Based on the expression “THE PRESENT IS THE KEY TO THE PAST” we can infer that the climate during the Miocene in Maryland was mostly very humid and warmer when compared to today’s climate. We know this because we can find the remains of crocodiles in the cliff formations. Today, crocodiles are only found in warm tropical climates. Because we can find their remains in our environment, we can infer that it was humid in the Miocene. During this time much of the mid-Atlantic area was covered by a warm shallow sea (sea the diagram below).
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Many species of animals lived during the Miocene epoch. Some were predators, others were prey. These animals included Entelodonts, an extinct kind of boar, Bear-dogs, the ancestors of the animals that form their name, Tapirs, Apeycamelus, Indricotherium, many kinds of sharks and whales, and many others. They all came into a food chain depending on if they lived on land or sea. The large herbivores were rhinoceroses, Merychippius, Calicitheres, Mastodons, and Oreodonts. The carnivores of land and sea included sharks, dolphins, saber-toothed cats, crocodiles, the cat-and-dog-like creatures of the Carnivora family of mammals, and the creodonts, who had lost their position as top predator in the Oligocene. The prey of sharks consisted of sea cows, early whales, skates, rays, and a sort of elephant-like creature. All of these animals could only be supported by a steady climate.
The Flora
Many kinds of plants also flourished during this time. In the Americas, ferns, conifers, and pines shared the land with different types of flowering plants. In Africa, early acacia trees gave shelter to Australopithecines while the savannah grasses allowed Probocideans and Calicitheres food, and saber-toothed cats a place to ambush their prey. In Eurasia, desert scrub was most of the plant life. The plant life was essential to Miocene fauna.
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The Paleontological Research
Institution |
