells (eukaryotes),
  • 1 billion years of multicellular life,
  • 600 million years of simple animals,
  • 570 million years of arthropods (ancestors of insects, arachnids and crustaceans),
  • 550 million years of complex animals,
  • 500 million years of fish and proto-amphibians,
  • 475 million years of land plants,
  • 400 million years of insects and seeds,
  • 360 million years of amphibians,
  • 300 million years of reptiles,
  • 200 million years of mammals,
  • 150 million years of birds,
  • 130 million years of flowers,
  • 65 million years since the dinosaurs died out,
  • 2.5 million years since the appearance of the genus Homo,
  • 200,000 years of anatomically modern humans,
  • 25,000 years since the disappearance of Neanderthal traits from the fossil record.
  • 13,000 years since the disappearance of Homo floresiensis from the fossil record.

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