or Palaeocene Epoch
Earliest division of the Tertiary Period , from 65 to 54.
8 million years ago. It precedes the Eocene Epoch and follows the Cretaceous Period . The Paleocene was characterized by a generally warming climate, with little or no frost; seasonal variation probably consisted of alternating dry and wet seasons. By the Paleocene the dinosaurs and other reptilian groups that were dominant during the Cretaceous had disappeared, and the epoch saw the rapid proliferation and evolution of mammals.