The LACM Rancho La Brea collections hold 3-5 million fossil specimens covering ~50,000 years to n... more The LACM Rancho La Brea collections hold 3-5 million fossil specimens covering ~50,000 years to near present day. They hold the world's largest collection of extinct megafauna and are particularly well known for the vast osteological collections of carnivores and birds. In addition, the collections include botany, arthropods, molluscs and small vertebrates, including fishes, amphibian, reptiles and mammals, as well as a few artifacts. The collections are all from the vicinity of the Rancho La Brea National Natural Landmark, mostly within the Los Angeles County park called Hancock Park.
Rivista Italiana Di Paleontologia E Stratigrafia, 2018
The otoliths described here from the Late Santonian of the Eutaw Formation of Alabama, represent ... more The otoliths described here from the Late Santonian of the Eutaw Formation of Alabama, represent one of the earliest association of teleost otoliths known from North America and it is remarkable for its good preservation and species diversity. They were collected by the late C.K. Lamber in 1969 from a road cut on the Hurtsboro-Marvyn highway south of Marvyn in Russell County, eastern Alabama. It contains 18 taxa based on sagittae otoliths, of which 14 are identifiable to the species level, 10 species are new to science and five new genera. The new otolith-based genera are: Allogenartina n. gen. (Stomiiformes family indet.), Pseudotrichiurus n. gen. (Aulopiformes family indet.), Eutawichthys n. gen. (Beryciformes family indet.), Cowetaichthys n. gen. (Polymixiidae) and Vox n. gen. (Teleostei family indet.); the new species are: Elops eutawanus n. sp., Genartina cretacea n. sp., Allogenartina muscogeei n. sp., Pseudotrichiurus sagax n. sp., Apateodus ? assisi n. sp., Eutawichthys comp...
ABSTRACT Modern wild sheep, Ovis, is widespread in the mountain ranges of the Caucasus through Hi... more ABSTRACT Modern wild sheep, Ovis, is widespread in the mountain ranges of the Caucasus through Himalaya, Tibetan Plateau, Tianshan-Altai, eastern Siberia, and the Rocky Mountains in North America. In Eurasia, fossil sheep are known at a few Pleistocene sites in North China, eastern Siberia, and western Europe, but are so far absent from the Tibetan Plateau. We describe an extinct sheep, Protovis himalayensis, gen. et sp. nov., from the Pliocene of the Zanda Basin in western Himalaya. Smaller than the living argali, this new form shares with Ovis posterolaterally arched horncores and partially developed sinuses and possesses several transitional characters leading to Ovis. Protovis likely subsisted on C3 plants, which are the dominant vegetation in the Zanda area during the Pliocene. With the discovery of this new genus and species, we extend the fossil record for the sheep clade into the Pliocene of the Tibetan Plateau, consistent with our previous out-of-Tibet hypothesis. Ancestral sheep in the Pliocene were presumed adapted to high altitude and cold environments, and during the Ice Age, sheep became anatomically modern and dispersed outside of the Tibetan Plateau. Both this new fossil datum and the existing molecular phylogeny suggest that the Tibetan Plateau, possibly including Tianshan-Altai, represents the ancestral home range(s) of mountain sheep and that these basal stocks were the ultimate source of all extant species. Most sheep species survived along their Pleistocene route of dispersal, offering a highly consistent pattern of zoogeography.
Qaidam Basin is the largest terrestrial basin of the Tibetan Plateau and has the most continuous ... more Qaidam Basin is the largest terrestrial basin of the Tibetan Plateau and has the most continuous sedimentary record in the Cenozoic. Although constituting the first known fossil vertebrates of the Tibetan Plateau and discovered in early scientific expeditions in the 1930s, ...
TODD D. COOK,*,1 MICHAEL G. NEWBREY,1,2 ALISON M. MURRAY,1 MARK VH WILSON,1 KENSHU SHIMADA,3 GARY... more TODD D. COOK,*,1 MICHAEL G. NEWBREY,1,2 ALISON M. MURRAY,1 MARK VH WILSON,1 KENSHU SHIMADA,3 GARY T. TAKEUCHI,4 and JD STEWART4,5 1Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E9, Canada, ...
Fossil ceratioid anglerfishes are described from the Upper Miocene (upper Mohnian) deposits of th... more Fossil ceratioid anglerfishes are described from the Upper Miocene (upper Mohnian) deposits of the Puente Formation, Los Angeles Basin, California. The specimens were collected from the laminated turbiditic deposits of the Yorba Member in the eastern sector of the Los Angeles Basin during the construction of a new metro rail line. Five taxa (Borophrynecf.apogon; Chaenophryneaff.melanorhabdus; Leptacanthichthyscf.gracilispinis; Linophrynecf.indica; Oneirodessp.) belonging to two families, Linophrynidae and Oneirodidae, are described based on nine metamorphosed females. A detailed osteological analysis of the fossils has revealed that they can be tentatively assigned to extant species, suggesting that little or no relevant morphological change has characterized these taxa at least since the Late Miocene. Biogeographic considerations suggest that the Late Miocene ceratioid assemblages of the Los Angeles Basin are strikingly similar to those that currently inhabit the tropical and subtr...
The Dove Spring Formation (DSF; formerly the Ricardo Formation) is an 1800 m thick succession of ... more The Dove Spring Formation (DSF; formerly the Ricardo Formation) is an 1800 m thick succession of fluvial, lacustrine, and volcanic rocks that contains a nearly continuous sequence of vertebrate fossil assemblages. The fossil faunas represent one of the most complete Clarendonian-age successions in North America, thus they provide key information for local and continental-wide correlations. Previous paleomagnetic, radioisotopic, and biochronologic work in the DSF yielded age correlations that have come under increased scrutiny from more recent studies in this and other similarly aged formations in California. Tephrochronological studies of volcanic horizons widely distributed across the Great Basin, including the DSF, yield additional geochronological information. The best fit combination of these studies provides for a revised temporal interpretation indicating that the DSF ranges from 12.5 Ma to about 8 Ma. A formerly proposed 0.7 million-year-long unconformity in Member 4 is no longer recognized. Although updated taxonomic studies on the carnivores, insectivores, rodents, horses, and antilocaprids of the DSF have resulted in significant modifications to earlier interpretations, renewed biostratigraphic analysis continues to recognize three superposed mammalian faunas. Characterization of these faunas reinforces conclusions regarding the provincial nature of the assemblages when compared with those of the Great Plains, and clearly marks the region as a discernable zoogeographic entity. Regional and continental comparisons of the faunas confirm a lower boundary for the Clarendonian at 12.5 Ma and a Clarendonian/Hemphillian boundary at 9.0 Ma. Composition of the youngest fauna in the DSF provides insight into the nature of the otherwise poorly represented earliest Hemphillian assemblages.
ABSTRACT The discovery by Birger Bohlin of a series of vertebrate fossil sites in the twin lakes ... more ABSTRACT The discovery by Birger Bohlin of a series of vertebrate fossil sites in the twin lakes region (Tuosu Nor and Keluke Nor) of eastern Qaidam Basin during the Sino-Swedish Expedition in 1931 and 1932 was a major milestone in vertebrate paleontology for the Tibetan Plateau. Qaidam fossil mammals collected by Bohlin still represent the best collections from the plateau and serve as an important reference point for a period of time that saw dramatic climatic changes. The more than 4600 m of strata in eastern Qaidam, spanning over 13 million years in time, are ideal for establishing a detailed biostratigraphic record, but Bohlin’s published specimens lack any reference to stratigraphy, which causes much confusion about the nature of his “Tsaidam Fauna.” Bohlin did, however, make a fairly detailed documentation of locality information, much of which remains buried in archival records in Stockholm. This paper is an attempt to reconstruct Bohlin’s fossil localities by synthesizing relevant archives and historical accounts, as well as field observations of our own during the past 13 years. Fieldnotes in Swedish are translated to English and several field sketches are published for the first time. As a result, we are able to relocate many fossil localities that are of stratigraphic and taxonomic importance. Bohlin mainly collected in three major areas, along the northwestern shore of Tuosu Nor, south of Huaitoutala, and south of Quanshuiliang train station, each with stratigraphic settings of their own. In his published descriptions, all fossils are included in his “Tsaidam Fauna.” With the help of his notes and sketches and our field verification, we are now in a position to recognize at least three faunal horizons among Bohlin’s collections: middle Miocene (Tunggurian) Olongbuluk Fauna, early late Miocene (early Bahean) Tuosu Fauna, and early Pliocene (Yushean) Huaitoutala Fauna. Of these fossil sites, Bohlin’s Tuosu Nor locality is the best constrained within the modern stratigraphic framework due to the relatively short section present along the northern bank of Tuosu Nor. His fossil localities are confined to a narrow band of about 100 meters in total thickness. Bohlin’s Huaitoutala (Ulan-utsur) localities are, however, more scattered both spatially and stratigraphically. Fortunately, only a few localities produced fossils of biochronologic significance, and most are low in the section, probably belonging to the Olongbuluk Fauna. The majority of Bohlin’s Qaidam collections comes from what he informally called the “general strips,” which is not far from the present day Quanshuiliang railway station. Approximately 250 m of strata extend laterally for several kilometers. Almost all endemic bovids that Bohlin described, such as Tsaidamotherium, Olonbulukia, Qurliqnoria, Tossunnoria, are produced from this area. The Quanshuiliang region also produces some of the earliest occurrences of Hipparion in China. Preliminary correlation of the Quanshuiliang section with an existing magnetic section in Huaitoutala suggests that the local first appearance of Hipparion is close to the boundary between chrons C5r.1r and C5r.1n, about 11.1 Ma.
Raw data for the Rancho La Brea vertebrate fauna dataset obtained from the Neotoma Paleoecology D... more Raw data for the Rancho La Brea vertebrate fauna dataset obtained from the Neotoma Paleoecology Database.
Asphalt-preserved fossils present specific cleaning and preparation challenges not encountered wi... more Asphalt-preserved fossils present specific cleaning and preparation challenges not encountered with permineralized fossils. Asphalt is a complex mixture of mainly large hydrocarbon molecules that are totally insoluble in water and only sparingly soluble in many organic solvents. This study attempts to develop a faster and better procedure for dissolving asphalt, ideally making use of cheaper and greener solvents. One of the more promising of these is biodiesel. Pure biodiesel, or B100, is a liquid consisting of methyl esters of fatty acids produced by refining vegetable oil triglycerides and having similar properties to (petroleum-derived) diesel fuel. While biodiesel is not an effective asphalt solvent at room temperature, it becomes very effective when heated to temperatures greater than 70uC. We here provide a detailed guide and recommendations on the use of hot biodiesel as a solvent to process asphalt-impregnated fossiliferous matrix.
The LACM Rancho La Brea collections hold 3-5 million fossil specimens covering ~50,000 years to n... more The LACM Rancho La Brea collections hold 3-5 million fossil specimens covering ~50,000 years to near present day. They hold the world's largest collection of extinct megafauna and are particularly well known for the vast osteological collections of carnivores and birds. In addition, the collections include botany, arthropods, molluscs and small vertebrates, including fishes, amphibian, reptiles and mammals, as well as a few artifacts. The collections are all from the vicinity of the Rancho La Brea National Natural Landmark, mostly within the Los Angeles County park called Hancock Park.
Rivista Italiana Di Paleontologia E Stratigrafia, 2018
The otoliths described here from the Late Santonian of the Eutaw Formation of Alabama, represent ... more The otoliths described here from the Late Santonian of the Eutaw Formation of Alabama, represent one of the earliest association of teleost otoliths known from North America and it is remarkable for its good preservation and species diversity. They were collected by the late C.K. Lamber in 1969 from a road cut on the Hurtsboro-Marvyn highway south of Marvyn in Russell County, eastern Alabama. It contains 18 taxa based on sagittae otoliths, of which 14 are identifiable to the species level, 10 species are new to science and five new genera. The new otolith-based genera are: Allogenartina n. gen. (Stomiiformes family indet.), Pseudotrichiurus n. gen. (Aulopiformes family indet.), Eutawichthys n. gen. (Beryciformes family indet.), Cowetaichthys n. gen. (Polymixiidae) and Vox n. gen. (Teleostei family indet.); the new species are: Elops eutawanus n. sp., Genartina cretacea n. sp., Allogenartina muscogeei n. sp., Pseudotrichiurus sagax n. sp., Apateodus ? assisi n. sp., Eutawichthys comp...
ABSTRACT Modern wild sheep, Ovis, is widespread in the mountain ranges of the Caucasus through Hi... more ABSTRACT Modern wild sheep, Ovis, is widespread in the mountain ranges of the Caucasus through Himalaya, Tibetan Plateau, Tianshan-Altai, eastern Siberia, and the Rocky Mountains in North America. In Eurasia, fossil sheep are known at a few Pleistocene sites in North China, eastern Siberia, and western Europe, but are so far absent from the Tibetan Plateau. We describe an extinct sheep, Protovis himalayensis, gen. et sp. nov., from the Pliocene of the Zanda Basin in western Himalaya. Smaller than the living argali, this new form shares with Ovis posterolaterally arched horncores and partially developed sinuses and possesses several transitional characters leading to Ovis. Protovis likely subsisted on C3 plants, which are the dominant vegetation in the Zanda area during the Pliocene. With the discovery of this new genus and species, we extend the fossil record for the sheep clade into the Pliocene of the Tibetan Plateau, consistent with our previous out-of-Tibet hypothesis. Ancestral sheep in the Pliocene were presumed adapted to high altitude and cold environments, and during the Ice Age, sheep became anatomically modern and dispersed outside of the Tibetan Plateau. Both this new fossil datum and the existing molecular phylogeny suggest that the Tibetan Plateau, possibly including Tianshan-Altai, represents the ancestral home range(s) of mountain sheep and that these basal stocks were the ultimate source of all extant species. Most sheep species survived along their Pleistocene route of dispersal, offering a highly consistent pattern of zoogeography.
Qaidam Basin is the largest terrestrial basin of the Tibetan Plateau and has the most continuous ... more Qaidam Basin is the largest terrestrial basin of the Tibetan Plateau and has the most continuous sedimentary record in the Cenozoic. Although constituting the first known fossil vertebrates of the Tibetan Plateau and discovered in early scientific expeditions in the 1930s, ...
TODD D. COOK,*,1 MICHAEL G. NEWBREY,1,2 ALISON M. MURRAY,1 MARK VH WILSON,1 KENSHU SHIMADA,3 GARY... more TODD D. COOK,*,1 MICHAEL G. NEWBREY,1,2 ALISON M. MURRAY,1 MARK VH WILSON,1 KENSHU SHIMADA,3 GARY T. TAKEUCHI,4 and JD STEWART4,5 1Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E9, Canada, ...
Fossil ceratioid anglerfishes are described from the Upper Miocene (upper Mohnian) deposits of th... more Fossil ceratioid anglerfishes are described from the Upper Miocene (upper Mohnian) deposits of the Puente Formation, Los Angeles Basin, California. The specimens were collected from the laminated turbiditic deposits of the Yorba Member in the eastern sector of the Los Angeles Basin during the construction of a new metro rail line. Five taxa (Borophrynecf.apogon; Chaenophryneaff.melanorhabdus; Leptacanthichthyscf.gracilispinis; Linophrynecf.indica; Oneirodessp.) belonging to two families, Linophrynidae and Oneirodidae, are described based on nine metamorphosed females. A detailed osteological analysis of the fossils has revealed that they can be tentatively assigned to extant species, suggesting that little or no relevant morphological change has characterized these taxa at least since the Late Miocene. Biogeographic considerations suggest that the Late Miocene ceratioid assemblages of the Los Angeles Basin are strikingly similar to those that currently inhabit the tropical and subtr...
The Dove Spring Formation (DSF; formerly the Ricardo Formation) is an 1800 m thick succession of ... more The Dove Spring Formation (DSF; formerly the Ricardo Formation) is an 1800 m thick succession of fluvial, lacustrine, and volcanic rocks that contains a nearly continuous sequence of vertebrate fossil assemblages. The fossil faunas represent one of the most complete Clarendonian-age successions in North America, thus they provide key information for local and continental-wide correlations. Previous paleomagnetic, radioisotopic, and biochronologic work in the DSF yielded age correlations that have come under increased scrutiny from more recent studies in this and other similarly aged formations in California. Tephrochronological studies of volcanic horizons widely distributed across the Great Basin, including the DSF, yield additional geochronological information. The best fit combination of these studies provides for a revised temporal interpretation indicating that the DSF ranges from 12.5 Ma to about 8 Ma. A formerly proposed 0.7 million-year-long unconformity in Member 4 is no longer recognized. Although updated taxonomic studies on the carnivores, insectivores, rodents, horses, and antilocaprids of the DSF have resulted in significant modifications to earlier interpretations, renewed biostratigraphic analysis continues to recognize three superposed mammalian faunas. Characterization of these faunas reinforces conclusions regarding the provincial nature of the assemblages when compared with those of the Great Plains, and clearly marks the region as a discernable zoogeographic entity. Regional and continental comparisons of the faunas confirm a lower boundary for the Clarendonian at 12.5 Ma and a Clarendonian/Hemphillian boundary at 9.0 Ma. Composition of the youngest fauna in the DSF provides insight into the nature of the otherwise poorly represented earliest Hemphillian assemblages.
ABSTRACT The discovery by Birger Bohlin of a series of vertebrate fossil sites in the twin lakes ... more ABSTRACT The discovery by Birger Bohlin of a series of vertebrate fossil sites in the twin lakes region (Tuosu Nor and Keluke Nor) of eastern Qaidam Basin during the Sino-Swedish Expedition in 1931 and 1932 was a major milestone in vertebrate paleontology for the Tibetan Plateau. Qaidam fossil mammals collected by Bohlin still represent the best collections from the plateau and serve as an important reference point for a period of time that saw dramatic climatic changes. The more than 4600 m of strata in eastern Qaidam, spanning over 13 million years in time, are ideal for establishing a detailed biostratigraphic record, but Bohlin’s published specimens lack any reference to stratigraphy, which causes much confusion about the nature of his “Tsaidam Fauna.” Bohlin did, however, make a fairly detailed documentation of locality information, much of which remains buried in archival records in Stockholm. This paper is an attempt to reconstruct Bohlin’s fossil localities by synthesizing relevant archives and historical accounts, as well as field observations of our own during the past 13 years. Fieldnotes in Swedish are translated to English and several field sketches are published for the first time. As a result, we are able to relocate many fossil localities that are of stratigraphic and taxonomic importance. Bohlin mainly collected in three major areas, along the northwestern shore of Tuosu Nor, south of Huaitoutala, and south of Quanshuiliang train station, each with stratigraphic settings of their own. In his published descriptions, all fossils are included in his “Tsaidam Fauna.” With the help of his notes and sketches and our field verification, we are now in a position to recognize at least three faunal horizons among Bohlin’s collections: middle Miocene (Tunggurian) Olongbuluk Fauna, early late Miocene (early Bahean) Tuosu Fauna, and early Pliocene (Yushean) Huaitoutala Fauna. Of these fossil sites, Bohlin’s Tuosu Nor locality is the best constrained within the modern stratigraphic framework due to the relatively short section present along the northern bank of Tuosu Nor. His fossil localities are confined to a narrow band of about 100 meters in total thickness. Bohlin’s Huaitoutala (Ulan-utsur) localities are, however, more scattered both spatially and stratigraphically. Fortunately, only a few localities produced fossils of biochronologic significance, and most are low in the section, probably belonging to the Olongbuluk Fauna. The majority of Bohlin’s Qaidam collections comes from what he informally called the “general strips,” which is not far from the present day Quanshuiliang railway station. Approximately 250 m of strata extend laterally for several kilometers. Almost all endemic bovids that Bohlin described, such as Tsaidamotherium, Olonbulukia, Qurliqnoria, Tossunnoria, are produced from this area. The Quanshuiliang region also produces some of the earliest occurrences of Hipparion in China. Preliminary correlation of the Quanshuiliang section with an existing magnetic section in Huaitoutala suggests that the local first appearance of Hipparion is close to the boundary between chrons C5r.1r and C5r.1n, about 11.1 Ma.
Raw data for the Rancho La Brea vertebrate fauna dataset obtained from the Neotoma Paleoecology D... more Raw data for the Rancho La Brea vertebrate fauna dataset obtained from the Neotoma Paleoecology Database.
Asphalt-preserved fossils present specific cleaning and preparation challenges not encountered wi... more Asphalt-preserved fossils present specific cleaning and preparation challenges not encountered with permineralized fossils. Asphalt is a complex mixture of mainly large hydrocarbon molecules that are totally insoluble in water and only sparingly soluble in many organic solvents. This study attempts to develop a faster and better procedure for dissolving asphalt, ideally making use of cheaper and greener solvents. One of the more promising of these is biodiesel. Pure biodiesel, or B100, is a liquid consisting of methyl esters of fatty acids produced by refining vegetable oil triglycerides and having similar properties to (petroleum-derived) diesel fuel. While biodiesel is not an effective asphalt solvent at room temperature, it becomes very effective when heated to temperatures greater than 70uC. We here provide a detailed guide and recommendations on the use of hot biodiesel as a solvent to process asphalt-impregnated fossiliferous matrix.
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