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