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FOSSILS AND ARTIFACTS FROM
PALEO ENTERPRISES

 

FLORIDA MIOCENE

The Miocene in Florida began almost 25 million years ago and lasted for nearly 20 million years.  Much of Florida was just emerging from the ocean and flora and fauna immediately moved into the new region and became established.  Miocene sites, while much fewer in number than Pleistocene localities,  are found in many areas of the state: in the panhandle, along I-75, several in the Suwannee, the South Withlacoochee, and Wacasassa Rivers, less in the Santa Fe, and in the Bone Valley area.  Early Miocene sites are fewer,  the best known one being Thomas Farm in Alachua Co., and most are in north Florida.  All the material on these pages dates to roughly 18 to 20 million years ago, before there were cats, proboscideans or sloths in the state. This material is quite rare and very seldom available. 

RHINOS 
& MISCELLANEOUS   page 1

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RHINOCEROS

Menoceras is the only North American representative of the rhinocerotid linage called the menoceratines.  While found in abundance at the famous Agate Springs site in western Nebraska, in Florida it  is known mostly from the Thomas Farm site, and there only sparingly.  It is a small, lightly built rhino with two small bumps or "horns" on the upper snout, somewhat reminiscent of the Oligocene Brontothere.  It also possessed two lower tusks which were opposed to two upper nubbin-like teeth.  The rhino fossils below are all from the Menoceras barbouri.


Hulbert, p. 300

 

 


MAXILLA  two beautiful teeth, rock hard and shiny,rare offering  $275 order mi538 REDUCED!     $210

 

MISCELLANEOUS

All the following material is from the Late Early Miocene, North Florida

 


FLORIDA MUSK DEER similar to this illustration


MUSK DEER 
Machaeromeryx gilchristensis
$125 order mi95  REDUCED!     $75
COMMENTS:  3 teeth but small amount  of damage.  
Piece glued but no restoration.


 


Calcaneum, perfect, $20 order mi505

 


Calcaneum, perfect, $20 order mi504

 



Tiny, adult deer or Moschid.  Mounted, articulated leg, absolutely no restoration, cannon bone complete and unbroken, mounted on a small ebony block, only one I've seen.  $875 order mi761wpe1.jpg (1118 bytes)

 

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the following are tiny, delicate bat and frog bones, most are complete and perfect, a miracle they have survived twenty million years.



frog vertebrae, each one different, several  $6 each

 


Bat Humerus, perfect, several, $6 each

 


frog radioulna, perfect, $10  two available

 


frog tibiofibula, perfect, several, $6 each

 


frog astragalus-calcaneum, perfect, $10 each,  SOLD OUT

 


frog ilium $5 each several

 


frog femur perfect, $6 each several


frog humerus, $8  a few only.   order mi727


 

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    The following fossils are unidentified Early Miocene snakes.  The two complete ribs are quite rare since these delicate bones are so very fragile.


complete rib  mi768 $12


snake rib  $10 order mi717

 


snake rib  $10 order mi716


snake rib  $10 order mi722


            rib, distal end missing mi645 $5                                        complete rib mi657 $10

 

 


ribs, $5 each

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lizard mandible unidentified, see Hulbert, pp141-142, $100 order mi721
 

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The following fossils are thought to be vertebrae of the side-necked turtle, today found only in the Southern Hemisphere:  The Columbia Encyclopedia has the following:  "Side Necked Turtle:  name for the long-necked turtle of the families Chelidae and Pelomedusidae, found only in the Southern Hemisphere. The neck in these two families is of a different structure from that of other turtles and is folded sideways under the shell for concealment instead of being pulled straight back. Members of the family Chelidae, sometimes called snake-necked turtles, are river turtles of South America and the Australia–New Guinea region. Several species have slender, elongated snouts. Among these is the matamata (Chelys fimbriata) of Brazil and N South America. The matamata is a weak-jawed turtle that lies in wait for its prey, chiefly fish, and sucks it up with the snout. Its shell has high bumps and is covered with moss and water plants, so that when motionless the turtle looks like a rock. The family Pelomedusidae includes two African genera, Pelomedusa and Pelusios. Members of the latter genus resemble the North American box turtles, with a hinged shell. A third genus, Podocnemis, is found in rivers of South America and Madagascar. Side-necked turtles are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Reptilia, order Chelonia."

 


                              complete, excellent  $15

 


                                complete, excellent,  $15                               

 


                                    excellent,  $12                                                   

 

very fine $9

 

 

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unidentified lizard or reptile vertebra  $6

 


Fish vertebra, excellent $5 order mi385


Miocene drum fish mouthplate  $5 order mi402

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contact us at (386) 454-1916
or 
P.O. Box 2035, HIGH SPRINGS, FL 32643

or e-mail us at jimtatum@paleoenterprises.com