Gelasian Stage

What happened during this time?

• Gelasian species, which are more suited for colder and more open environments, replace the Piacenzian species 

• "Elephant-Equus Event," named for the conspicuous change from Piacenzian elephants to Gelasian horses as the dominant open-country ungulate (Azzaroli 1995)

  • This event is reflected by rapid changes in pollen, foraminifera, and mollusk indicators from the same time

• Large, flightless carnivorous bird, Titanis goes extinct during this time.