Laetoli Beds Upper: Pliocene, Tanzania

List of taxa
Where & when
Geology
Taphonomy & methods
Metadata & references
Taxonomic list
unclassified
Edourdia laetoliensis
Subulonia pseudinvoluta
Euonyma leakeyi
Streptostele aff. urguessensis
Propoecilogale bolti
Urocyclidae indet.
Trochonanina informal sp. A
Trochonanina informal sp. B
cf. Rhamphiophis sp.
Streptopegia sp.
cf. Megacyon sp.
Insecta - Blattodea - Termitidae
Termitidae indet. (Latreille 1802)
Termitina
Gastropoda - Heterostropha - Achatinidae
Achatina cf. zanzibaria
Mammalia - Proboscidea - Elephantidae
Loxodonta exoptata Dietrich 1941
Mammalia - Proboscidea - Deinotheriidae
Deinotherium bozasi Arambourg 1934
originally entered as "Deinotherium bozeasi"
Mammalia - Macroscelidea - Rhynchocyonidae
Rhynchocyon pliocaenicus
Mammalia - Tubulidentata - Orycteropodidae
Orycteropus sp. Geoffroy 1791
Mammalia - Perissodactyla - Equidae
Hipparion sp. de Christol 1832
Mammalia - Perissodactyla - Rhinocerotidae
Ceratotherium praecox
Diceros bicornis (Linnaeus 1758)
Mammalia - Perissodactyla - Chalicotheriidae
Ancylotherium hennigi
Mammalia - Sivatheridae
Sivatherium maurusium (Pomel 1893)
original and current combination Libytherium maurusium
Mammalia - Giraffidae
Giraffa stillei Arambourg 1947
Giraffa cf. jumae Leakey 1967
originally entered as "cf. jumae cf. jumae"
Mammalia - Bovidae
Gazella janenschi
Tragelaphus sp. de Blainville 1816
Simatherium kohllarseni
Brabovus nanincisus Gentry 1987
nanincisus
aff. Pelea sp. Gray 1851
originally entered as "aff. Pezea sp."
Praedamalis deturi Dietrich 1950
? Raphicerus sp. Smith 1827
Parmularius pandatus Gentry 1987
Mammalia - Camelidae
Camelus sp. Linnaeus 1758
Mammalia - Suidae
Notochoerus euilus (Hopwood 1926)
original and current combination Hylochoerus euilus
Potamochoerus porcus (Linnaeus 1758)
Mammalia - Carnivora - Felidae
Panthera cf. pardus (Linnaeus 1758)
Panthera aff. gombaszoegensis (Kretzoi 1938)
gombaseogensis/palaeosinensis
Felis informal sp. small Linnaeus 1758
Felis informal sp. medium Linnaeus 1758
Felis informal sp. large Linnaeus 1758
Homotherium sp. Fabrini 1890
Megantereon sp. Croizet and Jobert 1828
Mammalia - Carnivora - Viverridae
Viverra leakeyi Petter 1963
Mammalia - Carnivora - Herpestidae
Herpestes palaeoserengetensis
Herpestes ichneumon (Linnaeus 1758)
Mungos dietrichi
Helogale palaeogracilis
Mammalia - Carnivora - Mustelidae
Mellivora capensis (Schreber 1776)
Mammalia - Carnivora - Canidae
Canidae indet. Fischer de Waldheim 1817
Vulpes sp. Frisch 1775
aff. Canis brevirostris
Mammalia - Lagomorpha - Leporidae
Serengetilagus praecapensis
Mammalia - Rodentia - Sciuridae
Paraxerus sp. Forsyth Major 1893
Xerus cf. janenschi
Xerus sp. Hemprich and Ehrenberg 1833
Mammalia - Rodentia - Pedetidae
Pedetes laetoliensis
Mammalia - Rodentia - Hystricidae
Hystrix leakeyi
Hystrix cf. makapanensis
Xenohystrix crassidens
Mammalia - Rodentia - Bathyergidae
Heterocephalus quenstedti
Mammalia - Rodentia - Nesomyidae
Dendromus sp. Smith 1829
Mammalia - Rodentia - Cricetidae
Cricetidae indet. Fischer von Waldheim 1817
Mammalia - Rodentia - Muridae
Tatera cf. inclusa
Thallomys laetolilensis
Saccostomus major
Steatomys sp. Peters 1846
Mastomys cinereus
Mammalia - Primates - Hominidae
Australopithecus afarensis Johanson et al. 1978
Mammalia - Primates - Cercopithecidae
cf. Papio sp. Erxleben 1777
Parapapio ado Hopwood 1936
cf. Paracolobus sp. Leakey 1969
Mammalia - Primates - Galagidae
Galago sadimanensis Walker 1987
Reptilia - Crotalidae
Bitis cf. arietans
original and current combination Clotho (Bitis)
arietans/olduvaiensis
Reptilia - Elapidae
Naja robusta
Reptilia - Boidae
Python boidae
Python sebae Gmelin 1789
Reptilia - Testudines - Testudinidae
Geochelone brachygularis Meylan and Auffenberg 1987
recombined as Stigmochelys brachygularis
Geochelone laetoliensis (Meylan and Auffenberg 1987)
Reptilia - Numididae
Numida sp. Linnaeus 1766
Reptilia - Phasianidae
Francolinus informal sp. large Stephens 1819
Francolinus informal sp. small Stephens 1819
Reptilia - Strigiformes - Strigidae
Bubo sp. Dumeril 1806
Reptilia - Struthioniformes - Struthionidae
Struthionidae indet. Vigors 1825
Reptilia - Accipitriformes - Accipitridae
Torgos sp. Kaup 1828
synonym of Aegypius
unclassified
Madoqua avifluminis (Dietrich 1950)
original and current combination Praemadoqua avifluminis
see common names

Geography
Country:Tanzania State/province:Eastern Drift Valley County:Eyasi Plateau
Coordinates: 3.1° South, 35.1° East (view map)
Paleocoordinates:3.3° South, 34.7° East
Geographic resolution:local area
Time
Period:Neogene Epoch:Pliocene
10 m.y. bin:Cenozoic 6
*Period:Late/Upper Tertiary - Late/Upper Tertiary *Epoch:Early/Lower Pliocene - Late/Upper Pliocene
Key time interval:Pliocene
Age range of interval:5.33300 - 2.58000 m.y. ago
* legacy (obsolete) database fields
Stratigraphy
Formation:Vogel River Series Member:Laetoli Beds (upper)
Stratigraphy comments: Max age on base of upper unit of Laetolil Bed (3.76+/-0.03), min age on tuff 8 (3.46+/-0.12)
Lithology and environment
Primary lithology:tuffaceous,gray lithified calcareous sandstone
Includes fossils?Y
Lithology description: Primarily eolian tuff w/ some airfall tuff & 8 horizons of xenoliths Datum Plane: top of lower unit of Laetolil beds
Environment:eolian indet.
Taphonomy
Modes of preservation:body,mold/impression,trace,replaced with calcite
Size of fossils:macrofossils,mesofossils,microfossils
Disassociated major elements:many
Disassociated minor elements:many
Size sorting:very poor
Fragmentation:frequent
Temporal resolution:time-averaged
Spatial resolution:parautochthonous
Collection methods and comments
Collection methods:selective quarrying,surface (float),surface (in situ),sieve,field collection
Reason for describing collection:general faunal/floral analysis
Metadata
Also known as:Laetolil, Garusi, Southern Serengeti, Vogel River Series
Database number:32050
Authorizer:A. Behrensmeyer Enterer:A. Behrensmeyer, M. Sommers
Modifier:J. Alroy
Created:2003-06-03 07:40:33 Last modified:2017-05-23 16:34:15
Access level:the public Released:2003-06-03 07:40:33
Creative Commons license:CC BY
Reference information

Primary reference:
4451.ETE 85M. D. Leakey and J. M. Harris. 1987. Laetoli: a Pliocene Site in Northern Tanzania. Clarendon Press, Oxford, Great Britain [A. Behrensmeyer/A. Behrensmeyer/M. Kosnik]