The Gadsden County

Gadsden County, Florida

Gadsden County is a county located in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2000 census, the population was 45,087. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county is 46,428 . Its county seat is Quincy, Florida. Gadsden County is the only predominantly African-American...

 paleontological sites are assemblages of Early Miocene

Early Miocene

The Early Miocene is a sub-epoch of the Miocene Epoch made up of two stages: the Aquitanian and Burdigalian stages....

 invertebrates and vertebrates occurring in Gadsden County, Florida

Gadsden County, Florida

Gadsden County is a county located in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2000 census, the population was 45,087. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county is 46,428 . Its county seat is Quincy, Florida. Gadsden County is the only predominantly African-American...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.

Age

Era: Neogene

Neogene

The Neogene is a geologic period and system in the International Commission on Stratigraphy Geologic Timescale starting 23.03 ± 0.05 million years ago and ending 2.588 million years ago...

Period: Early Miocene

Early Miocene

The Early Miocene is a sub-epoch of the Miocene Epoch made up of two stages: the Aquitanian and Burdigalian stages....

Faunal stage: Hemingfordian ~20.6—16.3 Mya, calculates to a period of approximately

Geologic formation

Geologic formation

A formation or geological formation is the fundamental unit of lithostratigraphy. A formation consists of a certain number of rock strata that have a comparable lithology, facies or other similar properties...

: Torreya Formation

Torreya Formation

The Torreya Formation is a Miocene geologic formation with an outcrop in North Florida. It is within the Hawthorn Group.-Age:Period: NeogeneEpoch: Early Miocene...

Sites

Gadsden County paleontological sites are represented by the following:

La Camelia Site. Time period: 17.7 Mya. (AEO

Appearance Event Ordination

Appearance Event Ordination or AEO is a scientific method for biochronology through the ordering of the appearance of fossil mammal genera by multivariate analysis, using conjunctional and disconjunctional range distributions in large sets of data.-Process:AEO is based on faunal overlap and...

)

Midway Site. Time period: ~18.9—18.8 Mya.

Milwhite Gunn Farm Site. Time period: ~17.0 Mya. (AEO)

Quincy Site. Time period: ~17.0 Mya. (AEO)

Coordinates: 30.5°N 84.5°W

Genus and species identified

La Camelia site = LCS. Midway site. = MIS. Milwhite Gunn Farfm Site. Marks River site = MGFD. Quincy site = QUI.

Reptiles and amphibians

• Batrachosauroides
  Batrachosauroides
  Batrachosauroides is an extinct genus of prehistoric amphibian.-See also:* Prehistoric amphibian* List of prehistoric amphibians...
  
   B. dissimulans. (Amphibian). MGFD.
• Colubrinae
  Colubrinae
  Colubrinae is a subfamily of the Colubridae family of snakes. It includes numerous genera, and taxonomic sources often disagree on the exact number...
  
  (Snake). MGFD.
• Natricinae
  Natricinae
  Natricinae is a subfamily of the colubrid family of snakes which contains 28 genera. Members of this subfamily include many very common snake species, such as the European Grass Snakes, and the North American Water Snakes.- Genera :...
  
  (Snake). MGFD.
• Scincidae (Skink). MGFD.
• Cnemidophorus
  Cnemidophorus
  Cnemidophorus is a genus of lizards which belong to the family of Teiidae, which are commonly referred to as whiptail lizards or racerunners. Note that the nomenclature for this genus has recently been re-examined by T. W. Reeder et al. in 2002...
  
  (Racerunner lizard). MGFD.
• Heloderma
  Heloderma
  Heloderma, the only genus of the family Helodermatidae, consists of venomous lizards native to the southwestern United States, Mexico and as far south as Guatemala. It includes two separate species, with six subspecies...
  
  (Gila monster type poisonous lizard). LCS.
• Leiocephalus
  Leiocephalus
  The curly-tailed lizards are a family of lizards which are widely distributed throughout the Caribbean, ranging from Cuba to Trinidad but are relatively unstudied. They were previously regarded as subfamily Leiocephalinae within the Tropiduridae family. There are presently 28 species...
  
  (Lizard). MGFD.

Carnivores

• Amphicyon
  Amphicyon
  Amphicyon is an extinct genus of large carnivorous bone-crushing mammals, known as bear-dogs, of the family Amphicyonidae, subfamily Amphicyoninae, from the Aquitanian Epoch until the Tortonian...
  
   pontoni (Bear-dog). MIS.
• Borophaginae
  Borophaginae
  The subfamily Borophaginae is an extinct group of canids called "bone crushing dogs" that were endemic to North America during the Oligocene to Pliocene and lived roughly 36—2.5 million years ago and existing for approximately .-Origin:...
  
  (Proto-dog). MIS.
• Procyon
  Procyon
  Procyon is the brightest star in the constellation Canis Minor. To the naked eye, it appears to be a single star, the seventh brightest in the night sky with a visual apparent magnitude of 0.34...
  
  (Racoon). MIS.

Herbivores

• Acritohippus isonesus (Horse). LCS.
• Anchitherium
  Anchitherium
  Anchitherium was a fossil horse with a three-toed hoof.Anchitherium was a browsing horse that originated in the early Miocene of North America and subsequently dispersed to Europe and Asia, where it gave rise to the larger bodied genus Sinohippus...
  
   clarencei. MIS.
• Aphelops
  Aphelops
  Aphelops is an extinct genus of rhinoceros endemic to North America during the Miocene through the Pliocene, living from 20.43—5.330 mya, existing for approximately .-Taxonomy:...
  
  (Rhinoceros). LCS, MIS, MGFD.
• Archaeohippus
  Archaeohippus
  Archaeohippus is an extinct three toed member of the family Equidae known from fossils of Late Oligocene to early Miocene age. The genus is noted for several distinct skeletal features. The skull possesses deeply pocketed fossa in a notably long preorbital region. The genus is considered an...
  
   blackbergi
• Blastomeryx
  Blastomeryx
  Blastomeryx is an extinct genus of musk deer of the family Moschidae, subfamily Blastomerycinae, endemic to North America during the Oligocene-Miocene epochs , existing for approximately .-Morphology:...
  
  (Deer-like). MIS.
• Bouromeryx americanus (Proto-horse). LCS.
• Harrymys magnus (Kangaroo rat. MIS.
• Lantanotherium (Gymnure). MGFD.
• Copemys (Hamster-like rodents). MGFD.
• Metaxytherium
  Metaxytherium
  Metaxytherium is an extinct genus of dugong that lived from the Miocene to the Pleistocene. Its remains have been found in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America.- Sources :*Manatees and Dugongs of the World by Jeff Ripple...
  
   crataegense (Sea cow). LCS, MGFD.
• Merychippus
  Merychippus
  Merychippus is an extinct proto-horse of the family Equidae that was endemic to North America during the Miocene from 20.43—10.3 Ma living for approximately .It had three toes on each foot and is the first horse known to have grazed...
  
   gunteri (Horse). LCS, MGFD, QUI.
• Merychippus
  Merychippus
  Merychippus is an extinct proto-horse of the family Equidae that was endemic to North America during the Miocene from 20.43—10.3 Ma living for approximately .It had three toes on each foot and is the first horse known to have grazed...
  
   primus (Horse). LCS, MGFD.
• Mylagaulus (Horned rodent). MIS, MGFD.
• Nanosiren (Sea cow). MIS.
• Merycoidodontidae (Horse). MIS.
• Perognathus
  Perognathus
  Perognathus is a genus of pocket mouse. Like other members of their family they are more closely related to pocket gophers than to true mice.-Characteristics:...
  
   minutus (Mouse). MGFD.
• Proheteromys floridanus (Kangaroo rat). MIS, MGFD.
• Prosynthetoceras
  Prosynthetoceras
  Prosynthetoceras is an extinct genus of Artiodactyla, of the family Protoceratidae, endemic to North America from the early Miocene epoch 20.6—13.6 Ma, existing for approximately .-Taxonomy:...
  
   texanus (Deer-like). MIS.
• Prosthennops xiphodonticus. (Deer-like). LCS.
• Rakomeryx (Horse). LCS.