A Brief Overview of the Oligocene Epoch for Middle School Science Classes

Dec 17, 2024

3 min read

Earth history is a fascinating topic! It is also a massive topic! The reading passage below will teach you all about the Oligocene epoch. If you want to learn more (and why wouldn't you?!), you can check out my Earth History page. I also have all of my passages available at Teachers Pay Teachers. They come with so many extras to get your students thinking about the content! I also recommend scrolling to the bottom of the page to check out my digital picture book on the Oligocene epoch!

Oligocene epoch reading passage for middle school science

Epoch of Few Recent Forms

The Oligocene epoch was named the “epoch of few recent forms” because few modern animal species evolved during the epoch. Instead, the Oligocene epoch was a time of climate change. The climate was getting cooler, so the land was changing. Tropical forests became temperate forests. Grasslands appeared.

The Grande Coupure

The Oligocene epoch began with the Grande Coupure. Grand Coupure is French for “big cut” or “big break.” During this time, many of the European animal species went extinct. The animals that went extinct only lived in Europe. They were replaced by other animals that were also found in other places. This also happened in Asia. In Asia, the event was called the Mongolian Remodeling.

A Cooler Climate

One reason for the animal changes may have been the cooling climate. The tropical rainforests of the earlier Paleogene period were replaced by temperate deciduous woodlands, plains, and deserts. Grasses were growing, but they had not developed into savannahs yet.

The Land Bridge

Throughout the Oligocene epoch, animals were spreading across the globe. Scientists believe there was a land bridge between North America and Europe because the same animals appear in both continents during the Oligocene epoch. For example, a species of camel lived in North America, Europe, and Asia during the Oligocene epoch. Camel fossils have been found in all three continents.

South America

During the Oligocene epoch, South America was separated from the other continents. As a result, different animals evolved there. Today, South America is still full of unique animals such as the jaguar, sloth, guanaco, capybara, and Toco toucan.

Pinnipeds

Pinnipeds first appeared at the end of the epoch. Seals, walruses, and sea lions are all pinnipeds. Pinniped means “having feet as fins” because all of these animals have flippers on both their front and back legs. These animals live on land, but they hunt in the oceans.

Monkeys and Apes

Monkeys and apes continued to develop into their modern forms. Parapithecus was an apelike creature that lived in Egypt. These ancient apes lived in the trees of tropical Northern Africa during the Oligocene epoch. Primitive monkeys also evolved in South America during this time.

The End of the Epoch

The Oligocene epoch ended with a cooling event. By this time, Antarctica had developed a permanent ice cap. The boundary between the Oligocene epoch and the Miocene epoch is marked by these cooling temperatures. As the climate began to resemble today’s climate, the animals were also evolving into the animals we know today.

Oligocene Epoch Picture Book

Looking for another way to learn about the Oligocene epoch? Check out this picture book version. The pages are a part of my Earth History bundle on Teachers Pay Teachers.