Big scientific encyclopedia "Dinosaurs. Paleontology": fauna of geological periods, evolution, mass extinctions. Paleontology is the science of life that existed before the beginning of the Holocene era or at its beginning (about 11,700 years ago), in past geological periods. It includes the study of fossils (fossil remains) to determine the evolution of organisms and their interactions with the environment (paleoecology). Paleozoology is a branch of paleontology that studies fossil animals. T