HOME Paleogene Period (65.53MA-23.03MA) Neogene Period (2.03MA-3MA) Pleistocene Epoch History Timeline Index

23.03 MA
NEOGENE PERIOD (23.03-2.588 MA)
MIOCENE EPOCH23.03 (18 M) (23.03-5.332 MA)
Evolution of grasses
"Modern" type mammals and birds appear
Catarrhini Split - Superfamily Cercopithecoidea diverges from Superfamily Hominoidea
AQUITANIAN23.03 STAGE (2.6 M) (23.03-20.43 MA)
20.43 MA BURDIGALIAN20.43 STAGE (4.46 M) (20.43-15.97 MA)
19 MA
Africa collides with Eurasia in Turkish/Arabian region (-12 ma) 18 MA
Megalodon, largest carnivorous fish ever, appears around this time (-1.5 MA)
Hylobatidae (gibbons) separate from Hominidae (great apes and humans)
17 MA
Early anscestors of hominids migrate from Eurasia to Africa
15.97 MA
LANGHIAN15.97 STAGE (2.15 M) (15.97-13.82 MA)
13.82 MA SERRAVALLIAN13.82 STAGE (2.21 M) (13.82-11.608 MA)
12 MA
Dryopithecus + 12-9 MA spread out over eastern Africa and Eurasia
11.608 MA
TORTONIAN11.608 STAGE (4.36 M) (11.608-7.246 MA
9 MA
Dryopithecus -
7.246 MA
MESSINIAN7.246 STAGE (1.914 M) (7.246-5.332 MA)
5.59 MA
Messinian Salinity Crisis begins - Strait of Gibraltar closes and Mediterranean dries up partly or completely (-5.33 MA)
5.332 MA
PLIOCENE EPOCH (2.74 M) (5.332-2.588 MA)
Increasing mountain glaciation
Flowering plants abundant
Mammals abundant
ZANCLEAN5.332 STAGE (1.732 M) (5.332-3.6 MA)
5.33 Messinian Salinity Crisis ends
4.6 Ma
Hipparion zandaense - three-toed horse from Tibetan Plateau
4.4 MA
Ardipithicus ramidus
4 MA
Australopithecines - earliest known hominids (-1.7 MA)
3.7 MA
Laetoli Footprints (Tanzania)- hominid leave footprints - very similar to modern humans (Australopithecines?)
3.6 MA
PIACENZIAN3.6 STAGE (1.01 M) (3.6-.588 MA)
3.4 MA
"Lucy" Skeleton - Australopithecus afarensis
Burtele foot - homonid with opposable big toe also in Eastern Africa with A. afarensis
3 MA
GREAT AMERICAN INTERCHANGE - newly risen Isthmus of Panama allows migration of all types of animals

HOME Paleogene Period (65.53MA-23.03MA) Neogene Period (2.03MA-3MA) Pleistocene Epoch History Timeline Index