Post by Infinity Blade on Jun 8, 2021 3:29:20 GMT 5
This thread is dedicated to posting any sources on what prehistoric fauna have been found from the area in which you live in.
I'll start off by posting some of the Pleistocene fauna that lived in my home state (Pennsylvania).
Woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius):
- Woolly mammoth skeleton found in Lake Pleasant, Erie County (link)
Short-faced bear (Arctodus spp.):
- A. pristinus found in southeastern Pennsylvania (link)
- A. simus reported in Pennsylvania (Schubert et al., 2010; Fig. 1)
American mastodon (Mammut americanum):
- Mastodon skeleton uncovered from Marshalls Creek, Monroe County (link)
Port Kennedy Bone Cave (Montgomery County):
The remains found from this cave date back to the Irvingtonian (~750 kya). Numerous species have been found (link). Unfortunately, it was later used as an asbestos dumping site until it was filled. The quarry got filled with water and was forgotten until it was rediscovered in 2005. Sadly, it looks like it's not going to be explored again anytime soon, due to these facts.
I'll start off by posting some of the Pleistocene fauna that lived in my home state (Pennsylvania).
Woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius):
- Woolly mammoth skeleton found in Lake Pleasant, Erie County (link)
Short-faced bear (Arctodus spp.):
- A. pristinus found in southeastern Pennsylvania (link)
Eastern and possibly central United States, including occurrences in Florida, coastal South Carolina, Maryland, southeastern Pennsylvania, possibly Kansas (Kurtén, 1967; Emslie, 1995), and Central Mexico (Dalquest and Mooser, 1980). Ashley River, near Charleston, South Carolina, is the type locality.
- A. simus reported in Pennsylvania (Schubert et al., 2010; Fig. 1)
American mastodon (Mammut americanum):
- Mastodon skeleton uncovered from Marshalls Creek, Monroe County (link)
Port Kennedy Bone Cave (Montgomery County):
The remains found from this cave date back to the Irvingtonian (~750 kya). Numerous species have been found (link). Unfortunately, it was later used as an asbestos dumping site until it was filled. The quarry got filled with water and was forgotten until it was rediscovered in 2005. Sadly, it looks like it's not going to be explored again anytime soon, due to these facts.
Wheatley and Cope confirmed that the tooth had once belonged to an American mastodon. They identified 34 species, including tapirs, sloths, skunks, a saber-toothed cat, some unknown sort of equine animal, and a short-faced bear that looked nothing like those roaming North American forests in the 19th century, as well as plant, insect, reptile and bird fossils.
In 1893 Irwin’s workers were lowering the floor of one quarry when they blasted into a sort of chasm. They found some fossils but removed them to a refuse heap adjoining the quarry where they remained for about a year. In 1894 a member of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, which was then organizing its museum, discovered a Megalonyx (or ground sloth) tooth among the rubbish. The member shared his find with Dr. Samuel Dixon (1851-1918), then curator and later president of the academy. Dixon visited the quarry, and in one undisturbed area he unearthed the teeth of a tapir and the remains of other mammals. Dixon became convinced that not only had the long-lost bone cave been rediscovered, but it held still more treasures waiting to be unearthed.