This could mean various things; for instance, a popular theory is that continents were once melded into a giant super continent, this would suggest the continents broke apart. Another reasoning is that a land bridge of some sort connected the mountain range and area, allowing the animal to travel across.
However, in this situation where the two are not known, it’d be more suggested that the continental drift theory is applicable in this in a sense of distance and location.
Hope this helps!
