Geology Many new mountain ranges were formed during the Miocene.
When the African plate pushed against Europe and Asia, the
Alps formed. The Rocky Mountains and the Appalachians
formed, along with the Himalayas, which where just beginning
to form as the subcontinent of India crashed into Asia.
Australia and South America remained separated from the rest
of the world. Climate became even colder in a massive "global cooling"
that had started in the Oligocene.
Antarctica was smothered in a thick layer of ice. Plant Life I believe that it is necessary to explain the plant life
before going on. As seen by the climate changes going on in
this epoch, a cooler planet definitely meant a change in
evolution. So, where tropical areas once were, grasslands
invaded, taking advantage of the cooler climate. Animal Life The more grassland there
was, the more herbivores
roamed the earth. Ruminant
herbivores had developed a strategy against the
carnivorous mammals that were
evolving. They were able to store large " spare" amounts of
food inside themselves. In doing this, they could run away
from any predator, and feast on their reserve of food in a
safer place. Many other safeguards were developed by these
herbivores during the
Miocene epoch. New species included some birds: parrots, woodpeckers,
pigeons, and pelicans, falcons, and crows. Mammal newcomers
were mice, rats, porcupines, and guinea pigs. Apes also evolved during the Miocene. Their history was
found in monkeys, which had evolved since the Paleocene.
African primates, scientists say, developed into apes, and
eventually into us.
Cenozoic Era: Tertiary Period: Miocene Epoch