Miocene/Pliocene mammal faunas of southern Balkans: implications for biostratigraphy and palaeoecology

Even though there are numerous late Miocene mammal localities in the southern Balkans, those of late Turolian and early Ruscinian age are uncommon. Using the available data, mainly from Greece and Bulgaria, we compiled information about the faunal and palaeoenvironmental changes at the Miocene/Pliocene boundary. The analysis of the faunal elements indicates that several Miocene taxa disappeared, whereas new taxa appeared. The faunal composition of the mammal zones suggests a decrease of the bovids and giraffids and an increase of cervids and suids from MN 12 to MN 14. The available faunal assemblages from zones MN 12–MN 14 are compared with a set of modern and fossil assemblages from known environments to determine their palaeoenvironment. The results indicate an increase of the closed character of the environment from MN 12 to MN 14, suggesting a gradual increase of the humidity and the development of more forestial conditions. The rodent faunas from northern Greece ranging from MN 13 to MN 14 show a characteristic aridification of the biotopes and the introduction of African elements in the last part of the MN 13 (during the Messinian Salinity Crisis), with a subsequent return of humid-and/or-forested biotopes towards the MN 13/14 boundary. The faunal and sedimentological data for the Greek localities correlated with the Turolian/Ruscinian boundary suggests a general open landscape with several water spots of variable sizes surrounded by dense forests.