Alachua Formation

The Alachua Formation is a Miocene geologic formation in Florida. The claystones, sandstones and phosphorites of the formation preserve many fossils of mammals, birds, reptiles and fish, among others megalodon.

Alachua Formation Stratigraphic range: Early-Late Miocene (Hemingfordian-Hemphillian) ~20–5.3 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Type	Formation
Lithology
Primary	Claystone, sandstone
Other	Phosphorite
Location
Coordinates	29.7°N 82.6°W
Approximate paleocoordinates	29.8°N 80.9°W
Region	Florida
Country	United States
Type section
Named for	Alachua, Florida
Alachua Formation (the United States) Alachua Formation (Florida)

Fossil content

The formation has provided the following fossils.[1]

Mammals

Rodents

• Harrymys magnus
• Nototamias hulberti
• Petauristodon pattersoni
• Proheteromys floridanus
• cf. Miospermophilus sp.
• Mylagaulus kinseyi
• cf. Texomys sp.
• Lagomorpha indet.
• Mylagaulidae indet.

Carnivora

• Amphicyon longiramus
• Borophagus orc
• B. pugnator
• Cynelos caroniavorus
• Enhydritherium terraenovae
• Epicyon haydeni
• E. saevus
• Eucyon davisi
• Euoplocyon spissidens
• Leptarctus ancipidens
• Metatomarctus canavus
• Oligobunis floridanus
• Osbornodon iamonensis
• Phoberocyon johnhenryi
• Zodiolestes freundi
• Borophagus sp.
• Phlaocyon sp.
• Sthenictis sp.
• Felidae indet.
• Mustelinae indet.

Ground sloths

• Pliometanastes protistus
• Thinobadistes segnis

Gomphotheres

• Amebelodon (Konobelodon) britti
• Amebelodon sp.

Artiodactyls

• Aepycamelus major
• Diabolocornis simonsi
• Floridachoerus olseni
• Floridameryx floridanus
• Floridatragulus dolichanthereus
• Hemiauchenia minima
• Machaeromeryx gilchristensis
• Nothokemas floridanus
• Parablastomeryx floridanus
• Pediomeryx hemphillensis
• Prosynthetoceras texanus
• Synthetoceras australis
• S. cf. tricornatus
• Yumaceras hamiltoni
• Aepycamelus sp.
• Hemiauchenia sp.
• Merycoidodon sp.
• Antilocapridae indet.
• Camelidae indet.
• Ruminantia indet.
• Tayassuidae indet.
• Tayassuinae indet.

Soricomorpha

• Karstala silva
• Miomyotis floridanus
• Primonatalus prattae
• Suaptenos whitei
• Limnoecus sp.
• Chiroptera indet.

Perissodactyls

• Anchitherium clarencei
• Aphelops malacorhinus
• A. mutilus
• Archaeohippus blackbergi
• Calippus elachistus
• Calippus hondurensis
• Calippus maccartyi
• Cormohipparion emsliei
• C. ingenuum
• C. plicatile
• Floridaceras whitei
• Menoceras barbouri
• Nannippus aztecus
• N. morgani
• N. westoni
• Neohipparion trampasense
• Parahippus leonensis
• Protohippus gidleyi
• Pseudhipparion skinneri
• Tapirus webbi
• Teleoceras proterum
• Hipparion cf. tehonense
• cf. Astrohippus sp.
• Dinohippus sp.

Sirenians

• Metaxytherium cf. floridanum

Lipotyphla

• Talpidae indet.

Theriiformes

• Vespertilionidae indet.

Birds

• Anhinga grandis
• A. subvolans
• Boreortalis laesslei
• Ereunetes rayi
• Jacana farrandi
• Nycticorax fidens
• Phalacrocorax wetmorei
• Promilio brodkorbi
• P. epileus
• P. floridanus
• Rhegminornis calobates
• Thomasococcyx philohippus
• Anatidae indet.
• Cuculidae indet.

Reptiles

Turtles

• Floridemys nana
• Hesperotestudo turgida
• Macrochelys auffenbergi
• Pseudemys caelata
• P. carri
• P. williamsi
• Testudo tedwhitei
• Apalone sp.
• Deirochelys sp.
• Pseudemys sp.
• Trachemys sp.

Crocodiles

• Alligator mississippiensis
• A. olseni
• Thecachampsa sericodon
• Alligator sp.

Snakes

• Anilioides minuatus
• Boa constrictor
• Calamagras floridanus
• Ogmophis pauperrimus
• Paraoxybelis floridanus
• Pseudocemophora antiqua
• Pterygoboa sp.

Lizards

• Peltosaurus floridanus
• Gekkonidae indet.
• Scolecophidia indet.

Amphibians

Anurans

• Bufo praevius
• Hyla goini
• Proacris mintoni
• Scaphiopus (Scaphiopus) holbrooki
• Microhyla sp.
• Rana sp.

Salamanders

• Siren hesterna

Fish

Sharks

• megalodon
• Carcharhinus brevipinna
• Carcharhinus limbatus
• Carcharhinus leucas
• Carcharhinus plumbeus
• Carcharias taurus
• Carcharodon hastalis
• Galeocerdo aduncus
• Negaprion brevirostris
• Physogaleus contortus
• Rhizoprionodon terranovae
• Carcharhinus sp.
• Negaprion sp.

Rays

• Pristis sp.

Others

• Hemipristis serra
• Lepisosteus sp.

See also

• List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Florida
• Alajuela Formation
• Chagres Formation
• Goliad Formation
• Shoal River Formation
• Tuira Formation

References

1. Alachua Formation at Fossilworks.org

Bibliograyhy

• C. Pimiento. 2014. Carcharocles megalodon unpublished collections from Natural History Museums around the world
• R. C. Hulbert, Jr. 1988. Calippus and Protohippus (Mammalia, Perissodactyla, Equidae) from the Miocene (Barstovian-early Hemphillian) of the Gulf Coastal Plain. Bulletin of the Florida State Museum, Biological Sciences 32(3):221-340
• S. D. Webb, B. J. MacFadden, and J. A. Baskin. 1981. Geology and paleontology of the Love Bone Bed from the Late Miocene of Florida. American Journal of Science 281:513-544
• S. E. Hirschfeld and S. D. Webb. 1968. Plio-Pleistocene Megalonychid Sloths of North America. Bulletin of the Florida State Museum 12(5)
• S. D. Webb. 1966. A Relict Species of the Burrowing Rodent, Mylagaulus, from the Pliocene of Florida. Journal of Mammalogy 47
• W. Auffenberg. 1963. Fossil testudinine turtles of Florida: genera Geochelone and Floridemys. Bulletin of the Florida State Museum, Biological Sciences 7(2):53-97
• T. E. White. 1942. The Lower Miocene mammal fauna of Florida. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 92(1):1-49
• G. G. Simpson. 1930. Tertiary Land Mammals of Florida. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 59(3):1-64