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Plate Tectonic Reconstructions

The Neogene* encompasses four epochs, beginning with the Miocene (23.03-5.33 Mya), followed by the Pliocene (5.33-1.806 Mya), the Pleistocene (the "Ice age", 1.806-0.0115 Mya) and the current epoch, the Holocene, beginning eleven thousand five hundred years ago. Though traditionally the Holocene is treated separately, it may in fact just be the latest interglacial of the Pleistocene. Whales diversified in the seas, and sharks reached their largest size during the Miocene. Complex patterns of mammalian evolution resulted from changing climates and continental separations.  More modern mammals evolved as grasslands became widespread and the climate cooled and dried. Additional information about the mammals of these epochs can be found in our Prehistoric Mammals of the Cenozoic exhibits.

* The term Neogene comes from the grouping by Hornes (1853) of the Miocene, the Pliocene and the Pleistocene into the “Neogen Stufe.”

Neogene Animal (Metazoan) Fossils
Crustacea (ToL: Arthropoda<Ecdysozoa<Bilateria<Metazoa<Eukaryota)
	Crabs and Lobsters (Decapoda): Two Pliocene crabs, Trichopeltarion greggi,Galena bispinosa, a Miocene crab.Tumidocarcinus giganteus, and a Pliocene lobster, Tumidocarcinus giganteus. show the modern appearance of Neogene crustaceans.
	Barnacles (Theostraca) are represented by a barnacle covered scallop.
Echinoderms (ToL: Echinodermata<Deuterostomia<Bilateria<Metazoa<Eukaryota)
	Echinoderms in this display include two echinoids (Echinoidea [sea urchins and relatives]), a Lower Miocene sea urchin, Tripnuestes parkinsoni Agassiz, and a Pliocene sand dollar, Dendraster diegoensis.
Vertebrates (ToL: Vertebrata<Chordata<Deuterostomia<Bilateria<Metazoa<Eukaryota)
	Sharks (Chodrichthyes): A tooth of the giant Miocene shark, Carcharodon megalodon is displayed
	Bony Fish (Osteichthyes): Ray-finned, teleost fish, are represented by pharyngeal teeth from a Cyprinid.
	Reptiles ("reptiles"<Reptilia) are represented by a Miocene jaw fragment with two teeth from Gavialoschus sp.
	Birds (Aves<Dinosauria [Birds and Dinosaurs]<Reptilia). A group of Pliocene bird bones, with the slender look of modern forms are shown.
	Mammals (Mammalia) are represented in this display by by the marine organisms: a tooth and a tusk of the Miocene sea cow, Desmostylus hesperus; some teeth from the sea lion, Aledesmus kernensis, a whale ear bone, and the vertebra of a Miocene whale.
Mollusks (ToL: Mollusca<Lophotrochozoa<Bilateria<Metazoa<Eukaryota)
	Bivalves (Bivalvia) are represented by a barnacle covered scallop and a Pliocene clam, Arca scalarina. Numerous bivalves can be seen, along with a few gastropods, in the sample of Pliocene coquina, a form of loose limestone composed mostly of fossil shells. Casts from the Miocene boring bivalve shipworm, Kuphus calamus Lea, are also displayed.
	Gastropods (Gastropoda): A variety of gastropods are on display: the Pliocene snails, Busycon contrarium,Ecphora quadricostata, and Triplofusus scalorina. ; the Pliocene olive snail, Oliva sayana, the Pliocene turret snail, Vermicularia weberi, and finally a group of Pliocene slipper snails of the genus Crepidula.. A number of gastropods can be seen along with numerous bivales in the sample of Pliocene coquina, a form of loose limestone composed mostly of fossil shells.
Corals (ToL: Cnidera<Metazoa<Eukaryota)
	Corals are represented by a 'braincoral,' Mancinia sp. from the Pliocene.

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Last modified 29 January 2007 | ©1998, HSU NHM