This chapter introduces the beginning of Pleistocene vertebrate records, starting from an overview of the latest Pliocene events and the Plio-Pleistocene transition. Understanding the early Pleistocene vertebrate record is impossible without the knowledge of the events characterizing the setting of early Pleistocene land vertebrate communities. Three taxa are selected to describe evolutionary and dispersal patterns within the early Pleistocene. These are the dispersals and evolutionary history of the genus Canis, of elephants, and of voles. The last section offers an overview of the early Pleistocene herpetofauna.