The 'Danian' (also known as the 'Montian') is the first
stage of the
Paleocene Epoch, making up the 'Early Paleocene' sub-epoch. The beginning of the stage is defined by the
Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event 65.5 ± 0.3
Ma (million years ago). The stage ended 61.7 ± 0.2 Ma.
Though the non-avian
dinosaurs were gone, the mammals, and other land animals remained small, none bigger than a large cat. But most of the mammals' orders already had appeared. Numerous lineages of modern
birds also survived, particularly in the area around
Australia but also elsewhere, e.g. ''
Scaniornis'' of the
North Sea region. The oceans remained much the same as the
Late Cretaceous seas, only that there was less life, no marine
reptiles, and other lesser known animals.
References
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GeoWhen Database - Danian