MICRO-CONFERENCE: FOSSIL MAMMALS DISCOVERED IN OCCITANIE

Amphitheater
Domaine Départemental Pierresvives
Montpellier
Saturday, October 17 at 2 PM

The fossil mammals discovered in Occitanie reveal the effects of major climatic upheavals of the past. Come explore this fascinating scientific investigation!

Impact of Antarctic glaciation in Occitanie 34 million years ago
By: Maëva ORLIAC, paleontologist
The Earth experienced global cooling during this period with the establishment of a permanent polar ice cap at the South Pole. In Occitanie, the climate and landscape changed, the tropical forest became drier and more open. These changes profoundly affected the fauna and led to a massive extinction. The species that disappeared made way for the large modern groups we know today.

Tropical Occitanie and Provence: a journey into a vanished world
By: Rodolphe TABUCE, paleontologist
56 to 49 million years ago, the Earth went through intense heat peaks. This extreme climate provided favorable environments for mammals, triggering an explosion of diversity on a global scale, while mangroves and tropical forests thrived where Occitanie and Provence are today. The fossils discovered in these regions tell this fascinating story... and give us a glimpse of the challenges our planet may soon face.

The warm-cold fluctuations of the last five million years in Languedoc
By: Pierre-Olivier ANTOINE, researcher in paleontology and Nicolas PAPPALARDO, PhD student in paleontology
Our region has experienced very strong climatic fluctuations since the beginning of the Pliocene. These great contrasts have resulted in a succession of very different landscapes, ranging from warm savannas to Mediterranean forests, and then to steppes. The fossil faunas also bear witness to these changes, accompanied by exchanges with Africa and Asia.

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