Gruna das Três Cobras (Pleistocene to of Brazil)

Also known as Three Snakes Cave

Where: Bahia, Brazil (13.6° S, 43.8° W: paleocoordinates 13.6° S, 43.8° W)

• coordinate stated in text

• small collection-level geographic resolution

When: Late/Upper Pleistocene to Late/Upper Pleistocene (0.1 - 0.0 Ma)

Environment/lithology: cave; lithology not reported

• Costa da Silva et al. 2019: Gruna das Três Cobras presents a horizontal projection of 5620 m ranging 32 m vertical according to the map by the Bambuí Group of Speleological Surveys (Sausse, 2013). The cave presents fossiliferous sedimentary deposits formed by fine to coarse and poorly sorted silty sand, periodically eroded by rain runoff (Fig. 2E).
• Costa da Silva et al. 2019: The Serra do Ramalho is sustained by sequences of Neoproterozoic pelitic and carbonate rocks belonging to the Paraopeba Subgroup of Bambuí Group, Jequitaí (not outcropping), Sete Lagoas, Serra de Santa Helena, Lagoa do Jacaré and Serra da Saudade formations (Auler and Farrant, 1996; Bitencourt and Rodet, 2002; Zalán and Silva, 2007), the last one restricted to high elevations in the northernmost part of the plateau (Conceição Filho et al., 2003). Cretaceous sandstones of Urucuia Formation overlay units of Bambuí Group, forming elevated sandy plains which stand out at the plateau summit (Conceição Filho et al., 2003, Fig. 2C).

Size class: macrofossils

Collection methods: Costa da Silva et al. 2019: Gruna das Três Cobras revealed a total of 281 samples. The material was stored in the paleontological collection of Museu de Ciências da Terra, Serviço Geológico do Brasil - CPRM (MCTer, Museum of Earth Sciences, Geological Survey of Brazil), in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Primary reference: R. Costa da Silva, M. Berbert-Born, D. E. F. Bustamante, T. N. Santoro, F. Sedor and L. Santos Avilla. 2019. Diversity and preservation of Pleistocene tetrapods from caves of southwestern Bahia, Brazil. Journal of South American Earth Sciences 90:233-254 [P. Mannion/G. Varnham]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 212449: authorized by Philip Mannion, entered by Grace Varnham on 14.08.2020

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Show authors, comments, and common names
Mammalia
 Didelphimorphia - Didelphidae
Didelphis sp.
Didelphis sp. Linnaeus 1758 large American opossum
 Proboscidea - Gomphotheriidae
Notiomastodon platensis
Notiomastodon platensis Ameghino 1888 gomphothere
 Notoungulata - Toxodontidae
Toxodontidae indet.
Toxodontidae indet. Ameghino 1889 notoungulate
 Placentalia -
Xenarthra indet.
 Cingulata - Pachyarmatheriidae
Pachyarmatherium brasiliense
Pachyarmatherium brasiliense Porpino et al. 2009 edentate
 Cingulata - Glyptodontidae
Glyptotherium sp.
Glyptotherium sp. Osborn 1903 glyptodon
 Cingulata - Pampatheriidae
Holmesina majus, Holmesina sp.
Holmesina sp. Simpson 1930 edentate
 Cingulata - Dasypodidae
Propraopus sulcatus, Euphractus sexcinctus
Propraopus sulcatus Lund 1838 armadillo
Euphractus sexcinctus Linnaeus 1758 six banded armadillo
 Megatherioidea - Megatheriidae
Megatheriidae indet.
Megatheriidae indet. Gray 1821 edentate
 Megatherioidea - Nothrotheriidae
Nothrotherium maquinense
Nothrotherium maquinense Hay 1930 edentate
 Megatherioidea - Megalonychidae
Megalonychidae indet.
Megalonychidae indet. Gervais 1855 edentate
  - Mylodontidae
Scelidotheriinae indet., Valgipes bucklandi, Catonyx cuvieri
Scelidotheriinae indet. Ameghino 1889 edentate
Valgipes bucklandi Lund 1839 edentate
Catonyx cuvieri Lund 1839 edentate
 Panameriungulata - Macraucheniidae
Xenorhinotherium bahiensis
 Perissodactyla - Tapiridae
Tapirus sp.
Tapirus sp. Brisson 1762 tapir
 Artiodactyla - Cervidae
Cervidae indet.
Cervidae indet. Gray 1821 deer
 Artiodactyla - Camelidae
"Palaeolama major" = Palaeolama (Palaeolama) major
"Palaeolama major" = Palaeolama (Palaeolama) major Liais 1872 camel
 Artiodactyla - Tayassuidae
Tayassu pecari
Tayassu pecari Link 1795 white-lipped peccary
 Carnivora - Felidae
Felidae indet., Panthera onca, Smilodon populator
Felidae indet. Gray 1821 cat
Panthera onca Linnaeus 1758 jaguar
Smilodon populator Lund 1842 saber-toothed cat
 Carnivora - Canidae
Chrysocyon brachyurus
Chrysocyon brachyurus Illiger 1815 maned wolf
 Rodentia - Caviidae
Neochoerus sp., Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris
Neochoerus sp. Hay 1926 caviomorph
Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris Linnaeus 1766 capybara
Reptilia
 Testudines - Testudinidae
Chelonoidis sp.
Chelonoidis sp. Fitzinger 1835 turtle