Our exhibits building is CLOSED. Anticipated re-opening in 2026. Learn More

Miocene Epoch

23 to 5 million years ago

The Miocene in Florida saw the arrival of the great megafauna land dwellers. From sabertoothed carnivores to grazing rhinos to incredibly tall giraffe camels, a diverse variety of animals lived and thrived in our state. Explore some of the terrestrial animals of Florida’s Miocene:

painting showing grazing animals and predators along a stream bank. Two saber-tooth cats are attacking a rhinoceros-like animal while other saber-tooth cats watch. In the background other grazing animals and predators can be seen in the grassland.
Florida Miocene painting by Mauricio Antón

This painting was commissioned from artist Mauricio Antón for our Florida Fossils exhibit. Learn about the Miocene animals represented:

Illustration showing terrestrial scene with each animal and some of the trees only a numbered shape
Painting key by Florida Museum staff
  1. Epicyon saevus (fierce hyena-dog)
  2. Teleoceras proterum (short-legged rhino)
  3. Sabal species (sabal palm)
  4. Barbourofelis loveorum (false saber-toothed cat)
  5. Protohippus gidleyi (Gidley’s three-toed horse)
  6. Egretta species (heron)
  7. Aepycamelus major (giraffe camel)
  8. Synthetoceras tricornatus (3-horned slingshot)

Highlights

Thousands of fossils of this short-legged rhino, Teleoceras proterum, have been found at fossil sites in Florida, leading paleontologists to think that it was a very common species during the time it was living. Despite its body-plan similarities to a modern hippopotamus (short limbs, large barrel-shaped rib cage), other evidence suggests it was terrestrial like modern rhinos rather than amphibious like hippos. Read about this rhino

Full skeletal mounts and bronze sculptures (one-sixth scale models) on display at the Florida Museum’s Florida Fossils exhibit. Florida Museum photo by Kristen Grace
Grazing rhinoceros, Teleoceras proterum, specimen UF 24239. Florida Museum vertebrate paleontology photo
False saber-toothed cat, Barbourofelis loveorum, specimen UF 24447. Florida Museum vertebrate paleontology photo

Loves’ false sabercat, Barbourofelis loveorum, is an extinct sabertoothed carnivore that was about the size of a modern jaguar, weighing approximately 150 lbs. It preferred a thickly wooded habitat and was an ambush predator that may have been able to bring down prey much larger than itself. Read about this sabertoothed cat

The giraffe camels of the Miocene of North America and the true giraffes of Africa represent a great example of convergent evolution. Leidy’s giraffe camel, Aepycamelus major, was likely Florida’s tallest land mammal. Read about this extinct camel

Aepycamelus major jaw fossils
Giraffe camel, Aepycamelus major, specimen UF 24239. Florida Museum vertebrate paleontology photo

Explore more fossils

Fierce hyena-dog, Epicyon saevus, specimen UF 24483. Florida Museum vertebrate paleontology photo
Gidley’s horse, Protohippus gidleyi, specimen UF 32173. Florida Museum vertebrate paleontology photo
3-horned slingshot, Synthetoceras tricornatus, specimen UF 16154. Florida Museum vertebrate paleontology photo
Egretta subfluvia, specimen UF 19001. Florida Museum vertebrate paleontology photo

Note: Because our scientific knowledge is always expanding, some information like species names may have changed since the Florida Fossils exhibit was opened in 2004. The information on this page has been updated and may differ from the exhibit panel.

More