Fossils of the Cenozoic

The flourishing of mammals characterizes the Cenozoic Era. Here we display the teeth of a Desmostylus from about 18 million years ago in the Miocene Period and of elephants from the Pleistocene Period tens of thousands of years ago.

Many molluscan shell fossils are also on display in the Cenozoic era section. In particular, Fortipecten takahashii, a peculiar scallop from the Pliocene Period 5 million years ago, has a bowl-like shell. See how it compares to the shape of scallops that are currently living.

In terms of plants, angiosperms with flowers flourished in this era. Fossils of well-preserved leaves dating back to about 300,000 years ago are displayed in the Pleistocene showcase. They were excavated in Nasu-Shiobara City, Tochigi Prefecture.