Late Miocene
Sub-epoch of the Miocene Epoch
| System/ Period |
Series/ Epoch |
Stage/ Age |
Age (Ma) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quaternary | Pleistocene | Gelasian | younger | |
| Neogene | Pliocene | Piacenzian | 2.58 | 3.600 |
| Zanclean | 3.600 | 5.333 | ||
| Miocene | Messinian | 5.333 | 7.246 | |
| Tortonian | 7.246 | 11.63 | ||
| Serravallian | 11.63 | 13.82 | ||
| Langhian | 13.82 | 15.97 | ||
| Burdigalian | 15.97 | 20.44 | ||
| Aquitanian | 20.44 | 23.03 | ||
| Paleogene | Oligocene | Chattian | older | |
| Subdivision of the Neogene Period according to the ICS, as of 2017 | ||||
The Late Miocene (also known as Upper Miocene) is a sub-epoch of the Miocene epoch made up of two stages: the Tortonian and Messinian. It lasted from 11.63 Ma (million years ago) to 5.333 Ma.
01Biology
The gibbons (family Hylobatidae) and then the orangutans (genus Pongo) were the first groups to split from the line leading to the hominins, including humans, then gorillas (genus Gorilla), and finally the chimpanzees (genus Pan). The splitting date between hominin and chimpanzee lineages is placed by some between 4 and 8 million years ago, that is, during the Late Miocene.
In the Iberian Peninsula, the diversity of grazers increased while the diversity of browsers decline concomitantly with increasing aridity. Felids and canids also increased their diversity in this region at this time.
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