Final answer:
The present geological era is the Cenozoic Era, which began roughly 65 million years ago and includes the modern Quaternary Period.
Step-by-step explanation:
The present geological era is the Cenozoic Era, which is known as the era of "modern life", or the age of mammals. This era began about 65 million years ago and continues to the present day. The geological time scale, which includes eons, eras, periods, epochs, and ages, also indicates that we are currently in the Quaternary Period of the Cenozoic Era, starting from approximately 2.588 million years ago to today.
The Cenozoic Era follows the Mesozoic Era, often referred to as the Age of Dinosaurs, and the Paleozoic Era, which is the earliest era of the Phanerozoic Eon. The Phanerozoic is the current geologic eon and began with the Cambrian period, spanning a time frame of about 541 million years to the present, characterized by abundant animal and plant life.