Holocene

11,000 BC - Today

11,000 BC
3000 BC
900 BC
600 BC
1500 AD
1700 AD
1900 AD
Present Day

Generally mild climate with small-scale climatic shifts		Continents have their current shape		Most current species		Most current species		Homo sapiens

The Holocene is the name given to the last 11,000 years of the Earth's history -- the time since the end of the last major glacial epoch, or "ice age." Since then, there have been small-scale climate shifts but in general, the Holocene has been a relatively warm period in between ice ages.

Most flora and fauna seen today were already developed by the beginning of the Holocene. Homo sapiens had already evolved and spread throughout the globe by the end of the Pleistocene, but it is the Holocene that has witnessed all of humanity's recorded history.

Use the Holocene timeline to explore the evolution and history of the Delaware Bay and its horsehoe crabs.