Belong to: Tertiary Period
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Chalicotherium, a Miocene mammal from Kazakhstan. Chalicotherium was an unusual "odd-toed hoofed mammal, or perissodactyl. Both the perissodactyls and artiodactyls underwent a period of rapid evolution during the Miocene.
The Miocene was a time of warmer global climates than those in the preceeding Oligocene, or the following Pliocene. It is particularly notable in that two major ecosystems first appeared at this time: kelp forests and grasslands. The expansion of grasslands is correlated to a drying of continental interiors as the global climate first warmed and then cooled.
Global circulation patterns changed as Antarctica became isolated and the circum-polar ocean circulation became established. This reduced significantly the mixing or warmer tropical water and cold polar water, and permitted the buildup of the Antarctic polar cap. Likewise, the African-Arabian plate joined to Asia, closing the seaway which had previously separated Africa from Asia, and a number of migrations of animals brought these two faunas into contact.