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{{Short description|Fossil-rich formation in Texas}}
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]].
'''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==
==Geology==
Reeves bonebed lies in the Vieja Formation
Reeve's bonebed lies in the [[Vieja Formation]].


==Ecology==
==Ecology==
⚫
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>

⚫
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>:


===Mammals===
===Mammals===
Line 14: Line 14:
! Order
! Order
! Family
! Family
! Genus
! Genus/Species
! Abundance
! Abundance (?/870)
! Notes
! Notes
|-
|-
|rowspan="8" |
|rowspan="8" |
[[Artiodactyla]]
[[Cetartiodactyla]]
|rowspan="2" |
|rowspan="2" |
[[Merycoidodontidae]]
[[Merycoidodontidae]]
|
|
[[Merycoidodon]]
''[[Merycoidodon]]''
|
|
91: common
91
|
|
|-
|-
|
|
[[Bathygenys]]
''[[Bathygenys]]''
|
|
709: extremely common
709
|
|
hundreds of endocasts (see below)
|-
|-
|rowspan="2" |
|rowspan="2" |
Line 39: Line 40:
''[[Hendryomeryx]] defordi''
''[[Hendryomeryx]] defordi''
|
|
2: extremely rare
2
|
|
|-
|-
|
|
[[Leptomeryx]]
''[[Leptomeryx]]''
|
|
10
10: rare
|
|
|-
|-
Line 53: Line 54:
''[[Eotylopus]] reedi''
''[[Eotylopus]] reedi''
|
|
1: extremely rare
1
|
|
|-
|-
Line 59: Line 60:
[[Agriochoeridae]]
[[Agriochoeridae]]
|
|
[[Agriochoerus]]
''[[Agriochoerus]]''
|
|
15: average abundance
15
|
|
|-
|-
Line 67: Line 68:
[[Protoceratidae]]
[[Protoceratidae]]
|
|
[[Leptotragulus]]
''[[Leptotragulus]]''
|
|
1: extremely rare
1
|
|
|-
|-
|
|
[[Heteromeryx]] defordi
''[[Heteromeryx]] defordi''
|
|
2: extremely rare
2
|
|
|-
|-
|rowspan="5" |
|rowspan="5" |
[[Rodentia]]
[[Rodent]]ia
|
|
[[Eutypomyidae]]
[[Eutypomyidae]]
Line 85: Line 86:
''[[Eutypomys]] inexpectatus''
''[[Eutypomys]] inexpectatus''
|
|
13: average abundance
13
|
|
|-
|-
Line 93: Line 94:
''[[Pseudotomus]] johanniculi''
''[[Pseudotomus]] johanniculi''
|
|
1: extremely rare
1
|
|
holotype
holotype
|-
|-
|
|
Leptotomus
''[[Leptotomus]]''
|
|
1: extremely rare
1
|
|
|-
|-
Line 106: Line 107:
[[Cylindrodontidae]]
[[Cylindrodontidae]]
|
|
[[Ardynomys]]
''[[Ardynomys]]''
|
|
1: extremely rare
1
|
|
|-
|-
Line 114: Line 115:
''[[Cylindrodon]] fontis''
''[[Cylindrodon]] fontis''
|
|
3: extremely rare
3
|
|
|-
|-
Line 122: Line 123:
[[Tapiridae]]
[[Tapiridae]]
|
|
[[Colodon]]
''[[Colodon]]''
|
|
4: rare
4
|
|
|-
|-
Line 130: Line 131:
[[Equidae]]
[[Equidae]]
|
|
[[Mesohippus]]
''[[Mesohippus]]''
|
|
11: average abundance
11
|
|
|-
|-
Line 140: Line 141:
''[[Hyracodon]] primus''
''[[Hyracodon]] primus''
|
|
1: extremely rare
1
|
|
|-
|-
Line 148: Line 149:
''[[Menodus]] bakeri''
''[[Menodus]] bakeri''
|
|
1: extremely rare
1
|
|
|-
|-
Line 154: Line 155:
[[Carnivora]]
[[Carnivora]]
|
|
[[Miacoidae]]
[[Miacoidea]]
|
|
[[Miacis cognitus]]
''[[Miacis cognitus]]''
|
|
1: extremely rare
1
|
|
[[holotype]]
[[holotype]]
Line 167: Line 168:
[[Hyaenodontidae]]
[[Hyaenodontidae]]
|
|
[[Hyaenodon]]
''[[Hyaenodon]]''
|
|
2: extremely rare
2
|
|
|}
|}


===Other taxa===
⚫
Additional fossils to which a genus cannot be assigned include:


⚫
*[[gastropods]] (snails)
*[[testudinata]] (turtles)
*[[Pholidosteids]] ([[Placoderms]], armored fish)


⚫
==Oreodont braincasts==


⚫
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>
⚫
For fossils of which an exact genus cannot be assigned, there have been discovered...

⚫
[[gastropods]]

[[testudinids]]

[[Pholidosteids]]

⚫
==Oreodont Braincasts==

⚫
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>


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Reeve's Bonebed}}

[[Category:Geologic formations of the United States]]
[[Category:Geologic formations of Texas]]

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

Cetartiodactyla

Merycoidodontidae

Merycoidodon

91: common

Bathygenys

709: extremely common

hundreds of endocasts (see below)

Leptomerycidae

Hendryomeryx defordi

2: extremely rare

Leptomeryx

10: rare

Oromerycidae

Eotylopus reedi

1: extremely rare

Agriochoeridae

Agriochoerus

15: average abundance

Protoceratidae

Leptotragulus

1: extremely rare

Heteromeryx defordi

2: extremely rare

Rodentia

Eutypomyidae

Eutypomys inexpectatus

13: average abundance

Ischyromyidae

Pseudotomus johanniculi

1: extremely rare

holotype

Leptotomus

1: extremely rare

Cylindrodontidae

Ardynomys

1: extremely rare

Cylindrodon fontis

3: extremely rare

Perissodactyla

Tapiridae

Colodon

4: rare

Equidae

Mesohippus

11: average abundance

Hyracodontidae

Hyracodon primus

1: extremely rare

Brontotheriidae

Menodus bakeri

1: extremely rare

Carnivora

Miacoidea

Miacis cognitus

1: extremely rare

holotype

Creodonta

Hyaenodontidae

Hyaenodon

2: extremely rare

Other taxa

[edit]

Additional fossils to which a genus cannot be assigned include:

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]
  1. ^ University of Texas, Austin. "Reeves bonebed". Archived from the original on 2011-09-29. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
  2. ^ "Oreodont braincasts".
  3. ^ 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.
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