Lutetian Stage

Eocene begins to cool

The Lutetian (48–41 Ma) is the second age of the Eocene Epoch, occurring after the Ypresian, and before Bartonian

Geologic Age

47.8–41.2 million years ago

Eon / Era / Period / Epoch

Phanerozoic; Cenozoic; Paleogene; Eocene

What happened during this time?

Earliest known nectarivorous bird
Separation of Antarctica and Australia created a deep water passage between those two continents, creating the circum-Antarctic Current
- This changed oceanic circulation patterns and global heat transport, resulting in a global cooling event observed at the end of the Eocene.
- Climate became cooler and drier, which continues for the rest of the Cenozoic Era

Above: Fossilized pollen grains found in the stomach of Pumiliornis tessellatus, a tiny bird that lived during Eocene, are earliest direct evidence of flower-visiting by birds.

Additional Resources

Fossil study reveals that palm trees once thrived in subarctic Canada (Phys.org 19Feb2025)

└Siver et al. (2025) Palm phytoliths in subarctic Canada imply ice-free winters 48 million years ago during the late early Eocene

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