[1] During the Late Orleanian and Astaracian (17 to 10.7 Ma), oscillating sea levels resulted in a succession of palaeogeographic changes in the Eastern Mediterranean; the opening and closing of the Tethys seaway resulted in temporary land-bridges between Africa and Eurasia.
The Antonios locality (MN 4/5, 17 Ma) on the Chalkidiki peninsula includes the small tragulid Dorcatherium, the giraffid Palaeomeryx, and the suiform Sanitheres.
Primates also arrived during MN5: Pliopithecus is known from Elgg in Switzerland and Pontlevoy-Thenay in France and prevailed until the end of the Vallesian.
[2] A second wave from Africa in the Early Astaracian, MN 6 (15 to 13.5 Ma), included the hominoid Griphopithecus; a Eurasian relative to the African Kenyapithecus found at the Pasalar and Candir localities in Turkey.
Asian bovids such as Protragocerus, Tethytragus, and Hypsodontus known from Asia Minor and Chios during MN 5 migrated into Africa as part of this wave.