PBDB Collection

Rattlesnake (Neogene of the United States)

Also known as SDSM V-832; UC 3045, 3058, 3060

Where: Grant County, Oregon (44.5° N, 119.3° W: paleocoordinates 44.4° N, 116.6° W)

• coordinate based on political unit

When: Rattlesnake Formation, Hemphillian (10.3 - 4.9 Ma)

Environment/lithology: terrestrial; siltstone

Size class: macrofossils

Reposited in the SDSM

Primary reference: J. C. Merriam, C. Stock, and C. L. Moody. 1925. The Pliocene Rattlesnake Formation and fauna of eastern Oregon, with notes on the geology of the Rattlesnake and Mascall deposits. Carnegie Institution of Washington Publication 347(3):43-92 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy/J. Marcot]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 19015: authorized by John Alroy, entered by John Alroy on 27.09.1993, edited by Jonathan Marcot, Evangelos Vlachos, John Orcutt and Nicholas Famoso

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• preliminary list given by Merriam 1917
ignimbrite above fauna dated at 6.6 +/- 0.1 and 6.8 +/- 0.2 Ma (KA on sanidine): Tedford et al. 1987; according to Tedford and Martin 2001, this is the same as the Rattlesnake Ash Flow Tuff dated at 7.2 Ma (SCLF AA) by Fremd et al. 1994 and 7.05 +/- 0.02 Ma (Ar/Ar) by Perkins et al. 1998
possibly relevant: Indarctos(?) sp. at UC 3042
status of "Hipparion sp." of Tedford et al. 1987 unclear in light of figured material

"Prosthennops rex": a nomen dubium from possible Rattlesnake exposures from Wilson's Springs, Crooked River, Oregon according to Colbert 1938; Merriam et al. were uncertain of the type's provenance but described an additional tayassuid at UC 3060

Show authors, comments, and common names

Reptilia
Testudines -	Clemmys hesperia n. sp.⁵ Clemmys hesperia n. sp.⁵ Hay 1903 turtle UCMP 2219 (holotype), a left hyoplastron
Mammalia
Proboscidea - Proboscidea	Proboscidea indet. Proboscidea indet. proboscidean said to be "Tetralophodon sp." by Fremd et al. 1994
Proboscidea - Mammutidae	Mammut matthewi¹⁴ Mammut matthewi¹⁴ Osborn 1921 mastodon
Perissodactyla - Rhinocerotidae	Teleoceras sp. Teleoceras sp. Hatcher 1894 rhinoceros "? Teleoceras, near fossiger" at UC 3060 and rhino at UC 3068; cf. Teleoceras sp. is present at SDSM V-832, see Martin 1983
Perissodactyla - Equidae	Hippotherium sp., Neohipparion cf. leptode¹¹, Dinohippus spectans¹ Hippotherium sp. Kaup 1832 hipparionine horse JA pers. obs. 4.2.95: "Hipparion occidentale" from UC 3057, "H. anthonyi" from UC 3058, 3062 Neohipparion cf. leptode¹¹ Merriam 1915 hipparionine horse includes "Hipparion leptode or Hipparion occidentale" from UC 884, probably "H. occidentale" from UC 887, and possibly "H. sinclairi" from UC 3068; JA pers. obs. 4.2.95 Dinohippus spectans¹ Cope 1880 horse
Artiodactyla - Antilocapridae	Sphenophalos sp. Sphenophalos sp. Merriam 1909 pronghorn UC 3045; additional antilocaprine at UC 3057
Artiodactyla - Tayassuidae	Platygonus oregonensis² Platygonus oregonensis² Colbert 1938 peccary
Artiodactyla - Camelidae	Camelidae indet.³, "Hemiauchenia cf. vera" = Pleiolama vera⁷ Camelidae indet.³ Gray 1821 camel "Hemiauchenia cf. vera" = Pleiolama vera⁷ Matthew 1909 camel a larger camel. is also present at UC 3068 and type Rattlesnake locality
Carnivora - Felidae	Felidae indet., Machairodus lahayishupup⁸ Felidae indet. Gray 1821 cat large and small forms, latter at UC 3058 Machairodus lahayishupup⁸ Orcutt and Calede 2021 cat equivalent to large felid sp. A of Merriam et al. 1925
Carnivora - Canidae	Vulpes stenognathus¹², Borophaginae indet. Vulpes stenognathus¹² Savage 1941 fox "Rattlesnake 3, UCMP locality 3042" Borophaginae indet. Simpson 1945 bone-crushing dog "Osteoborus" Fremd et al. 1994
Carnivora - Ursidae	Plionarctos sp.⁶, ? Indarctos oregonensis n. sp. Plionarctos sp.⁶ Frick 1926 bear UC 3045; includes "Amphicyonid or Ursid" according to Tedford and Martin 2001 ? Indarctos oregonensis n. sp. Merriam et al. 1916 bear said in discussion of "Hipparion anthonyi" to be from UC 3058
Carnivora - Ailuridae	Simocyon primigenius¹³ Simocyon primigenius¹³ Wagner 1858 red panda
Carnivora - Mustelidae	Lutravus cf. halli⁴, Martes sp.³ Lutravus cf. halli⁴ Furlong 1932 mustelid carnivore Martes sp.³ Frisch 1775 marten
Rodentia - Cricetidae	Peromyscus sp.⁷ Peromyscus sp.⁷ Gloger 1841 deer mouse SDSM V-832
Rodentia - Castoridae	Castor californicus⁹, Dipoides cf. stirtoni¹⁰ Castor californicus⁹ Kellogg 1911 beaver area lies within the type area of Merriam, on land administered by the Bureau of Land Management Dipoides cf. stirtoni¹⁰ Wilson 1934 beaver UCMP V-4825; "D. sp." of Stirton 1935
Rodentia - Mylagaulidae	Mylagaulidae indet.³ Mylagaulidae indet.³ Cope 1881 rodent
Rodentia - Sciuridae	"Spermophilus gidleyi" = Citellus (Otospermophilus) gidleyi¹ "Spermophilus gidleyi" = Citellus (Otospermophilus) gidleyi¹ Merriam et al. 1925 squirrel
Lagomorpha - Leporidae	Hypolagus vetus Hypolagus vetus Kellogg 1910 rabbit
Megatherioidea - Megalonychidae	cf. Megalonyx sp.³ cf. Megalonyx sp.³ Harlan 1825 edentate
Chiroptera - Vespertilionidae	cf. Myotis sp.³ cf. Myotis sp.³ Kaup 1829 vesper bat a bat; "Vespertilionidae indet." of Martin 1983: SDSM V-832

¹Alroy 2002; ²Colbert 1938; ³Fremd 1994; ⁴Furlong 1932; ⁵Hay 1903; ⁶Hunt 1998; ⁷Martin 1983; ⁸Orcutt and Calede 2021; ⁹Samuels and Zancanella 2011; ¹⁰Shotwell 1955; ¹¹Tedford et al. 1987; ¹²Tedford et al. 2009; ¹³Thorpe 1921; ¹⁴von Koenigswald et al. 2023