The term Neogene came about in 1853 from the Austrian palaeontologist Moritz Hörnes, who combined the existing Miocene and Pliocene into one period based on fossil similarity.

Paleogeography

The distribution of continents was almost similar to the modern one. The Isthmus of Panama formed, connecting the two Americas. The Deccan, forming the Indian subcontinent, still pushed into Asia, raising the Himalayas. The Alpine orogeny was still ongoing in Europe.

The sea level was low, forming land bridges between Asia and North America and Africa and Eurasia. 6 million years ago the Mediterranean Sea had completely dried out.

Climate

The average temperatures in Neogene were higher than today, especially at the beginning of the period. Later, the climate cooled rapidly, ending the Neogene with the onset of Pleistocene glaciations.

Life on Earth

Terror of the seas

The largest shark and one of the largest predators on record - Megalodon - haunted Neogenic seas. We do not have its skeletal remains, but looking at its huge teeth (up to 18 cm!), it is estimated it could be over 10 metres long.

Meadows and steppes

Environments like meadows and steppes dominated the Neogene, occupied by herds of grazers with stomachs modified to digest grasses. Open spaces favoured animals that could run fast to avoid predation, which led to the evolution of animals like horses.

Hominids

Africa drying up and developing extensive savannahs exerted new adaptations among primates, leading to an upright posture and modifications in jaws, teeth, and behaviour. Human, gorilla, and chimpanzee common ancestor lived 8 to 4 million years ago. The first representatives of the genus Homo appeared about 2.8 million years ago.

The great migrations

Land connections between previously isolated continents allowed animals to migrate. The new arrivals frequently outcompeted native residents, leading to local extinctions. As an example, the southward migrating predators from North America (raccoons, wolves, big cats, and bears) displaced and drove predatory marsupials to extinction in South America.

Do you know ...

Most of the Polish lignite (brown coal) formed in that period, about 20 million years ago.