Bear Creek (Paleocene of the United States)

Also known as Eagle Creek Mine; Eagle Coal Mine; Eagle Mine

Where: Carbon County, Montana (45.2° N, 109.0° W: paleocoordinates 50.5° N, 90.0° W)

• coordinate based on political unit

When: Fort Union Formation, Clarkforkian (56.8 - 55.8 Ma)

• Earlier literature referred to this as the 'Polecat Bench Formation'

Environment/lithology: terrestrial; lithology not reported

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils

Primary reference: D. E. Russell. 1967. Le Paleocene continental d'Amerique du nord. Memoires du Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle. Serie C., Sciences de la Terre 16(2):37-99 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy]more details

Purpose of describing collection: general faunal/floral analysis

PaleoDB collection 15079: authorized by John Alroy, entered by John Alroy on 18.02.1993, edited by Will Clyde and Philip Mannion

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• this is one of the "principal correlatives" of the Tiffanian; placed in the Clarkforkian by Rose and by Archibald et al. 1987, but in the Tiffanian by Korth 1984
record of Adunator ("Mckennatherium") ladae of Russell is dubious because Rose 1981a could not locate the material
Amphibia
 Proteida - Batrachosauroididae
Opisthotriton sp.2 Auffenberg 1961 salamander
salamandroid salamander
Mammalia
 Theriamorpha - Stylinodontidae
Ectoganus lobdelli1 Simpson 1929 taeniodont
 Rodentia - Ischyromyidae
"Paramys atavus n. sp." = Acritoparamys atavus
"Paramys atavus n. sp." = Acritoparamys atavus Jepsen 1937 rodent
see Jepsen 1937
 Primates - Microsyopidae
? Microsyopidae indet.7 Osborn and Wortman 1892 primate
 Primates - Paromomyidae
"Dillerlemur pagei" = Dillerlemur pagei7, "Parapheliscus bjorni n. sp." = Dillerlemur pagei9
"Dillerlemur pagei" = Dillerlemur pagei7 Jepsen 1930 primate
"Parapheliscus bjorni n. sp." = Dillerlemur pagei9 Jepsen 1930 primate
AMNH 22244 - type (right P4); referred specimen: AMNH 22245 (right P4)
 Primates - Plesiadapidae
Chiromyoides potior7 Gingerich 1975 primate
Plesiadapis sp.5 Gervais 1877 primate
 Primates - Carpolestidae
Carpolestes nigridens n. sp. Simpson 1928 primate
includes "C. aquilae" as well as "Litotherium complicatum" of Simpson 1929b
 Dermoptera -
Planetetherium mirabile n. sp. Simpson 1928 colugo
 Theriamorpha -
Leipsanolestes siegfriedti1 Simpson 1928 placental
 Theriamorpha - Phenacodontidae
Phenacodus intermedius8 Granger 1915 condylarth
 Procreodi - Arctocyonidae
Thryptacodon pseudarctos n. sp.7 Simpson 1928 condylarth
includes "T. antiquus"
 Theriamorpha - Viverravidae
? Viverravus sp.7 Marsh 1872 placental
 Acreodi - Mesonychidae
Dissacus sp.7 Cope 1881 condylarth
 Macroscelidea - Apheliscidae
cf. Phenacodaptes sabulosus7 Jepsen 1930 elephant shrew
Haplomylus palustris n. sp.4 Gingerich 1994 elephant shrew
 Cimolesta - Apatemyidae
Labidolemur kayi n. gen. n. sp.1
Labidolemur kayi n. gen. n. sp.1 Simpson 1929 eutherian
 Cimolesta - Pantolestidae
cf. Palaeosinopa sp.7 Matthew 1901 eutherian
 Cimolesta - Pentacodontidae
Protentomodon ursirivalis n. sp. Simpson 1928 eutherian
? Aphronorus sp.7 Simpson 1935 eutherian
 Theriamorpha - Peradectidae
cf. Peradectes sp.7 Matthew and Granger 1921 marsupial
Reptilia
 Squamata - Chamopsiidae
Chamops cf. segnis6 Marsh 1892 squamates
teiid lizard
 Choristodera - Simoedosauridae
Simoedosauridae indet.3 Lemone 1884 choristodere