Orange County, Florida paleontological sites
Encyclopedia
The Orange County paleontological sites are assemblages of Late Pleistocene
vertebrates occurring in Orange County, Florida
.
Period: Pleistocene
Faunal stage: Rancholabrean
126,000—11,000 years ago, calculates to a period of approximately .
Coordinates: 28.7°N 81.5°W
Late Pleistocene
The Late Pleistocene is a stage of the Pleistocene Epoch. The beginning of the stage is defined by the base of the Eemian interglacial phase before the final glacial episode of the Pleistocene 126,000 ± 5,000 years ago. The end of the stage is defined exactly at 10,000 Carbon-14 years BP...
vertebrates occurring in Orange County, Florida
Orange County, Florida
Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida and is part of the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area . As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 1,145,956....
.
Age
Era: NeogeneNeogene
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: Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
Faunal stage: Rancholabrean
Rancholabrean
The Rancholabrean North American Stage on the geologic timescale is the North American faunal stage according to the North American Land Mammal Ages chronology , typically set from less than 240,000 years to 11,000 years BP, a period of . It is usually considered to overlap the Middle Pleistocene...
126,000—11,000 years ago, calculates to a period of approximately .
Sites
- Rock Spring site (Pleistocene). Time period: ~126,000—11,000 thousand years ago. Specimens were collected by H. J. Gut, J. Mann, J. Todd, G. Lintner 1939. The site was recorded as bone-bearing argillaceous sandstoneSandstoneSandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
overlaying Ocala LimestoneOcala LimestoneThe Ocala Limestone is a late Eocene geologic formation of exposed limestones near Ocala, Marion County, Florida.-Age:Period: PaleogeneEpoch: Late EoceneFaunal stage: Late Clarkforkian through early Orellan...
containing macrofossilMacrofossilMacrofossils are preserved organic remains large enough to be visible without a microscope. Most fossils discussed in the article Fossil are macrofossils.-Macrofossil contrasted with Microfossil:...
s. "The bones are well mineralized and most are unworn... frequent occurrence in association of bones from what appear to be the same individual indicates that the material has not been reworked." (Glen E. Woolfenden 1959).
Coordinates: 28.7°N 81.5°W
Birds
- Meleagris gallopavo (Wild Turkey)
- Mergus serrator (Red-breasted Merganser)
- Anas fulvigula (Mottled Duck)
- Anas carolinensis (Green-winged Teal)
- Anas discors (Blue-winged Teal)
- Anas acuta (Northern Pintail duck)
- Aix sponsa (Wood Duck)
- Aythya collaris (Ring-necked Duck)
- Aythya affinis (Lesser Scaup duck)
- Gavia immer (Great Northern Loon)
- Podiceps auritus (Horned Grebe)
- Podilymbus podiceps (Pied-billed Grebe)
- Phalacrocorax auritus (Double-crested Cormorant)
- Anhinga anhinga (Snakebird)
- Ciconia malthaCiconia malthaCiconia maltha, also known as the La Brea stork, is an extinct stork from the Late Pliocene - Late Pleistocene of W and S USA, and Cuba. It has been found in the La Brea Tar Pits....
(extinct stork) - Ajaia ajaja (Roseate Spoonbill)
- Botaurus lentiginosus (American Bittern)
- Ardea herodias (Great Blue Heron)
- Casmerodius albus (Great Egret)
- Nycticorax nycticorax (Black-crowned Night Heron)
- Aramus guarauna (Limpkin)
- Grus canadensis (Sandhill Crane)
- Fulica minor, (Coot)
- Limnodromus scolopaceus (Long-billed Dowitcher)
- Gallinula chloropus (Common Moorhen)
- LarusLarusLarus is a large genus of gulls with worldwide distribution . Many of its species are abundant and well-known birds in their ranges...
(Gull) - Pandion haliaetus (Osprey)
- Buteo jamaicensis (Red-tailed Hawk)
- Haliaetus leucocephalus (Sea eagle)
- Strix varia (Barred Owl)
- Ectopistes migratorius (Passenger Pigeon)
- Megaceryle alcyon (Belted Kingfisher)
- DendrocoposDendrocoposDendrocopos is a widespread genus of woodpeckers from Asia and Europe and Northern Africa. They range from the Philippines to the British Isles.-Species:* Sulawesi Pygmy Woodpecker, Dendrocopos temminckii...
borealis, a woodpecker - Corvus ossifragus (Fish Crow)
- Cardinalis cardinalis (Northern Cardinal)
Mammals
- ParamylodonParamylodonParamylodon is an extinct genus of ground sloth of the family Mylodontidae endemic to North America during the Pliocene through Pleistocene epochs, living from around ~4.9 Mya—11,000 years ago .-Overview:...
(Ground sloth) - DasypusDasypusDasypus is a genus of armadillo in the Dasypodidae family. It is the only genus in the subfamily Dasypodinae and contains the following species:*Nine-banded Armadillo, Dasypus novemcinctus*Seven-banded Armadillo, Dasypus septemcinctus...
bellus, (Armadillo) - HolmesinaHolmesinaHolmesina is a genus of pampathere, an extinct group of armadillo-like creatures that were distantly related to extant armadillos. Like armadillos, and unlike the other extinct branch of Cingulata, the glyptodonts, the shell was made up of flexible plates which allowed the animal to move more easily...
septentrionalis, armadillo-like Cingulata - Trichechus manatus Linnaeus, (Sea cow)
- Mammuthus (Mammoth)
- Mammut americanum (American mammoth)
- Tapirus veroensis (Tapir)
- EquusEquus (genus)Equus is a genus of animals in the family Equidae that includes horses, donkeys, and zebras. Within Equidae, Equus is the only extant genus. Like Equidae more broadly, Equus has numerous extinct species known only from fossils. This article deals primarily with the extant species.The term equine...
(Horse) - MormoopsMormoopsMormoops is a genus of bat in the family Mormoopidae.It contains the following species:* Antillean Ghost-faced Bat * Giant Ghost-faced Bat * Ghost-faced Bat...
megalophylla (Bat) - Myotis austroriparius (Bat)
- Tremarctos floridanus (Florida Cave Bear)
- Ursus americanus (American black bear)
- ProcyonProcyonProcyon 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...
lotor (Racoon) - Canis dirus (Dire wolf)
- Urocyon cinereoargenteus (Gray Fox)
- LeopardusLeopardusLeopardus is a genus consisting of small spotted cats mostly native to Middle and South America. Very few range into the southern United States. The genus is considered the oldest branch of the part of the cat family to cross into the Americas, followed by the genera Lynx and Puma...
amnicola, (Leopord) - Puma concolor (Puma)
- MylohyusMylohyusMylohyus is an extinct genus of peccary found in North and Central America. It evolved in the Pliocene and its extinction is probably as recent as 9,000 years ago. It would have been familiar with early humans....
nasutus, (Peccary) - PlatygonusPlatygonusPlatygonus is an extinct genus of herbivorous peccary of the family Tayassuidae, endemic to North America from the Miocene through Pleistocene epochs , existing for approximately ....
compressus Leconte, (Peccary) - OdocoileusOdocoileusOdocoileus is a genus of medium-sized deer containing two species native to the Americas. The name is sometimes spelt odocoeleus; it is from a contraction of the roots odonto- and coelus meaning "hollow-tooth".-Species:...
virginianus, (Deer) - BisonBisonMembers of the genus Bison are large, even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. Two extant and four extinct species are recognized...
- Tursiops (Bottlenose dolphin)
- PalaeolamaPalaeolamaPalaeolama is an extinct North and South American genus of lamine camelid.Palaeolama mirifica, the "stout-legged llama", is known from southern California and the southeastern U. S...
mirifica (Camel) - Blarina carolinensis (Shrew)
- Sylvilagus (Rabbit)
- Thomomys orientalis (Gopher)
- Geomys pinetis (Pocket Gopher)
- Castor (North American Beaver)
Further reading
- Kathryn A. Hoppe1, Paul L. Koch, Richard W. Carlson and S. David Webb, Tracking mammoths and mastodons: Reconstruction of migratory behavior using strontium isotope ratios.http://geology.geoscienceworld.org/cgi/content/abstract/27/5/439