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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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p 2 horse 1

p 3 horse 2

p 4 camels

p. 5 beardogs1

p. 6 beardogs2

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

Rhino tooth in bone 3" by 1/8" $90 order mi829. Solid tooth, no glue, no resto.

MISCELLANEOUS

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

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 eachSOLD OUT have some partials only

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.

rib, distal end missing mi645 $5

ribs, $5 each

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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."

very fine $9

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unidentified lizard or reptile vertebra $6

Fish vertebra, excellent $15 order mi385

Miocene drum fish mouthplate $5 order mi402

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