Reeve's Bonebed: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Fossil-rich formation in Texas}} |
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A geological formation in [[Presidio county]], [[Texas]], with the coordinates of 29.9° N, 104.2° W. It is placed in the late [[Eocene]] and early [[Oligocene]]. |
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'''Reeve's Bonebed''' is a geological formation in [[Presidio County]], [[Texas]], with the coordinates of 29.9° N, 104.2° W. It consists of [[fossiliferous]] [[sedimentary rock]] dating from the late [[Eocene]] and early [[Oligocene]]. It is well known for its vertebrate fossils, hence the name "bone bed". A few [[invertebrate]] fossils are also present. |
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==Geology== |
==Geology== |
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Reeve's bonebed lies in the [[Vieja Formation]]. |
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==Ecology== |
==Ecology== |
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The [[University of Texas]] has a large collection of fossils from Reeve's Bonebed which represent numerous different taxonomic groups. In the following table, the number of specimens of each taxon in the university collection from the bonebed is indicated in the abundance column:<ref>{{cite web|last=University of Texas, Austin|title=Reeves bonebed|url=http://www.npl.utexas.edu/vpl/databases/index.php?page=33&page_size=10&mode=search&action=search&searchtype=&taxon=&locality=Reeves%20Bonebed&county=&state=&specid=&geol_form=&epoch=&site_no=&showimage=&geog=&country=&others=&geol=&epoch=&period=&age=&era=&strat=&formation=&group=&horizon=&member=&sorted_by=|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929032524/http://www.npl.utexas.edu/vpl/databases/index.php?page=33&page_size=10&mode=search&action=search&searchtype=&taxon=&locality=Reeves|archivedate=2011-09-29|access-date=2020-05-26}}</ref> |
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===Mammals=== |
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The [[University of Texas]] holds a large collection of fossils from Reeves bonebed. The number of specimins held in their collection from the Reeve's Bonebed are displayed in the abundance column<ref>{{cite web|last=University of Texas, Austin|title=Reeves bonebed|url=http://www.npl.utexas.edu/vpl/databases/index.php?page=33&page_size=10&mode=search&action=search&searchtype=&taxon=&locality=Reeves Bonebed&county=&state=&specid=&geol_form=&epoch=&site_no=&showimage=&geog=&country=&others=&geol=&epoch=&period=&age=&era=&strat=&formation=&group=&horizon=&member=&sorted_by=}}</ref>: |
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{| class="wikitable" align="center" width="100%" |
{| class="wikitable" align="center" width="100%" |
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! Order |
! Order |
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! Family |
! Family |
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! Genus |
! Genus/Species |
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! Abundance |
! Abundance (?/870) |
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! Notes |
! Notes |
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|- |
|- |
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|rowspan="8" | |
|rowspan="8" | |
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[[Cetartiodactyla]] |
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Artiodactyla |
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|rowspan="2" | |
|rowspan="2" | |
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Merycoidodontidae |
[[Merycoidodontidae]] |
||
| |
| |
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Merycoidodon |
''[[Merycoidodon]]'' |
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| |
| |
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91: common |
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91 |
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| |
| |
||
|- |
|- |
||
| |
| |
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Bathygenys |
''[[Bathygenys]]'' |
||
| |
| |
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709: extremely common |
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709 |
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| |
| |
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hundreds of endocasts (see below) |
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|- |
|- |
||
|rowspan="2" | |
|rowspan="2" | |
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Leptomerycidae |
[[Leptomerycidae]] |
||
| |
| |
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''[[Hendryomeryx]] defordi'' |
''[[Hendryomeryx]] defordi'' |
||
| |
| |
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2: extremely rare |
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2 |
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| |
| |
||
|- |
|- |
||
| |
| |
||
Leptomeryx |
''[[Leptomeryx]]'' |
||
| |
| |
||
10 |
10: rare |
||
| |
| |
||
|- |
|- |
||
| |
| |
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Oromerycidae |
[[Oromerycidae]] |
||
| |
| |
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''[[Eotylopus]] reedi'' |
''[[Eotylopus]] reedi'' |
||
| |
| |
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1: extremely rare |
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1 |
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| |
| |
||
|- |
|- |
||
| |
| |
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Agriochoeridae |
[[Agriochoeridae]] |
||
| |
| |
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Agriochoerus |
''[[Agriochoerus]]'' |
||
| |
| |
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15: average abundance |
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15 |
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| |
| |
||
|- |
|- |
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|rowspan="2" | |
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[[Protoceratidae]] |
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| |
| |
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''[[Leptotragulus]]'' |
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Protoceratidae |
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| |
| |
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1: extremely rare |
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Leptotragulus |
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| |
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1 |
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| |
| |
||
|- |
|- |
||
| |
| |
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''[[Heteromeryx]] defordi'' |
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Protoceratidae |
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| |
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Heteromeryx defordi |
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| |
| |
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2: extremely rare |
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2 |
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| |
| |
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|- |
|- |
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|rowspan="5" | |
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[[Rodent]]ia |
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| |
| |
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[[Eutypomyidae]] |
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Rodentia |
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| |
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Eutypomyidae |
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| |
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''[[Eutypomys]] inexpectatus'' |
''[[Eutypomys]] inexpectatus'' |
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| |
| |
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13: average abundance |
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13 |
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| |
| |
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|- |
|- |
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| rowspan="2" | |
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[[Ischyromyidae]] |
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| |
| |
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''[[Pseudotomus]] johanniculi'' |
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Rodentia |
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| |
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1: extremely rare |
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Cylindrodontidae |
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| |
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Ardynomys |
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| |
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1 |
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| |
| |
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holotype |
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|- |
|- |
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| |
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''[[Leptotomus]]'' |
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Rodentia |
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| |
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1: extremely rare |
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Cylindrodontidae |
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| |
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''[[Cylindrodon]] fontis'' |
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3 |
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| |
| |
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|- |
|- |
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|rowspan="2" | |
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[[Cylindrodontidae]] |
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| |
| |
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''[[Ardynomys]]'' |
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Perissodactyla |
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| |
| |
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1: extremely rare |
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Tapiridae |
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| |
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Colodon |
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4 |
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| |
| |
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|- |
|- |
||
| |
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''[[Cylindrodon]] fontis'' |
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Perissodactyla |
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| |
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Equidae |
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| |
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Mesohippus |
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| |
| |
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3: extremely rare |
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11 |
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| |
| |
||
|- |
|- |
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|rowspan="4" | |
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[[Perissodactyla]] |
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| |
| |
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[[Tapiridae]] |
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Perissodactyla |
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| |
| |
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''[[Colodon]]'' |
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Hyracodontidae |
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| |
| |
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4: rare |
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''[[Hyracodon]] primus'' |
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| |
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1 |
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| |
| |
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|- |
|- |
||
| |
| |
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[[Equidae]] |
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Perissodactyla |
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| |
| |
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''[[Mesohippus]]'' |
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Brontotheriidae |
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| |
| |
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11: average abundance |
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''[[Menodus]] bakeri'' |
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| |
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1 |
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| |
| |
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|- |
|- |
||
| |
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[[Hyracodontidae]] |
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Carnivora |
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| |
| |
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''[[Hyracodon]] primus'' |
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Miacoidae |
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| |
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1: extremely rare |
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Miacis cognitus |
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| |
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1 |
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| |
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holotype |
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|- |
|- |
||
| |
| |
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[[Brontotheriidae]] |
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Creodonta |
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| |
| |
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''[[Menodus]] bakeri'' |
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Hyaenodontidae |
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| |
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Hyaenodon |
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| |
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1: extremely rare |
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2 |
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| |
| |
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|- |
|- |
||
| |
| |
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[[Carnivora]] |
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| |
| |
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[[Miacoidea]] |
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| |
| |
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''[[ |
''[[Miacis cognitus]]'' |
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| |
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1: extremely rare |
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1 |
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| |
| |
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holotype |
[[holotype]] |
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|- |
|- |
||
| |
| |
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[[Creodonta]] |
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| |
| |
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[[Hyaenodontidae]] |
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| |
| |
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''[[Hyaenodon]]'' |
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Glyptosaurus |
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| |
| |
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2: extremely rare |
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1 |
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| |
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|- |
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| |
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| |
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| |
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Leptotomus |
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| |
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1 |
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| |
| |
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|} |
|} |
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===Other taxa=== |
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Additional fossils to which a genus cannot be assigned include: |
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*[[gastropods]] (snails) |
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*[[testudinata]] (turtles) |
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*[[Pholidosteids]] ([[Placoderms]], armored fish) |
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==Oreodont braincasts== |
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For fossils of which an exact genus cannot be assigned, there have been discovered... |
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Reeve's Bonebed is known for the recovery of casts of the brain cavity ([[endocast]]) of oreodonts.<ref>{{cite web|title=Oreodont braincasts|url=http://www.utexas.edu/tmm/exhibits/treasures/archive/oreodont_bcasts.html}}</ref> When an animal dies and the soft tissues decay, sediments fill the orifices of the bones including the [[brain case]] inside the [[skull]]. If the bone subsequently falls apart, a cast of the inside of the skull may remain intact. Hundreds of brain casts, mainly from ''[[Bathygenys]]'', were recovered from Reeve's Bonebed. These casts have been used to gauge the size of the brain of these animals, as well as the size of the various brain lobes. The physical arrangement of the brain can give clues about the life of the living animal, such as how important smell was to it, as used in CT scans of ''[[Tyrannosaurus]]''. Studies involving more than 150 of these endocasts have been performed from the Reeve's Bonebed samples.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Macrini|first=Thomas E.|title=Description of a Digital Cranial Endocast of Bathygenys reevesi (Merycoidodontidae; Oreodontoidea) and Implications for Apomorphy-Based Diagnosis of Isolated, Natural Endocasts|journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology|volume=29|issue=4|pages=1199–1211|doi=10.1671/039.029.0413|year=2009}}</ref> |
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[[Artiodactyla|cetartiodactylids]] |
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[[gastropods]] |
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[[testudinids]] |
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[[turtles]] |
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[[Pholidosteids]] |
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[[rodents]] |
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==Oreodont Braincasts== |
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Reeves bonebed is known for the recovery of casts of the brain cavity of oreodonts called [[endocasts]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Oreodont braincasts|url=http://www.utexas.edu/tmm/exhibits/treasures/archive/oreodont_bcasts.html}}</ref>. When and animal dies and the soft tissues decay, sediments fill the orafices left, including the brain case. If the bone falls apart, the fossil that used to be housed on the inside of the skull can remain. Hunreds of brain casts, mainly from ''Bathygenys'', were recovered from Reeves bonebed and have been used to guage the size of the brain as well as the size of the lobes. Physical arrangement of the brain can lead to clues about the life of the living animal, such as how important smell was to it, as used in CT scans of ''[[Tyrannosaurus]]''. Studies involving more than 150 of these endocasts have been preformed from the Reeves bonebed samples.<ref>{{cite web|last=Macrini|first=Thomas E.|title=Description of a Digital Cranial Endocast of Bathygenys reevesi (Merycoidodontidae; Oreodontoidea) and Implications for Apomorphy-Based Diagnosis of Isolated, Natural Endocasts|url=http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1671/039.029.0413?journalCode=vrpa}}</ref> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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{{Reflist}} |
{{Reflist}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Reeve's Bonebed}} |
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[[Category:Geologic formations of |
[[Category:Geologic formations of Texas]] |
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Latest revision as of 00:47, 5 May 2023
Reeve's Bonebed is a geological formation in Presidio County, Texas, with the coordinates of 29.9° N, 104.2° W. It consists of fossiliferous sedimentary rock dating from the late Eocene and early Oligocene. It is well known for its vertebrate fossils, hence the name "bone bed". A few invertebrate fossils are also present.
Geology
[edit]Reeve's bonebed lies in the Vieja Formation.
Ecology
[edit]The University of Texas has a large collection of fossils from Reeve's Bonebed which represent numerous different taxonomic groups. In the following table, the number of specimens of each taxon in the university collection from the bonebed is indicated in the abundance column:[1]
Mammals
[edit]| Order | Family | Genus/Species | Abundance (?/870) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
91: common |
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|
709: extremely common |
hundreds of endocasts (see below) | |||
|
Hendryomeryx defordi |
2: extremely rare |
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|
10: rare |
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|
Eotylopus reedi |
1: extremely rare |
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|
15: average abundance |
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|
1: extremely rare |
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|
Heteromeryx defordi |
2: extremely rare |
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|
Eutypomys inexpectatus |
13: average abundance |
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|
Pseudotomus johanniculi |
1: extremely rare |
holotype | ||
|
1: extremely rare |
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|
1: extremely rare |
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|
Cylindrodon fontis |
3: extremely rare |
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|
4: rare |
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|
11: average abundance |
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|
Hyracodon primus |
1: extremely rare |
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|
Menodus bakeri |
1: extremely rare |
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|
1: extremely rare |
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|
2: extremely rare |
Other taxa
[edit]Additional fossils to which a genus cannot be assigned include:
- gastropods (snails)
- testudinata (turtles)
- Pholidosteids (Placoderms, armored fish)
Oreodont braincasts
[edit]Reeve's Bonebed is known for the recovery of casts of the brain cavity (endocast) of oreodonts.[2] When an animal dies and the soft tissues decay, sediments fill the orifices of the bones including the brain case inside the skull. If the bone subsequently falls apart, a cast of the inside of the skull may remain intact. Hundreds of brain casts, mainly from Bathygenys, were recovered from Reeve's Bonebed. These casts have been used to gauge the size of the brain of these animals, as well as the size of the various brain lobes. The physical arrangement of the brain can give clues about the life of the living animal, such as how important smell was to it, as used in CT scans of Tyrannosaurus. Studies involving more than 150 of these endocasts have been performed from the Reeve's Bonebed samples.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ University of Texas, Austin. "Reeves bonebed". Archived from the original on 2011-09-29. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
- ^ "Oreodont braincasts".
- ^ Macrini, Thomas E. (2009). "Description of a Digital Cranial Endocast of Bathygenys reevesi (Merycoidodontidae; Oreodontoidea) and Implications for Apomorphy-Based Diagnosis of Isolated, Natural Endocasts". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 29 (4): 1199–1211. doi:10.1671/039.029.0413.