Thomas Farm Site Explained

The Thomas Farm site is an Early Miocene, Hemingfordian assemblage of vertebrate fossils located in Gilchrist County, northern Florida.^[1]

The Thomas Farm site is one of the richest terrestrial deposits of Miocene vertebrates in the 18 Ma range found in eastern North America according to the Florida Museum of Natural History. The site was discovered in 1931 by Florida Geological Survey (FGS) staff member Clarence Simpson.^[2] Specimens include: amphibians, reptiles, birds, small rodents, bats, rhinoceroses, three species of three-toed horses, several artiodactyls (including camels, peccary, deer-like species and other extinct forms), as well as dogs, bears, and bear-dogs.^{[3] [4]}

Specimens

Reptilia

• Pseudemys sp.
• Testudo (T. tedwhitei)
• Promilio (P. epileus)
• Promilio (P. brodkorbi)
• Proictinia (P. floridana)
• Alligator (A. olseni)
• Paraoxybelis (P. floridanus)
• Pseudocemophora (P. antiqua)
• Anilioides (A. minuatus)
• Pseudoepicrates (P. stanolseni)
• Ogmophis (O. pauperrimus
• Calamagras (C. floridanus)

Birds

Phalacrocoracidae

• Phalacrocorax (P. subvolans)

Columbidae

• Arenicolumba prattae

Mammals

Rhinocerotidae

• Diceratherium (D. barbouri)
• Floridaceras (F. whitei)

Equidae

• Parahippus (P. leonensis)
• Anchitherium (A. clarencei)

Amphicyonidae

• Daphoenus (D. caroniavorus
• Amphicyon (A. longiramus)
• Cynelos (C. caroniavorus)

Ursidae

• Aelurodon (A. johnhenryi)
• Phoberocyon (johnhenryi)

Mustelidae

• Mephitaxus (M. ancipidens)
• Miomustela
• Zodiolestes (Z. freundi)
• Oligobunis (O. floridanus)

Canidae

• Osbornodon iamonensis
• Euoplocyon (E. spissidens)
• Metatomarctus (M. canavus)
• Aelurocyon (A. spissidens)
• Phlaocyon sp.

Chiroptera

• Chiroptera sp.
• Primonatalus (P. prattae)
• Karstala (K. silva)
• Miomyotis (M. floridanus)
• Svaptenos (S. whitei)

Artiodactyla

• Floridachoerus (F. olseni)
• Machaeromeryx (M. gilchristensis)
• Parablastomeryx (P. floridanus)
• Merycoidodon sp.
• Syndyoceras (S. australis)
• Floridatragulus (F. dolichanthereus)
• Oxydactylus (O. floridanus)
• Nothokemas (N. floridanus)

Soricidae

• Limnoecus sp.

Rodentia

• Cricetidae
• Proheteromys (P. magnus)
• Proheteromys P. floridanus)
• Miospermophilus
• Nototamias (N. hulberti)
• Petauristodon (P. pattersoni)
• Mesogaulus
• Mylagaulidae

Amphibians

• Proacris (P. mintoni)
• Proacris mintoni

References

• Paleobiology Database: Thomas Farm collection

Notes and References

1. Web site: 2017-03-28. Thomas Farm. 2021-09-06. Florida Museum. en-US.
2. http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fossilhall/flpaleo/thomasfarm/thomasfarm.htm Florida Museum of Natural History: Thomas Farm site
3. Web site: Lloyd. Robin. An Inside Look at an 18 Million-year-old Fossil Dig Site in Florida. 2021-09-06. Scientific American Blog Network. en.
4. Book: Martin, Robert A.. Fossil mammals of the coleman ILA local fauna, Sumter County, Florida.. 1969. [s.n.].