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.