Thomas Farm Site
Encyclopedia
The Thomas Farm site is an Early Miocene
, Hemingfordian assemblage of vertebrate
fossils located in Gilchrist County
, northern Florida
.
The Thomas Farm site is one of the richest terrestrial deposits of Miocene vertebrates in the 18 Ma range found in eastern North America
according to the Florida Museum of Natural History
. The site was discovered in 1931 by Florida Geological Survey (FGS) staff member Clarence Simpson. Specimens include: amphibians, reptiles, birds, small rodents, bats, rhinoceroses, three species of three-toed horses, several artiodactyls (including camels, peccary, deer-like species and other extinct forms), as well as dogs, bears, and bear-dogs.
Specimens
Equidae
Early Miocene
The Early Miocene is a sub-epoch of the Miocene Epoch made up of two stages: the Aquitanian and Burdigalian stages....
, Hemingfordian assemblage of vertebrate
Vertebrate
Vertebrates are animals that are members of the subphylum Vertebrata . Vertebrates are the largest group of chordates, with currently about 58,000 species described. Vertebrates include the jawless fishes, bony fishes, sharks and rays, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds...
fossils located in Gilchrist County
Gilchrist County, Florida
Gilchrist County is a rural county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 14,437. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county is 16,402. Gilchrist County has only one traffic light in the entire county and has no road with more than one lane of traffic...
, northern Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
The Thomas Farm site is one of the richest terrestrial deposits of Miocene vertebrates in the 18 Ma range found in eastern North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
according to the Florida Museum of Natural History
Florida Museum of Natural History
The Florida Museum of Natural History is the State of Florida's official state-sponsored and chartered natural history museum. Its main facilities are located on the campus of the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida....
. The site was discovered in 1931 by Florida Geological Survey (FGS) staff member Clarence Simpson. Specimens include: amphibians, reptiles, birds, small rodents, bats, rhinoceroses, three species of three-toed horses, several artiodactyls (including camels, peccary, deer-like species and other extinct forms), as well as dogs, bears, and bear-dogs.
Specimens
Reptilia
- PseudemysPseudemysPseudemys is a genus of large, herbivorous, freshwater turtles of the eastern United States. They are often referred to as cooters, which stems from kuta, the word for turtle in the Bambara and Malinké languages, brought to America by African slaves....
- TestudoTestudoTestudo may refer to:* Testudo , a genus of tortoises* The Latin variant of the Greek chelys harp made from a tortoise shell* The testudo formation, a Roman military tactic...
(T. tedwhitei) - Phalacrocorax (P. subvolans)
- Promilio (P. epileus)
- Promilio (P. brodkorbi)
- Proictinia (P. floridana)
- AlligatorAlligatorAn alligator is a crocodilian in the genus Alligator of the family Alligatoridae. There are two extant alligator species: the American alligator and the Chinese alligator ....
(A. olseni) - Paraoxybelis (P. floridanus)
- Pseudocemophora (P. antiqua)
- Anilioides (A. minuatus)
- Pseudoepicrates (P. stanolseni)
- Ogmophis (O. pauperrimus
- Calamagras (C. floridanus)
- DaphoenusDaphoenusDaphoenus is an extinct member of the family Amphicyonidae belonging to the class Mammalia, an extinct order of terrestrial carnivores belonging to the suborder Caniformia, which inhabited North America from the Early Eocene subepoch to the Early Miocene subepoch 42—16.3 Mya, existing for...
(D. caroniavorus)
Rhinocerotidae
- DiceratheriumDiceratheriumDiceratherium is an extinct genus of rhinoceros endemic to North America, Europe, and Asia during the Oligocene through Miocene living from 33.9—11.6 mya, existing for approximately .-Taxonomy:...
(D. barbouri) - FloridacerasFloridacerasFloridaceras is an extinct genus of Rhinocerotidae of the Miocene epoch, endemic to North America, living from around ~20.6—16.3 Ma, existing for approximately .-Taxonomy:...
Equidae
- ParahippusParahippusParahippus is an extinct relative of the modern horse, very similar to Miohippus, but slightly larger, at around tall, at the withers....
(P. leonensis)
Amphicyonidae
- DaphoenusDaphoenusDaphoenus is an extinct member of the family Amphicyonidae belonging to the class Mammalia, an extinct order of terrestrial carnivores belonging to the suborder Caniformia, which inhabited North America from the Early Eocene subepoch to the Early Miocene subepoch 42—16.3 Mya, existing for...
(D. caroniavorus - AnchitheriumAnchitheriumAnchitherium 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...
(A. clarencei) - AmphicyonAmphicyonAmphicyon 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...
(A. longiramus) - CynelosCynelosCynelos is a large extinct genus of terrestrial carnivores belonging to the suborder Caniformia, family Amphicyonidae , and which inhabited North America, Europe Asia, and Africa from the Early Miocene subepoch to the Late Miocene subepoch 24.8—7.2 Mya, existing for approximately .Dentition of...
(C. caroniavorus)
Mustelidae
- Mephitaxus (M. ancipidens)
- Miomustela
- ZodiolestesZodiolestesZodiolestes is a genus of mustelids, now extinct, which existed during the Miocene period.The genus was first described in 1942, by E. S. Riggs, who identified the sister genus Promartes at the same time, and assigned to the family Procyonidae. In 1998 it was assigned to the subfamily Oligobuninae...
(Z. freundi) - OligobunisOligobunisOligobunis is an extinct genus of mustelids, which existed during the Miocene period.The genus was first described by E. D. Cope in 1881. Cope assigned the genus to the family Mustelidae, and J. A. Baskin assigned it to the subfamily Oligobuninae in 1998. Two species have been identified in the...
(O. floridanus)
Canidae
- Osbornodon iamonensisOsbornodon iamonensisOsbornodon iamonensis is an extinct species of bone-crushing Hesperocyoninae, a predecessor of modern dogs that were endemic to North America and which lived from the Orellan age of the Early Oligocene to Early Miocene epoch 23.6—16.3 Ma and existed for approximately .O. iamonensis was named by E. H...
- EuoplocyonEuoplocyonEuoplocyon is an extinct genus of the Borophaginae and a small terrestrial canine which inhabited most of North America during the Hemingfordian stage of the Early Miocene subepoch through the Barstovian stage of the Middle Miocene subepoch living 20.6—13.6 Mya, existing for about...
(E. spissidens) - MetatomarctusMetatomarctusMetatomarctus is an extinct genus of Borophaginae and a terrestrial canine which inhabited most of North America during the Early Hemingfordian stage of the Miocene epoch living 23.0—5.3 Mya, existing for approximately -Taxonomy:...
(M. canavus) - Aelurocyon (A. spissidens
- PhlaocyonPhlaocyonPhlaocyon is an extinct genus of the Borophaginae and a terrestrial canine which inhabited most of North America during the Whitneyan stage of the Early Oligocene through Late Hemingfordian stage of the Early Miocene epoch 33.3—16.3 Mya existing for approximately .-Taxonomy:Phlaocyon was about in...
Chiroptera
- Chiroptera sp.
- Primonatalus (P. prattae)
- Karstala (K. silva)
- Miomyotis (M. floridanus)
- Svaptenos (S. whitei)
Artiodactyla
- Floridachoerus (F. olseni)
- Machaeromeryx (M. gilchristensis)
- Parablastomeryx (P. floridanus)
- MerycoidodonMerycoidodonMerycoidodon is an extinct genus of terrestrial herbivore of the family Merycoidodontidae, subfamily Merycoidodontinae ,...
- SyndyocerasSyndyocerasSyndyoceras is a small extinct genus of Artiodactyla, of the family Protoceratidae, endemic to central North America from the Eocene epoch 24.8—20.6 Ma, existing for approximately .-Taxonomy:...
(S. australis) - FloridatragulusFloridatragulusFloridatragulus is an extinct genus of Camelid. It lived in North America during the Miocene, about 20.6—15.9 mya, existing for approximately .-Taxonomy:Floridatragulus was named by White...
(F. dolichanthereus) - OxydactylusOxydactylusOxydactylus, is an extinct terrestrial herbivorous genus of the tribe Camelini, family Camelidae, endemic to North America Oligocene through the Middle Miocene and in existence for approximately ....
(O. floridanus) - NothokemasNothokemasNothokemas is an extinct genus of terrestrial herbivore the family Camelidae, endemic to North America from the Oligocene through Miocene 30.8— 20.430 mya, existing for approximately .-Taxonomy:...
(N. floridanus)
Rodentia
- CricetidaeCricetidaeThe Cricetidae are a family of rodents in the large and complex superfamily Muroidea. It includes true hamsters, voles, lemmings, and New World rats and mice...
- Proheteromys (P. magnus)
- Proheteromys P. floridanus)
- Miospermophilus
- NototamiasNototamiasNototamias is a genus of fossil ground squirrels from the Miocene of North America. Species include Nototamias hulberti Pratt and Morgan, 1989; Nototamias ateles ; and Nototamias complicatus Korth, 1992...
(N. hulberti) - Petauristodon (P. pattersoni)
- Mesogaulus
- MylagaulidaeMylagaulidaeThe Mylagaulidae or mylagaulids are a prehistoric family of sciuromorph rodents. They are known from the Neogene of North America and China...