The Neogene period and the current - Quaternary period, are separated by a gap of 2.5 million years, and between the beginning of the Neogene and our day - 23 million years. It seems that such a considerable span of time could have drastically changed the marine world. However, this is not the case.

The map of the location of the seas and oceans of the Neogene period is very similar to the modern one. Except, the high sea level at the beginning of the period contributed to a much wider spread of shallow seas, both along the edges of continents and in the center. For example, an extensive territory in southern Europe was occupied by the shallow Paratethys Sea, which was inhabited by very diverse thermophilic organisms.

From the middle of the Neogene period, modern coral reefs began to form, with unique communities of marine inhabitants in these underwater cities. Among the ancient fish, one could encounter both tropical peculiar seahorses (which first appear in the Neogene), and m...