Were there dinosaurs in the Eocene to Miocene?

Non-bird dinosaurs were gone by the start of the Eocene. However, birds, which are avian dinosaurs, were very much present and diversifying rapidly during this entire interval.

Home/Prehistoric Periods/Eocene-Miocene

Eocene to Miocene

56-5 million years ago

The Eocene to Miocene span is part of the Cenozoic Era, the age of mammals that followed the extinction of non-bird dinosaurs. During this time, mammals diversified explosively into the ecological roles vacated by dinosaurs, and the world began to look more like it does today.

Fun Facts

✓Early horses the size of dogs appeared in the Eocene and gradually evolved into modern horses by the Miocene.
✓Whales evolved from land mammals during the Eocene, returning to the sea.
✓Giant predatory birds called terror birds filled the apex predator role in South America during this interval.
✓The first grasslands spread during the Miocene, driving the evolution of grazing mammals.

Questions About the Eocene-Miocene

Other Prehistoric Periods

Triassic Late Triassic Middle Triassic Jurassic Early Jurassic Middle Jurassic Late Jurassic Middle-Late Jurassic View all periods →