Abbeville (Somme River terrace), Pas de Calais (Pleistocene of France)

Where: Pas de Calais, France (50.0° N, 1.9° E: paleocoordinates 50.0° N, 1.9° E)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

When: Middle Pleistocene (0.8 - 0.1 Ma)

• An interglacial at the start of the Mindel (Mindel 1 or 2). Middle Pleistocene, roughly 0.8-0.6Ma.

Environment/lithology: fluvial; gray marl

• The high terrace of the River Somme.
• The fauna from the grey marl is difficult to separate from the nearby gravels (which lie above and beneath it).

Size class: macrofossils

Collection methods: Type site for the Acheulian (Abbevillian)

Primary reference: M. F. Bonifay. 1973. Principaux gisements paleontologiques Francais du Pleistocene Moyen: Essai de classification. Le Quaternaire 41-50 [A. Turner/H. O'Regan/H. O'Regan]more details

Purpose of describing collection: general faunal/floral analysis

PaleoDB collection 49087: authorized by Alan Turner, entered by Hannah O'Regan on 08.04.2005

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Show authors, comments, and common names
Aves
  -
Aves indet.
Aves indet. Linnaeus 1758 bird
Oiseaux
Mammalia
 Proboscidea - Elephantidae
Mammuthus meridionalis2, Palaeoloxodon antiquus2
Mammuthus meridionalis2 Nesti 1825 mammoth
Palaeoloxodon antiquus2 Falconer and Cautley 1847 elephant
 Carnivora - Mustelidae
Mustelidae indet.
Mustelidae indet. Fischer 1817 mustelid carnivore
Belette (= weasel)
 Carnivora - Ursidae
Ursus sp.
Ursus sp. Linnaeus 1758 bear
small size.
 Carnivora - Felidae
Homotherium latidens1
Homotherium latidens1 Owen 1846 scimitar toothed cat
 Carnivora - Hyaenidae
Hyaenidae indet.
Hyaenidae indet. Gray 1821 hyaena
Coprolithes d'Hyene
 Perissodactyla - Equidae
Equus aff. hydruntinus, Equus caballus, "Equus stenonis" = Allohippus stenonis
Equus aff. hydruntinus horse
Prat (1968) 'un petit equide proche d'Equus hydruntinus'
Equus caballus Linnaeus 1758 horse
Prat (1968) doubtfully assigned specimens of 'un grande equide' to Equus caballus mosbachensis.
"Equus stenonis" = Allohippus stenonis Cocchi 1867 horse
Prat (1968) 'd'Equus stenonis proche du cheval de Sinzelles.'
 Perissodactyla - Rhinocerotidae
Stephanorhinus etruscus2
Stephanorhinus etruscus2 Falconer 1868 rhinoceros
 Artiodactyla - Suidae
Sus scrofa
Sus scrofa Linnaeus 1758 wild boar
race ancienne
 Artiodactyla - Cervidae
Cervus (Dama) somonensis, Cervus solilhacus, Cervus belgrandi, Cervus canadensis, Cervus elaphus
Cervus (Dama) somonensis Cuvier 1800 fallow deer
Cervus solilhacus deer
Megaceride
Cervus canadensis Erxleben 1777 elk
Cervus elaphus Linnaeus 1758 red deer
 Artiodactyla - Bovidae
Bos cf. elatus
 Artiodactyla - Hippopotamidae
Hippopotamus major
Hippopotamus major Cuvier 1824 hippo
 Lagomorpha - Leporidae
Lepus sp.
Lepus sp. Linnaeus 1758 hare
1O'Regan 2003; 2Wilson and Reeder 1993